City repatriation guide
Repatriation from Zanzibar, Tanzania
Specific guidance for arranging repatriation from Zanzibar. Local documentation contacts, airport cargo routes, and the typical process for cases originating in this area.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago off the Tanzanian coast, comprising Unguja (the main island, Stone Town) and Pemba. It has its own government (the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar), its own parliament, and a separate legal framework in several areas including civil registration. British visitors come primarily for beach tourism (Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje), diving (the reefs around Mnemba Atoll), and dhow cruises. This is a busy British destination, particularly for couples travelling from the UK and for post-safari add-ons from the Serengeti or Kilimanjaro circuit.
Deaths in Zanzibar involve a process that is both more complex and slower than mainland Tanzania, because the semi-autonomous status means families are working through two parallel administrative frameworks. This is not widely understood, and it is one of the most common sources of delay when repatriation from Tanzania goes wrong.
Consular coverage
The British High Commission Dar es Salaam (Umoja House, Garden Avenue, Dar es Salaam) is responsible for all of Tanzania, including Zanzibar. There is no British consular presence on the islands. All consular support is provided by BHC Dar es Salaam.
British High Commission Dar es Salaam: +255 22 229 0000. FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
What Zanzibar law requires
Zanzibar Vital Statistics Act (Cap. 160, Laws of Zanzibar): Deaths in Zanzibar are registered under this Act, administered by the Zanzibar Registration and Identification Authority (ZRIDA). This is a separate framework from mainland Tanzania’s Registration of Vital Statistics (Births and Deaths Registration) Ordinance. A death in Zanzibar cannot be registered on the mainland and vice versa.
Zanzibar Police Force: Sudden and unexpected deaths are reported to the Zanzibar Police Force, not Tanzania Police Force (which is a mainland institution). The forensic pathology function for Zanzibar is carried out at the Muhimbili National Hospital referral system, though Zanzibar’s own Mnazi Mmoja Hospital handles most examinations.
Permit to remove a body: Issued by the Zanzibar Health Authority (ZHA). The permit requirement runs in parallel with mainland Tanzania’s Ministry of Health if the body transits through Dar es Salaam, which almost all repatriations do.
Source: Zanzibar Vital Statistics Act (Cap. 160); 2024.
Medical coverage
Mnazi Mmoja Hospital (Stone Town, Unguja) is the main public referral hospital for Zanzibar and handles most serious medical cases. Private hospital cover on the island is limited; serious trauma or cardiac cases are sometimes evacuated by charter aircraft to Nairobi (Aga Khan Hospital) or to Dar es Salaam. Where death follows transfer to the mainland, registration and documentation switch to mainland Tanzanian jurisdiction.
The documentation chain
1. Police report from Zanzibar Police Force. 2. Cause of death certificate from attending physician or forensic examiner (Mnazi Mmoja). 3. Death certificate from ZRIDA (Zanzibar Registration and Identification Authority). 4. Permit to remove the body from Zanzibar Health Authority. 5. Mainland Tanzania Ministry of Health transit permit (if routing via DAR, which is typical). 6. Embalming certificate. 7. IATA cargo documentation, ZNZ to JRO or DAR then LHR.
Airport and cargo routing
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ, Zanzibar Town) operates regional services. UK repatriations route cargo either via Dar es Salaam (DAR, Julius Nyerere International, 35-minute flight) or Kilimanjaro (JRO). From Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro, Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa), Kenya Airways (via Nairobi), or British Airways (via various hubs) carry the cargo onward to LHR.
Timeline from Zanzibar
- Natural death, expected, no investigation: 14 to 21 days
- Police investigation, uncomplicated: 21 to 35 days
- Complex cases involving evacuation to mainland: 4 to 8 weeks
For repatriation guidance, contact our team via our enquiry form.
See also the Tanzania repatriation guide.
Information based on Zanzibar Vital Statistics Act (Cap. 160, Laws of Zanzibar). Last reviewed May 2026.
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