Apostille Tanzania: Notarisation, Legalisation and What Each Office Accepts

Apostille Tanzania questions arrive at the same point in almost every foreign investor file. The parent company's certificate of incorporation is ready, the board has signed a resolution, and the director has a degree certificate for the work permit. Then someone asks whether an apostille is enough. In Tanzania the answer is usually no, and the reason matters for how long the file takes.

This guide explains the chain that makes a foreign document usable before BRELA, TISEZA, Immigration and the Labour Commissioner. It also covers the reverse route for Tanzanian documents used abroad, translation into English or Kiswahili, and the separate Zanzibar channel through BPRA and ZIPA. Fees are quoted only where the Zatra fee register carries a line. Everything else is assessed by the office concerned.

What the law says

Three layers of rules apply. The first is international. The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation replaces the embassy chain with a single apostille certificate, but only between states that are parties. The HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention does not list the United Republic of Tanzania. The German Embassy in Dar es Salaam states the same point directly: Tanzania is not a contracting state, so Tanzanian documents cannot carry an apostille and must be legalised.

The second layer is Tanzanian notarial law. The Notaries Public and Commissioners for Oaths Act, Chapter 12 sets who may practise as a notary public or commissioner for oaths. Section 2 ties a notary's functions to those commonly performed by a notary in England. Section 4 provides for a roll kept by the Registrar of the High Court. Section 8 requires the jurat to state truly the place and date an oath is taken. Sections 11 and 12 deal with notarial powers for foreign service officers and foreign consular officers. The fees are in the First Schedule, substituted by GN 308 of 2014.

The third layer is the rule of the receiving office. The Companies Act, Cap. 212 R.E. 2023 defines "certified" in section 2 as certified in the prescribed manner to be a true copy or a correct translation. Part XII (sections 437 to 447) governs foreign companies that set up a place of business, with the document list in section 438. The prescribed manner is in the Companies (Forms) Rules, GN 260 of 1932. Immigration, TISEZA and the universities regulator set their own lists.

Who should read this

• Foreign parent companies registering a Tanzanian subsidiary or a branch with BRELA.
• Foreign shareholders and directors who sign resolutions, powers of attorney or declarations outside Tanzania.
• Employers filing work and residence permits for staff with foreign degrees and professional certificates.
• Investors applying to TISEZA on the Mainland or ZIPA in Zanzibar.
• Tanzanian companies and individuals who must produce BRELA, RITA or academic documents in another country.

Is Tanzania a party to the Hague Apostille Convention?

No, on the evidence available on 13 November 2026. The HCCH status table lists every contracting party with its date of entry into force, and Tanzania does not appear. Two neighbours do: Burundi, in force since 13 February 2015, and Rwanda, in force since 5 June 2024. Kenya and Uganda are not listed either.

The practical effect runs in both directions. An apostille issued in, say, a European state proves the origin of the document to other Convention states. Tanzania has no treaty duty to accept it in place of legalisation. Tanzanian authorities therefore expect the older chain. In the other direction, a Convention state receiving a Tanzanian document cannot rely on an apostille, because no Tanzanian authority issues one. The Netherlands government's legalisation page for Tanzania and the German Embassy both describe a two-step legalisation for that reason.

Accession can change this picture. Before relying on this table for a live filing, check the HCCH page on the day and ask the receiving office.

What is the difference between notarisation, apostille and legalisation?

The three steps answer different questions. Notarisation proves that a person signed, swore or certified a copy before a notary. An apostille proves that the notary or official who signed is genuine, and it works only between Convention states. Legalisation proves the same thing by a chain of signatures: the issuing country's foreign ministry confirms the notary, and the receiving country's embassy confirms the foreign ministry.

Some countries that are Convention parties route documents for non-Convention states through a different office from the one that issues apostilles. The German Embassy notes that German apostilles come from the authority in each federal state. Ask the Tanzanian mission in the issuing country which pre-certification it expects before you book the notary.

How do you legalise a foreign document for use in Tanzania?

The standard chain has four links. The Tanzania Embassy in Ankara sets it out for Turkish documents, and the same logic applies elsewhere.

1. Obtain the original or a certified copy from the issuing registry, university or authority.
2. Have a local notary certify the copy, or witness the signature on a resolution or power of attorney.
3. Have the issuing country's foreign ministry, or its designated office, authenticate the notary or official.
4. Have the Tanzanian embassy or high commission in that country legalise the foreign ministry's signature.

