Your pet to Zanzibar: an import permit in advance, and the blood test for the way back
A dog or cat may only enter Tanzania with an import permit you have before you travel, a rabies vaccination at least a month old and a health certificate. Whether Zanzibar asks for a permit of its own is not stated anywhere official: ask in writing. Do the blood test in the Netherlands, because Tanzania is not on the EU list.
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A dog or cat may enter Tanzania, but only with an import permit that you already have before you enter the country. That is what the Tanzanian embassy in Washington and the German embassy in Dar es Salaam write. In addition, your animal must have been vaccinated against rabies at least one month and at most three years before arrival, and you need a health certificate from a vet. Whether Zanzibar requires a permit of its own on top of that, we have not found anywhere official. Arrange the way back at the same time: Tanzania is not on the EU list of countries without a blood test requirement.
What do you need, and how long does it take?
| Step | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip | chip first, then vaccinate; otherwise the vaccination is not valid | NVWA |
| Rabies vaccination | at least 1 month and at most 3 years before arrival in Tanzania | Tanzanian embassy |
| Import permit | apply to the Director of Veterinary Services, and have it before you enter | Tanzanian and German embassy |
| Permit from Zanzibar itself | not found at an official source; ask | — |
| Asking the NVWA about the requirements | answer within 2 working days | NVWA |
| Legalisation of documents | appointment at the NVWA in Utrecht, request at least 14 working days in advance | NVWA |
| Blood test for the way back | at least 30 days after the vaccination, result 0.5 IU/ml or higher | NVWA |
| Waiting period for a blood test outside the EU | 90 days before you may travel to the EU | NVWA |
| Whole preparation | weeks to more than half a year | NVWA |
What does Tanzania ask for?
An import permit. You apply for it with a letter to the Director of Veterinary Services, the head of the veterinary department. In that letter you state:
- the species and breed;
- the age of your animal;
- the place where you enter the country.
You enclose the vaccination certificates. The German embassy gives the address zoosanitary@mifugo.go.tz for this. On arrival a vet checks your animal, and if necessary it goes into quarantine. You may only enter through designated points.
Neither embassy page has a date, and both use an old name for the ministry. So treat them as a starting point, not the final word.
Does Zanzibar ask for anything extra?
We do not know. Zanzibar is semi-autonomous and arranges many matters itself, alongside what Tanzania arranges centrally. So it is quite possible that the Zanzibar ministry of agriculture and livestock asks for a permit or inspection of its own. We have not found an official Zanzibar regulation, and the embassies do not mention Zanzibar.
Do not fly with your animal until you have in writing which permit you need, from whom, and whether it also applies if you land directly on Zanzibar. Ask the veterinary department at the address the embassy gives, and the Tanzanian embassy in The Hague.
How do you arrange it in the Netherlands?
Start with the NVWA, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. According to the NVWA your animal must be microchipped before the rabies vaccination, and you need an EU pet passport from your own vet. For some countries there is a fixed certificate with instructions in the NVWA's Exportassistent. If there is none for Tanzania, you email the NVWA. It tries to answer within 2 working days, with the country's requirements.
Often an NVWA vet comes along to check that your animal meets the requirements and to issue a health certificate. If documents need to be legalised, you go to the NVWA office in Utrecht, without your animal. You request that appointment at least 14 working days in advance. The NVWA counts on weeks to more than half a year for the whole preparation.
Why the blood test before you leave?
Because otherwise the way back takes a long time. Since 22 April 2026 the list of countries without a blood test requirement is in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, and Tanzania is not on it. If you come from Tanzania to the Netherlands with your dog or cat, your animal needs a valid rabies blood test: taken at least 30 days after the vaccination, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or higher, tested by an approved laboratory.
If you have that test done outside the EU, your animal can only travel to the Netherlands 90 days after a good result. If you do it in the Netherlands before leaving, that waiting period does not apply. The test stays valid for your animal's whole life, as long as you have the rabies vaccination repeated on time.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Zanzibar or look inside the open plan first.
What is due when?
Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for Zanzibar, from microchip to certificate.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Tanzanian embassy in Washington — import permit for pets and the rabies vaccination — us.tzembassy.go.tz
- German embassy in Dar es Salaam — the import permit for pets, to be obtained before the journey — daressalam.diplo.de
- NVWA — with your dog or cat to a country outside the EU, the step-by-step plan — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — the rabies blood test on return from a high-risk country — nvwa.nl
- EUR-Lex — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, the list of countries without a blood test requirement; Tanzania is not listed — eur-lex.europa.eu
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