The rule that applies everywhere: a passport with at least six months’ remaining validity and blank pages, with visas and authorisations applied for only on the official portals, a few weeks in advance. Below you will find what is required in each country we take you to, checked against the country pages of Viaggiare Sicuri, the Italian Foreign Ministry’s travel advice. With a different passport, check the FCDO travel advice or your own government’s advice.
Your passport
A passport is required in every country, with at least six months’ remaining validity: in Namibia the six months are counted from your return date, not your arrival date. Blank pages matter too: Kenya requires at least one completely blank page, Madagascar one empty page in the visa section, Zambia three blank pages. Travellers without them may be refused entry at the border and sent back on the first flight.
Children also travel on their own passport. For the documents required of minors travelling with only one parent or with other adults, see the entry requirements for each country in the FCDO travel advice.
Tanzania and Zanzibar
A visa is compulsory, including for tourism. There are three ways to obtain it. Online on the official portal visa.immigration.go.tz, in English, for a fee of $50: apply at least ten days before departure, as processing times can be longer in high season. Alternatively, through the Italian-language procedure of the Honorary Consulate of Tanzania in Milan, which helps with the application: the cost rises to €79, made up of the $50 fee and €29 in consular charges. Finally, on arrival at the three international airports, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, paying in dollars or by card. We recommend the online route: it avoids the queue and any discussion at the counter.
Zanzibar also requires compulsory insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation: $44 per person (reduced rate for minors), valid for 92 days, to be purchased on inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz. It covers the whole archipelago, Pemba included.
New from 1 October 2026: travellers entering mainland Tanzania must also hold compulsory insurance from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC): $44 per person, valid for 92 days, to be purchased on inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz. The Italian Foreign Ministry sets out the rule as follows: those entering via the mainland buy the NIC policy, those entering via Zanzibar the ZIC. For a journey combining safari and beach, we check for you at the time of booking whether the policy for the first destination also covers the second. It does not replace comprehensive health insurance: the Ministry reports cases of uncovered expenses and of hospitals refusing patients holding only the local policy. How it works, in detail.
A tourist visa does not permit work, not even as a volunteer: the authorities carry out checks and impose penalties.
Kenya
Since 1 January 2024 the visa no longer exists: you need an eTA, the electronic travel authorisation, to be applied for before departure only on the website etakenya.go.ke. It costs from $30 (the portal charges a supplement for the urgent procedure), issue takes about three working days, and you can apply up to three months in advance. It is valid for a single journey. It is compulsory for everyone, infants included, and each traveller needs their own: families can submit a single group application, which issues an eTA for each person. Applications submitted on other websites are rejected. The step-by-step guide.
New from 5 October 2026: travellers entering Kenya must also hold compulsory travel health insurance issued by a Kenyan insurer: $44 per person plus applicable taxes, valid for three months from entry, with cover of at least $50,000. It is bought on the government portal insurance.ecitizen.go.ke, also separately from the eTA application. It is required of all foreign visitors and does not replace the travel insurance you take out at home.
On entry you also need a return ticket and, as mentioned, one completely blank passport page. The entry stamp shows the length of stay granted: it is worth checking immediately, as overstaying is penalised.
Travellers combining Kenya and Tanzania need both: the Kenyan eTA and the Tanzanian visa. For those adding the gorillas, the Italian Foreign Ministry notes that the Ugandan tourist visa may also be valid for Kenya and Rwanda: the fee and conditions should be checked on the Ugandan portal at the time of application. For Uganda and Rwanda, also bear in mind the Ebola measures described in our Health and safety guide.
Madagascar
A visa is compulsory and is obtained on arrival at the airport by paying the applicable fee: the official fees are €30 for up to 15 days, €35 for up to 30, €40 for up to 60 and €50 for up to 90. Alternatively, you can apply online on the eVisa portal listed by the Italian Foreign Ministry, evisamada-mg.com, between six months and seven days before arrival, at the same rates. You need a return ticket and a blank passport page for the visa sticker.
Foreign currency over €1,000 must be declared on arrival: undeclared sums may be confiscated.
Ebola: because of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, Madagascar may refuse entry to anyone who has stayed in or transited through an affected country in the previous 21 days. On arrival everyone fills in a health declaration and undergoes screening. We take this into account when choosing flights and stopovers. Viaggiare Sicuri page on Madagascar (Italian Foreign Ministry).
Namibia
Since 1 April 2025 Italian citizens also need a visa, even for short stays. The tourist visa costs 1,600 Namibian dollars per person, about €80, and can be applied for online through the Ministry of Home Affairs procedure or on arrival, but only at ten points of entry: the airports of Windhoek and Walvis Bay and eight land border crossings. Your passport must be valid for six months from your return date and have three blank pages. On entry you may be asked for a return ticket, accommodation booking, medical insurance and a recent bank statement. All the details.
Zambia and Zimbabwe
In Zambia, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry, holders of an Italian passport do not need to apply for a visa before travelling: on arrival, a stamp is placed in the passport allowing a stay of 30 days, extendable up to 90. Your passport must be valid for six months and have three blank pages; those arriving by air must hold a return ticket. Cash over $5,000 must be declared.
Zimbabwe requires a visa, through the electronic procedure on the portal evisa.gov.zw; arrival forms are now also completed online. For those visiting Victoria Falls from both sides there is the KAZA UniVisa: $50, 30 days with multiple entries, covering Zambia and Zimbabwe and also allowing day trips into Botswana via Kazungula. For Italian citizens it is mainly worthwhile if you enter and leave Zimbabwe several times, since for Zambia alone there is no need to apply for a visa in advance. In Zimbabwe cash is almost impossible to obtain from ATMs: arrive with enough US dollars.
Flights with a stopover
Travellers who remain in the international area for a few hours generally need nothing. Things change with long layovers or if you leave the airport: in Kenya, for example, transit passengers who do not leave the airport do not need an eTA, while those who do leave it need one. Stopovers can also affect the yellow fever certificate: we cover this in the Health and safety guide.
How we help you
Your quote includes the list of documents required for your itinerary, with the official websites and the order in which to apply. Before departure we remind you of the deadlines. If you would rather not do it alone, we guide you step by step through the online applications. The costs of visas, the eTA and the compulsory local insurance policies (Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar) are paid directly to the authorities and are not included in the price of the journey.
Checked on 11 October 2026 against the country pages of Viaggiare Sicuri (Italian Foreign Ministry travel advice) and the official portals of each country. Rules and fees may change: always check the official sources listed before you travel.