Where the document is not in English, add a translation. The Ankara page asks for translation by a certified translator and notary. Missions set their own consular charges. The Tanzanian mission in Washington, for example, lists separate charges for individual documents and for company document sets on its services page. Those charges are not in the Zatra register, so treat them as assessed by the mission at the time you file.

Where there is no Tanzanian mission in the issuing country, the mission accredited to that country usually acts. Confirm this in writing before couriering originals across borders.

What does BRELA accept for a foreign company or foreign shareholder?

For a foreign company establishing a place of business, section 438 of the Companies Act requires delivery of documents that include a certified copy of the charter, statutes or memorandum and articles. The Tanzania National Business Portal lists certified copies of the memorandum and articles, notice of the registered office abroad, a list of directors, details of the resident representative and the latest accounts. BRELA charges TZS 2,000,000 to file the certified constitution of a Part XII company (register F0015) and TZS 600,000 for each other required document (register F0016).

The 1932 Forms Rules explain what "certified" means for an overseas document. Under Rule 3, a copy may be certified by the official who keeps the original, by a notary of that country, or on oath by a company officer. For a company incorporated in a foreign country, the official's signature or the notary's certificate must itself be authenticated. Under Rule 6, a translation made outside Tanzania is certified by the official holding the original or by a notary, with the certifier's signature authenticated. A translation made in Tanzania may be certified by an advocate entitled to appear before the High Court, or by affidavit of a person the Registrar accepts as competent in both languages.

The Rules were made under the earlier Companies Ordinance and still cite its section numbers. Read them as the prescribed manner BRELA works from, and confirm current practice on the Online Registration System before filing. For a Tanzanian subsidiary with a foreign corporate shareholder, the same certification logic is applied to the shareholder's certificate of incorporation and the board resolution appointing its representative. Our list of required attachments for foreign investors sets out the full BRELA file, and our note on branch versus subsidiary explains which route triggers Part XII.

What do TISEZA, Immigration and the Labour Commissioner want?

TISEZA's certificate of incentives page asks for a certified copy of the certificate of incorporation, the memorandum and articles, a board resolution to register the project and supporting papers, uploaded as PDFs. The application fee is TZS 6,000,000 for a foreign or joint-venture investor and TZS 4,000,000 for a domestic investor (register TZ-01). Because the Tanzanian company is the applicant, most TISEZA documents are Tanzanian. Foreign documents enter when a foreign parent signs the resolution or proves its own existence.

The Immigration Services Department's online permit guidelines state that all documents should be certified. For Class B and Class C residence permits they require certified copies of academic certificates and an official translation of any document written in a language other than English or Kiswahili. The guidelines do not name notarisation or legalisation as a separate step. In practice, a degree issued abroad is accepted most smoothly when the certification chain is complete. Clyde & Co's 2023 permit note reports the same certified-copy and translation items.

The Non-Citizens (Employment Regulation) Act governs the work permit issued by the Labour Commissioner. Degree certificates feed that application too. The Tanzania Commission for Universities says holders of foreign university awards are required by law to have them recognised before using them for employment in Tanzania. Its list includes certified copies in the original language and official English translations. TCU recognition costs TZS 100,000 for a certificate, diploma or bachelor's award and TZS 150,000 for a postgraduate award (register F0756). Our guides to work and residence permits and work permit refusals cover the rest of that file.

How are powers of attorney and board resolutions signed abroad handled?

A power of attorney signed outside Tanzania follows the same chain: notarised where signed, authenticated by that country's foreign ministry, then legalised by the Tanzanian mission. Once it arrives, it is a stampable instrument. Stamp duty on a power of attorney is TZS 2,000 (register F0267). Under the Stamp Duty Act, an instrument signed outside Mainland Tanzania must be stamped within thirty days of its first arrival, as our stamp duty guide explains. A power of attorney that deals with registered land is also registered with the Registrar of Titles at TZS 15,000 (register F0466).

A Tanzanian company that needs someone to sign deeds abroad uses a different tool. Section 44 of the Companies Act lets a company, by writing under its common seal, empower a person as its attorney to execute deeds outside Tanzania. Our pages on powers of attorney in Tanzania and company seals and execution set out the drafting points. Draft the resolution and the power in English from the start. A translation adds a step and a second set of certifications.

How are Tanzanian documents legalised for use abroad?

The reverse route has three links. First, obtain the document or a certified copy from the issuing authority. BRELA certifies company documents at TZS 3,000 per page (register F0008). For civil records, the German Embassy asks for certificates from RITA headquarters or a RITA verification letter, and RITA charges TZS 6,000 to verify a birth certificate (register F0120). Second, present the document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation for authentication. Third, take it to the embassy of the destination country in Dar es Salaam.

