Somalia, Tanzania Move to Ease Visa Restrictions in Boost to Bilateral Ties

GOOBJOOG NEWS | DAR ES SALAAM: Somalia and Tanzania have taken a key step toward easing visa restrictions for Somali nationals, as part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between the two East African nations.

In a meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dar es Salaam on Monday, Somalia’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Ilyas Ali Hassan, and Tanzanian Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary, Stephen Mbundi, discussed accelerating visa processing and facilitating travel between the two countries.

Talks focused on implementing visa-on-arrival for Somali citizens—starting with those holding diplomatic and service passports, with a future goal of extending the policy to ordinary passport holders. Mbundi assured Somalia’s envoy that Tanzania is prioritizing the issue, citing both nations’ membership in the East African Community (EAC) as a basis for deeper mobility and regional integration.

“Visa access is vital for strengthening people-to-people connections and economic cooperation,” Ambassador Hassan said during the meeting.

Both sides also reviewed progress on existing agreements and pledged to continue working on initiatives that would ease the movement of citizens and support collaboration in trade, tourism, and investment.