Working on Zanzibar: the work permit and the residence permit
As a foreigner you can only work on Zanzibar with a work permit from the Zanzibar Labour Commissioner. A long-term work permit is valid for six to twelve months. Then you apply to the Tanzanian immigration service for a Class B-1, for USD 2,000. Investors go through ZIPA and the Class A-3.
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As a foreigner you may only work on Zanzibar with a work permit. It is issued by the Labour Commissioner of Zanzibar, the head of the Zanzibar labour department, and not by the Tanzanian government: Zanzibar arranges labour itself. With that work permit you then apply to the Tanzanian immigration service for a residence permit: the Class B-1 for an employee (USD 2,000) or the Class A-3 for an investor (USD 3,000). Working on a tourist visa is not allowed.
The Tanzanian work permit law, the Non-Citizens (Employment Regulation) Act, only applies on the mainland under section 2. On Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Employment Act of 2005 applies.
Which permit suits which work?
| Situation | Work permit | Residence permit | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job with an employer on Zanzibar | long-term work permit | Class B-1, USD 2,000 | work permit 6 to 12 months, renewable per year, four years at most in total |
| Short assignment | short-term work permit | Class B-3, USD 500 | less than 6 months, not renewable |
| Investor with your own company | through ZIPA, without fees for an approved investment | Class A-3, USD 3,000 | permit two years at most, renewable |
| Married to a Zanzibari for at least 3 years, and living there | not treated as a foreigner for work | ask Immigration which one | as long as the marriage lasts |
The fees for the work permit itself are set by the minister in the Gazette, the official Zanzibar journal. No current fee list is online. Ask your employer or the Labour Commissioner for the amount.
How do you get a work permit?
Your employer applies for it. Under section 36 of the Employment Act, an employer may only hire a foreigner if no Tanzanian with the right qualifications is available, or for a management position that an investor may fill himself. A work permit is valid for one employer. If your contract ends, your employer reports it within fourteen days.
The long-term work permit is valid for six to twelve months and is renewed each time for a year at most. In total you can work on Zanzibar this way for four years at most. Investors and managers are not subject to that limit, and the minister can grant two more years. The short-term work permit is valid for less than six months and can only be renewed for investors.
Working without a valid work permit is an offence, for you and for your employer. The 2005 law sets a fine of at least 500,000 shillings, or at least three months in prison. So do not start on a tourist visa: according to Immigration you may not work or do business on it.
What does Immigration ask for next?
Only once you have the work permit do you apply for the Class B. It is meant for knowledge and skills that are not readily available on the local labour market. Immigration asks for, among other things:
- your work permit and your CV;
- certified diplomas, translated if they are not in English or Swahili;
- your employment contract and a job description;
- an organisation chart of the company.
The application must be approved before you enter. A permit is valid for two years at most and can be renewed.
I want my own company. How does that work?
Then you go through ZIPA, the Zanzibar investment authority. According to ZIPA, registered investors get their work and residence permits only through ZIPA. The minimum capital for a foreigner is USD 500,000, and USD 2,500,000 in the hotel and real estate sector. The investment certificate costs USD 600 to 2,500, depending on sector and status, and is ready within five working days. With an approved investment you pay no fees for the work permit (section 39).
Then comes the Class A-3, for USD 3,000, for those who are shareholder and director. Immigration asks for, among other things, the ZIPA certificate, the articles of association, a TIN (your Tanzanian tax number) and a tax clearance, proof of your capital, and the employment contracts of your local staff.
Can you start your own business?
Yes, but not a small one. Only a Tanzanian can register a sole proprietorship. As a foreigner you set up a company, and with a foreign shareholder the Zanzibar business register has asked since July 2025 for at least 100 million shillings in capital. With it comes an investment certificate from ZIPA: under the investment act from USD 500,000, and USD 2,500,000 for hotels and real estate. Whether letting villas falls under that high threshold, the act does not say. Your residence permit is the Class A-3, and even in your own company you need a work permit.
Tourism has an extra hurdle: ZIPA lists organising trips as "Tour operation (locals only)". Ask the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism before you invest. Your company pays 30 percent corporate tax and withholds 10 percent on dividends. Letting a home to tourists carries 15 percent hotel levy, tourism services 12 percent, and VAT is 15 percent.
May you work remotely from Zanzibar?
The official sources are silent on this. There is no visa for digital nomads. And there is no text saying whether you may work for a Dutch employer or for your own clients with a Class C permit, for retirement or a home. Ask the Commissioner of Immigration Zanzibar before you leave, and have what you may do confirmed in writing.
What is left of your salary?
Income tax on Zanzibar is Tanzanian: the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) collects it, with the same rates as on the mainland. Your employer withholds the payroll tax, the PAYE. For a resident, the monthly rates rise from 0 percent up to 270,000 shillings, to 30 percent above 1,000,000 shillings. If you are not a resident, the employer withholds 15 percent of your gross salary according to the TRA. You become a resident, among other things, at 183 days or more in a year.
On Zanzibar, pension contributions also go to the ZSSF, the Zanzibar pension fund. The amount is not on the TRA pages: ask your employer for a salary calculation before you sign.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 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 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.
- Zanzibar Employment Act 2005, sections 36 to 42 — the work permit, its duration, the exemptions and the penalties (Government Gazette 7 October 2005) — archive.gazettes.africa
- Non-Citizens (Employment Regulation) Act, section 2 — the law of the mainland, which does not apply on Zanzibar — immigration.go.tz
- Tanzania Immigration — Residence Permit Guidelines, Class A and Class B, the requirements and the fees — immigration.go.tz
- Tanzania Immigration — Visa Guidelines (September 2026), no work on a tourist visa — immigration.go.tz
- ZIPA — frequently asked questions, minimum capital, investment certificate and permits through ZIPA — zipa.go.tz
- Tanzania Revenue Authority — Pay As You Earn, the payroll tax for residents and non-residents — tra.go.tz
- Tanzania Revenue Authority — income tax rates for individuals, including Zanzibar — tra.go.tz
- Zanzibar Business and Property Registration Agency — a sole proprietorship only for a Tanzanian citizen — bpra.go.tz
- BPRA — Practice Directive No. 2 of 2025, at least TZS 100 million capital with a foreign shareholder — bpra.go.tz
- Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, section 20 and the Second Schedule — the investment certificate and the thresholds (scan of the act) — faolex.fao.org
- ZIPA — Tourism and Recreation Services, tour operation for Zanzibaris only — zipa.go.tz
- Income Tax Act, Cap. 332 R.E. 2023, First Schedule — corporate tax 30 percent and withholding tax on dividends 10 percent — tra.go.tz
- Zanzibar Revenue Authority — hotel levy, 15 percent on letting a home and 12 percent on tourism services — zanrevenue.org
- Zanzibar Revenue Authority — VAT of 15 percent and the registration threshold — zanrevenue.org
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