How to send money to Tanzania in 2026: dollars without exchange, shillings to a wallet and central bank instant payments
In 2026 a foreign currency account in Tanzania receives dollars without exchange within 3 business days, and within the country shillings reach wallets in seconds through central bank instant payments. A Tanzanian bank checks the sender and purpose up to $10,000, and from that sum looks at the source of the money by statement and income certificate.
In short
- The central bank's average rate on 7 October 2026 is 2,635.57 shillings per dollar.
- A foreign currency account is opened for both residents and non-residents, and payments within the country are in shillings.
- The state instant payment system: 45 banks and operators, accounts and wallets.
- Capital gains tax on a sale is 10% for a resident and 30% for a non-resident.
In detail
In 2026 money is sent to Tanzania to a foreign currency account in dollars, to a shilling account or straight to a mobile wallet. A foreign currency account is opened for both residents and non-residents, and since 28 March 2025 payments within the country have been made in shillings. The central bank's average rate on 7 October 2026 is 2,635.57 shillings per dollar.
| Way to receive money | On 8 October 2026 | Currency | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign currency bank account | works | dollars without exchange | the bank's international code, the account number, the recipient's name |
| Shilling account | works | shillings at the bank's rate | the same details |
| Mobile wallet | works | shillings | the phone number and the wallet holder's name |
| Transfer between banks and wallets within the country | works around the clock | shillings | the account or phone number |
Checked on 8 October 2026. The Bank of Tanzania's official average rate on 7 October 2026 is 2,635.5677 shillings per dollar, buying at 2,622.46 and selling at 2,648.68.
Payments in shillings since 2025, dollars in the account
Since 28 March 2025 the central bank's rules on the use of foreign currency have applied: prices, contracts and payment for goods and services within Tanzania are in shillings. A transfer from abroad is not affected. Under the 2022 foreign exchange rules anyone, resident or non-resident, holds foreign currency and opens a foreign currency account at a bank in Tanzania.
So money is conveniently received in dollars and exchanged into shillings in parts, for payments: rent, school, services. By mid-2025 foreign currency deposits in the country's banks reached $5.29 billion, almost 30% of all deposits. The island is covered on the Zanzibar page.
Central bank instant payments: an account or wallet in seconds
The Bank of Tanzania itself built and runs the state instant payment system. It moves money around the clock between accounts and mobile wallets of different banks and operators, and shows the recipient's name before confirmation. By the end of 2024 45 banks and operators were connected, and in 2024 453.7 million transfers went through it worth 29.9 trillion shillings, more than $11 billion.
The central bank allowed international transfers straight to a mobile wallet in 2017, and crediting is in shillings. Want to send money to relatives' wallets but keep savings in dollars? A manager will suggest a route for each sum.
What to give the sender: the bank code, the account number and the currency
Tanzania has no international account number. A sender abroad is given the recipient bank's international code, the account number, the name exactly as at the bank and the account currency: dollars arrive without exchange, and to a shilling account the bank credits at its own rate.
In July-December 2024, according to central bank statistics, people working abroad sent 2.116 trillion shillings to Tanzania, more than $800 million.
Who pays tax in Tanzania on all income
Under the 2004 Income Tax Act a resident is someone with a permanent home in Tanzania, or who has spent 183 days in the country in a year, or on average more than 122 days over this and the two previous years. A resident pays tax on worldwide income, and a non-resident only on income from Tanzania. The bank withholds 10% of deposit interest, and for an individual this tax is final.
Land for investment: the investment authority since July 2025
On the mainland a foreigner gets land for investment: under section 20 of the Land Act the route goes through the state investment body. Since 1 July 2025 this has been the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority: it leases land to an investor or grants a derivative right to a plot for the project. Zanzibar has its own land laws.
Buying a right carries a stamp duty of 1% of the contract, and a sale carries capital gains tax: 10% for a resident and 30% for a non-resident. For a hotel near Kilimanjaro or on the coast, the project and the transfer are prepared together. A manager will look at the project and the path of the money for it.
Papers for a bank in Tanzania by transfer sum
Banks check clients under the anti-money laundering law, and the Bank of Tanzania supervises them under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 2006. On 13 June 2025 the country left the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring by the international anti-money laundering task force. In 2026 the documents depend on the sum:
| Sum | What a bank in Tanzania will ask about | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $10,000 | the sender and the purpose | the purpose: family support, study, rent |
| $10,000 - $100,000 | the source of the money | a bank statement, an income certificate |
| From $100,000 | the origin of the money and the project | a property sale contract, a tax return, project documents and the investment authority's decision |
A bank opens an account for a foreigner with a passport and a residence or work permit. A transfer of $100,000 or more for a project is credited without pauses when the papers are collected before sending, and countries for moving with capital are compared on the capital relocation page.
We will help you with a transfer to Tanzania
Dollars to a shilling account, a large sum to a wallet, a project without the investment authority's decision: small things like these cost a transfer money and time. We will look at your purpose, suggest the currency and route, prepare documents for the bank in Tanzania and carry out the transfer through licensed partners through to crediting.
Details and terms are with a manager in the chat: everything depends on the sum, the currency and the purpose of the transfer to Tanzania.
From Tanzania to Kenya, South Africa and Mauritius
- Kenya: the northern neighbour in the East African Community.
- Malawi: kwacha and a foreign currency account.
- Burundi: francs, a foreign currency account and transfers by phone.
- Uganda: the neighbour on Lake Victoria.
- Rwanda: the neighbour to the west.
- Oman: long-standing ties with Zanzibar.
Choosing a country to move to with your money is covered on the capital relocation page.
FAQ
Can a transfer in Tanzania be received in dollars if payments within the country are in shillings?
Do instant transfers between banks and wallets work in Tanzania?
What tax is withheld on deposit interest in Tanzania?
Through whom does a foreigner get land for a project in Tanzania?
We will suggest the best way to send your money
We will choose a transfer method for your amount and country, prepare the documents on the origin of the money for the bank, make the transfer through licensed partners and follow it until the money is credited. Ask your question in the chat - the manager will suggest the best terms and the cost. The legal side with banks and government bodies is handled by Murblz specialists and locally licensed partners.
Details and cost are with the manager in the chat. Describe your situation and we will reply right away.
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