Somalia and Tanzania have signed a new immigration agreement allowing visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel between the two countries, a move expected to ease movement for business, tourism, and educational purposes.
The agreement was signed on the Somali side by Minister of Internal Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, and on the Tanzanian side by Minister of Internal Affairs Patrobas Paschal Katambi.
Also present were Tanzania’s Commissioner General of Immigration Anna P. Makakala, Somalia’s Director of the Immigration and Citizenship Agency Mustafa Sheikh Ali Dhuhulow, and Somalia’s ambassador to Tanzania Ilyas Ali Hassan.
Cooperation agreements
The deal builds on previous cooperation agreements between the two countries, including a safety and security cooperation agreement, an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, and a memorandum on the development of Kiswahili language and culture. Other agreements cover political cooperation, defense, health, and tourism.
Somalia, which recently became a member of the East African Community, has strengthened ties with Tanzania over the past few years.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has visited Tanzania for high-level meetings, including the inauguration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan in November 2025. Tanzania’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo visited Mogadishu in December 2024, meeting with Somali officials to discuss ongoing cooperation.
Officials say the new visa arrangements, along with planned direct flights between the two countries, will facilitate business, tourism, and academic exchanges.
