Quick facts
- Capital / main cities
- Dodoma (business centre: Dar es Salaam)
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
- Time difference with Beijing
- UTC+3, 5 hours behind Beijing
- Police / ambulance
- 111, 112, 999
- Entry with a Chinese passport
- E-visa or visa on arrival for Chinese ordinary passports (USD 50 single entry, as of 2025)
- Chinese population (estimate)
- ~20,000–30,000 (2025) Sources
- Chinese embassy
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, tz.china-embassy.gov.cn; Consulate General in Zanzibar
About 20,000–30,000 Chinese live in Tanzania, most of them in Dar es Salaam, working mainly in construction contracting, manufacturing and wholesale trade. China is Tanzania’s largest trading partner, largest source of foreign investment and largest construction contractor.
Three things matter most for living and working there: work and residence permits are strictly vetted and expensive; since July 2025 foreigners have been barred from 15 small business activities including general retail; and security is broadly manageable, but robberies happen and the 2025 election was followed by large protests.
Key facts
| Item | Details (MOFCOM guide, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Capital | Dodoma; the largest city and business centre is Dar es Salaam |
| Population | About 69.57 million (February 2025), including 1.89 million in Zanzibar |
| Time zone | UTC+3, five hours behind Beijing, no daylight saving |
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS). Central bank mid-rates on 11 October 2025: USD 1 ≈ TZS 2,439; CNY 1 ≈ TZS 342 |
| Administration | 31 regions: 26 on the mainland, 5 in Zanzibar |
| Working week | Five days; Saturday and Sunday off |
Tanzania consists of the mainland (Tanganyika) and Zanzibar. The presidency and most ministries have moved to Dodoma, but most foreign embassies are still in Dar es Salaam.
Language, religion and customs
Swahili is the national language and, with English, an official language used in government and business; Arabic is widely used in Zanzibar. On the mainland 61.4% of people are Christian and 35.2% Muslim; over 95% of Zanzibaris are Muslim. Avoid using your left hand to pass things or eat, and dress modestly, especially in Zanzibar.
Getting around
Most domestic travel is by road. In July 2024 the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) opened between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, a journey of about 3 hours 25 minutes. The Chinese-built TAZARA railway, completed in 1975, runs from Dar es Salaam to Zambia. International carriers include Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Kenya Airways, so travellers from China usually connect via Addis Ababa, Dubai, Doha or Nairobi. Dar es Salaam port is one of East Africa’s main ports and also serves landlocked countries such as Zambia and the DR Congo.
Banking and money transfers
Major banks include NMB, CRDB and NBC. Bank of China has a representative office in Dar es Salaam, and the wholly Chinese-owned China Dasheng Bank opened in 2018 to serve Chinese companies and individuals. The main licensed exchange bureaus are UNIMONI, POSTA and KADOO. The renminbi is one of the central bank’s reserve currencies. For general preparation before moving, see Africa essentials.
Where Chinese live and what they do
The MOFCOM guide estimates about 30,000 Chinese, including some 4,000 employees of Chinese companies; at the end of 2024 there were 4,279 Chinese contract workers. For differing estimates see Chinese population in Africa.
- Construction: more than 60 Chinese firms build railways, roads, bridges, hydropower plants and ports. In 2024 they signed USD 3.72 billion in new contracts and completed USD 1.81 billion of work.
- Manufacturing: ceramics, gypsum board, steel, motorcycles, shoes, woven sacks, plastic pipes, hygiene products and more.
- Trade: wholesale of consumer goods, partly re-exported to neighbours. China–Tanzania trade was USD 8.88 billion in 2024, of which Chinese exports were USD 8.175 billion. At the 2024 FOCAC summit in Beijing, China announced zero tariffs on 100% of tariff lines for least developed countries it has diplomatic ties with, including Tanzania, which helps exports of farm produce and minerals from Tanzania to China.
- Other: agriculture, mining, logistics, banking and telecoms.
China’s direct investment stock in Tanzania was USD 1.586 billion at the end of 2024. For chambers, the embassy and community groups see the Chinese community in Tanzania.
Visas and work permits
Chinese ordinary passport holders can get an e-visa or a visa on arrival at designated airports (USD 50 single entry); the 90-day business visa costs USD 250 and does not allow work. Long-term work needs a work permit from the Labour office first, then a residence permit from Immigration, costing about USD 4,000–5,000 in total and taking 2–4 months. Most Chinese employees hold a Class C work permit. Full details: Tanzania visas and work permits.
Registering a company and doing business
Companies register online with BRELA; a private company needs at least two shareholders, followed by a TIN, business licence, VAT and social security registration. Corporate tax is 30% and VAT 18%. In 2025 the investment centre and the EPZ authority merged into TISEZA. Foreigners may not engage in 15 activities including general wholesale and retail, small shops, phone repair and clearing and forwarding; violators face fines and may lose their residence permit. Details: registering a company in Tanzania.
Safety
The political system has long been stable, but crime is rising, theft and robbery are common and Chinese camps have faced attempted robberies. Mtwara in the south has seen cross-border attacks from Mozambique. After the 29 October 2025 election, Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mbeya saw protests and clashes, with a curfew and internet shutdown. Go out in groups in daylight, carry little cash and take care on the roads. Details: Tanzania safety guide.
Cost of living
Rents in Dar es Salaam according to the MOFCOM guide (2025):
| Type | Monthly rent (USD) |
|---|---|
| 3-bedroom flat in Masaki (embassy district) | 2,500–4,000 |
| 3-bedroom home in an ordinary area | About 1,500 |
| 250 m² office | About 4,000 |
| 10 m² shop | About 400 |
City-centre flats sell for about USD 1,200–2,200 per m². Only US dollar notes printed after 2013 are accepted for exchange.
Health
Malaria is the leading infectious disease; HIV, tuberculosis, typhoid, yellow fever and cholera also occur. Chinese medical teams are sent to the mainland by Shandong Province and to Zanzibar by Jiangsu Province.
Embassy and emergency numbers
- Police, fire, ambulance: 111, 112, 999
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania: tz.china-embassy.gov.cn, consular protection +255-754075128
- Chinese Consulate General in Zanzibar: zanzibar.china-consulate.gov.cn, consular protection +255-772148768
- MFA Global Consular Protection Hotline: +86-10-12308
- Overseas Chinese Mutual Aid Centre: +255-626-120120
For what consular protection can and cannot do, see the consular protection guide. For neighbouring countries see East Africa and the Kenya guide for Chinese residents.
References
- Country Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Tanzania (2025 edition) (PRC Ministry of Commerce, CAITEC and the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, 2025)
- Tanzania Online Visa Application (Tanzania Immigration Services Department, 2026)
- Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) (BRELA, Tanzania, 2026)
- Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA) (TISEZA, 2026)
- Tanzania bans foreigners from 15 small businesses (The Star (Kenya), 29 July 2025)
- Democracy Tracker: Tanzania, October 2025 (International IDEA, 2025)
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania reminds Chinese firms to raise security awareness (in Chinese) (China News Service, 23 April 2020)
- Chinese Embassy in Tanzania urges Chinese citizens to strengthen security precautions (in Chinese) (China News Service, 26 May 2020)
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Tanzania (PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2026)
- Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Zanzibar (PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2026)