Do Tanzanian citizens need a Schengen visa for Europe?

Yes. Tanzania is on the EU's list of nationalities that need a visa for the Schengen area, so every Tanzanian passport holder, from the mainland or Zanzibar, needs a short-stay (Type C) visa before travelling, whatever UK visa or settlement they hold. UK residence changes where you apply, not whether you need one.

Can a Tanzanian on a UK work or student visa apply for a Schengen visa in the UK?

Yes. A Health and Care Worker, Skilled Worker, Student or Spouse visa is lawful residence, so you apply at the UK centre of your main destination rather than in Dar es Salaam. You prove residence with a valid BRP, an eVisa share code with the printed status page, or the visa vignette, and add an employer letter with approved leave or a university enrolment letter.

How much is a Schengen visa for a Tanzanian passport from the UK?

€90 for an adult, about £81 at the consulate's own rate, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, free under 6, the same for every nationality. Poland's embassy charges £79 in pounds. The centre adds £15 to about £45 depending on the country, and you need insurance with at least €30,000 of cover. Our service fee, if we prepare and book it, is £99, and £69 for each extra traveller.

Is the East African Community passport accepted?

Yes. The EU's table of recognised travel documents lists the Tanzanian ordinary passport as recognised by every Schengen state and notes that the newer passports reading East African Community on the cover are also recognised. The passport must be issued within 10 years and valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area, with two blank pages.

What is the main reason Tanzanian applicants from the UK are refused?

Doubt that the applicant will return to the UK, usually because the employer letter, bank statements and itinerary do not line up, or because UK permission ends soon after the trip. Thin or inconsistent evidence of ties and funds is the leading refusal reason for everyone applying from the UK; nationality is not one.

Schengen Visa for Tanzanians in the UK (2026 Guide)

TL;DR

Tanzanian citizens need a Schengen visa. If you legally live in the UK, on a Health and Care Worker, Skilled Worker, Student or similar visa, you apply in the UK with your BRP or eVisa share code. The file that works is an employer or university letter, three months of UK bank statements and an itinerary. Fee €90 (about £81) plus the centre's fee; we prepare and book it for £99. The fixed facts:

Schengen short-stay visa key facts, 2026
Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)	2026
Visa fee (adult)	€90
Visa fee (child 6 to 11)	€45
Visa fee (child under 6)	Free
Maximum stay	90 days in any rolling 180-day period
Standard processing	15 calendar days (up to 45 in some cases)
Travel insurance, minimum cover	€30,000
Passport	Issued within 10 years; valid 3+ months beyond your trip
Member states	29 countries

The fee and these rules are set EU-wide and are identical across all 29 member states. Source: European Commission. Verified 2026-06-24.

Do Tanzanian citizens need a Schengen visa?

Yes. Tanzania is on the EU's list of nationalities that need a visa to cross the Schengen external border (Annex I of Regulation 2018/1806), so every Tanzanian passport holder, from the mainland or from Zanzibar, needs a short-stay (Type C) visa for a holiday, a family visit, a conference or business, however long they have lived in the UK. A UK visa or ILR never waives it. What UK residence decides is where you apply.

If you live in Tanzania, you apply in Tanzania, through the operator your destination uses there; the UK consulates do not take files from people who are only visiting the UK. See parents visiting the UK for the visitor case.

Proving you live in the UK

Consulates take an application from a non-EU national who legally resides in their district. You prove that with:

an eVisa share code from your UKVI account on gov.uk ("view and prove your immigration status"), with the printed status page and your date of birth. Generate it close to the appointment; codes expire. See the eVisa share code guide.
a valid BRP card, front and back, if you still hold one
the visa vignette in your passport, for a recent arrival

Your UK permission should run well beyond the trip; many consulates look for at least three months after you return. Dependants prove their own status with their own share code. We do not advise on UK immigration status.

Workers and students: the letter that carries the file

If you work, for the NHS, a care provider or any other employer, the employer letter is the centre of the file. On headed paper: your job title, start date, salary, that annual leave is approved for the exact travel dates, and your return-to-work date, with every figure matching your payslips and bank statements. See the Skilled Worker and Health and Care guide.

If you study, the university's enrolment letter does the same job: course, start and end dates, and the term dates or reading week covering the trip. Add the evidence of how you are funded, a scholarship or sponsor letter, or a parent's letter and statements, and your own UK bank statements. See the student guide.

