In an effort to prioritize the preservation of our environment,  the Tanzanian government has taken an important measure to ban single-use plastic bags effective from 01 June 2019.

According to the official government press release, “all plastic carrier bags, regardless of their thickness are prohibited from being imported, exported, manufactured, sold, stored, supplied and used in Mainland Tanzania… “The relevant authorities shall ensure that any plastic carrier bags entered in Tanzania Mainland in contravention of these Regulations, are confiscated at the point of entry and disposed of or recycled in an environmentally sound manner.”

Ziploc bags which are designed to carry toiletries will be permitted as they are expected to be in the possession of visitors and are not expected to be disposed of in the country.  Any other form of plastic bags will not be permitted into the country and will need to be surrendered at the airport or any other point of entry.

We recommend all visitors to Tanzania to be mindful of the above new regulation in order to have a smooth arrival experience and an enjoyable stay in Tanzania.