TANZANIA: Ongoing Audit to Verify Residence Status

October 27, 2017

Ongoing since 5^th October, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Immigration Service Department (ISD) in Tanzania is conducting an audit of the residence status of all foreign nationals in the country.

The deadline by which foreign nationals and their employers in Tanzania are required to verify the foreign national’s residence status is 4^th November.

Foreign employees and their employers have a joint responsibility to ensure that the employee completes this process. Failure to have done so before the deadline may result in fines and imprisonment.

The requirement applies to all foreign nationals in the country – including foreign workers, business owners, students, and family members.

Audit Requirements

• The employer must have provided the foreign employee with a letter confirming their employment;
• The employer or employee must have downloaded the confirmation page of the employee’s work permit from the online Permit Information Verification System (PIVS);
• On or before 4^th November, the employee must have appeared in person at the nearest Immigration Service Department office with the confirmation letter from the employer, the confirmation page from the PIVS, and their original work and residence permits; and
• The employee or employer should have collected the ISD confirmation documents one day after submission and retained them for their records.

The current residence audit is part of continuing efforts by the Ministry of Home Affairs to prevent employers from employing foreign nationals without proper documentation. A similar audit was conducted in March of this year.

Our Advice

All companies employing foreign nationals should be aware that this emphasis on immigration enforcement will be ongoing.

Companies should be prepared for increased workplace inspections and ensure that all documents are in order for their foreign employees.

For advice and information on immigration to Tanzania in general, please email us at [email protected].

This information was provided by our sister company, Peregrine Immigration Management.