Funds are the second half for both: the last 3 months of a UK account in your name, every page, with a balance that fits your income and the trip. Regular transfers home do not need explaining; a large deposit arriving just before you apply does.

Which consulate do Tanzanians in the UK apply to?

The main destination: the country where you will spend the most nights, or the country of first entry if the nights are equal. Choosing a country for its appointment calendar is a refusal ground. Once issued, the visa covers the whole Schengen area.

Destination	Who takes the file	UK centres	Centre fee
Spain	BLS International	London, Manchester, Edinburgh	£15
France	TLScontact, after the France-Visas form	London, Manchester, Edinburgh	about £45 (estimate)
Italy	VFS Global	London, Manchester, Edinburgh	about £32 (estimate)
Germany	TLScontact, waiting list in London and Manchester since 1 June 2026	London and Manchester for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Edinburgh for Scotland	about £35 (estimate)
Netherlands	VFS Global	London, Edinburgh	£18
Greece	GVC World	London, Manchester	£26, prepaid online
Portugal	VFS Global	London, Manchester, Edinburgh	£33

Every country is in the cost index. Guides: Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal.

What documents do Tanzanian nationals need?

The standard Schengen document set, with the points that matter for Tanzanian applicants:

Document	What to check
Passport	Issued within 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave Schengen, two blank pages. The EU's table of recognised travel documents lists the Tanzanian ordinary passport as recognised by every Schengen state, and the newer passports reading East African Community on the cover as recognised too
UK residence	eVisa share code and status printout, BRP or vignette
Employer or university letter	As above
Bank statements	The last 3 months of a UK account in your name, every page
Tanzanian documents	A marriage certificate or a child's birth certificate in Swahili needs a certified English translation if it is used as evidence
Trip	Flight reservation, accommodation for every night, insurance with at least €30,000 of cover, a short cover letter

How do you prove you will return to the UK?

Consulates refuse when they doubt the applicant will leave Schengen and come back to the UK. The answer is evidence of a life here: the employer or university letter with a return date, a tenancy, children at school, UK status with months to run, and a travel history of trips you returned from. Thin or inconsistent ties and funds evidence is the leading refusal reason from the UK, not nationality. See why Schengen visas are refused and the proof of funds guide.

Fees from the UK for a Tanzanian passport

The consulate fee is set EU-wide: €90 for an adult (about £81 at the consulate's own rate), €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, free under 6. Poland's embassy charges £79 and £40 in pounds with no centre fee. The centre adds its own fee, from £15 for Spain to about £45 for France, and insurance costs from about £12. Applying yourself costs about £91 to £138 per adult, paid at the centre on the day; a refusal generally does not refund the consulate fee.

If we prepare and book it, our service fee is £99 for the first applicant and £69 for each extra person on the same trip, up to five per order: £168 for a couple, £306 for four. Official fees are paid per person at the centre and never through us.

Refusal rates and timing

The Commission's figures are by consulate, not by nationality. For files lodged in the UK in 2025: Spain refused 6.1% of 138,195, France 8.5% of 129,940, Italy 6.0% of 18,956, Germany 3.2% of 32,725, the Netherlands 1.0% of 25,711, Portugal 7.3% of 21,015 and Greece 24.6% of 36,089; see the UK refusal rates page.

Standard processing is 15 calendar days from the appointment, up to 45. Lodge up to six months before travel and at least three weeks ahead, and book leave with that in mind: the appointment, not the form, starts the clock. France's three UK centres allocate appointments from a queue (London and Manchester since 1 August 2026, Edinburgh since 11 September 2026) and Germany runs a waiting list since 1 June 2026; see appointments.

Want it prepared and booked for you?

Our Schengen visa service for the UK completes the forms, builds the document pack to the operator's checklist and books the appointment in your own name on the official system, for a £99 service fee, £69 for each extra traveller. Two written promises: prepared within 24 hours of your complete documents and details, or your service fee back; and your appointment booked within 3 working days of your complete file, subject to availability, or your service fee back. We do not promise a visa, we do not sell slots, and the €90 fee and the centre fee are paid by you at the centre. findmyvisa.co.uk is run by WayaNerd Ltd, company number 16269713, and a person answers on WhatsApp.

Country service pages: Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Portugal.

Doing it yourself? Use the checklist generator, then the bundler and compressor, and start from the Schengen visa from the UK hub.