The Ministry's own service pages could not be read by automated tools during this review, so the procedure here rests on the mission pages cited. The German Embassy lists the Ministry's Dar es Salaam desk at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre, open on set weekday mornings. The Ministry's authentication charge is assessed by the Ministry. Hours and locations change, so confirm both before you travel.

Where a Tanzanian notary has certified the document, ask the destination embassy whether the Ministry will authenticate the notary directly or wants the issuing authority's own certification first. Practice differs by document type and by embassy.

What about translation into English or Kiswahili?

English is the working language of BRELA filings, and Immigration accepts English or Kiswahili. A document in French, Chinese, Turkish or another language needs a translation that the receiving office will trust. Two routes exist under the 1932 Rules for company filings. A translation made abroad is certified by the custodian of the original or a notary, and that certification is authenticated. A translation made in Tanzania is certified by an advocate entitled to appear before the High Court, or supported by an affidavit.

Translations used in court proceedings follow the court fee rules, with certification at TZS 10,000 for the first 100 words and TZS 5,000 for each further 100 words (register F0162). For agency filings, translation fees are a private charge set by the translator. Translate the whole document, including stamps and marginal notes, and keep the translator's name, qualification and contact details on the certificate.

How does Zanzibar handle foreign documents?

Zanzibar runs its own company registry, investment authority and civil registry. A company formed or registered for Zanzibar goes to the Business and Property Registration Agency (BPRA), not BRELA, as our note on registering in Zanzibar through BPRA explains. Investors apply to the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority. ZIPA's investment certificate page asks for the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, passport copies, CVs and police clearance certificates from the country of residence and the country of origin.

Zanzibar-issued documents going abroad take an extra step. The German Embassy, the Netherlands government and the Tanzania Embassy in Ankara all state that they go first to the Zanzibar office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then to the Ministry in Dar es Salaam. Personal status records come from the Zanzibar Civil Status Registration Agency.

Zanzibar also has its own High Court and its own bar. Whether BPRA or ZIPA accepts a Mainland notary's certificate on a foreign document, or wants a Zanzibar notary, is not stated on either body's public pages. Confirm before the documents are signed. Zanzibar work permits are a separate track, covered in our Zanzibar work permit guide.

Worked example: a foreign parent setting up a Tanzanian subsidiary

For example, a manufacturing company incorporated in Germany forms a Tanzanian subsidiary in Dar es Salaam and seconds a country manager with a master's degree. The document file, and the Tanzanian charges the register supports, look like this.

The Tanzanian government lines total TZS 232,000 and USD 3,000, kept separate by currency. The work permit class depends on the role, and Class B under register F0414 costs USD 500 instead. The German and embassy charges are assessed by those offices. Zatra's professional fee for coordinating the file is quoted separately and never mixed with these government charges.

The timing risk is larger than the cost. Each foreign link can take days to weeks, and a missing translation sends the file back to the start. Order every foreign document at once, in English where possible, and ask for two certified sets.

What to do now

1. List the receiving offices. Write down every Tanzanian body that will see the document: BRELA or BPRA, TISEZA or ZIPA, Immigration, the Labour Commissioner, the bank.
2. Ask each office for its standard. Confirm whether it wants a certified copy, notarisation, embassy legalisation or all three, and whether an apostille alone will be returned.
3. Check the Convention status. Open the HCCH status table on the day of signing for both the issuing country and Tanzania.
4. Draft in English. Prepare resolutions and powers of attorney in English so no translation is needed, and match names to passports exactly.
5. Book the foreign chain. Arrange the notary, the foreign ministry step and the Tanzanian mission appointment together, and order two certified sets.
6. Translate and certify. Commission certified English translations of any foreign-language originals before the legalisation step, so the translation is covered too.
7. Stamp on arrival. Stamp powers of attorney and agreements signed abroad within thirty days of arrival in Mainland Tanzania.
8. Recognise qualifications early. File TCU or other recognition for foreign degrees before the work permit, not after a query.
9. Keep a document register. Record each document, its chain of certifications and the date, so renewals and later filings reuse it.

Key dates

How Zatra helps

Zatra maps the documents each Tanzanian office will ask for, drafts resolutions and powers of attorney in English, and sends the client a signing pack with the certification chain marked against each page. We coordinate the notary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs step and courier, and file the finished documents with BRELA, TISEZA, Immigration and the Labour Commissioner through our foreign company registration, TISEZA registration and work and residence permit services. Our note on notarisation support on setup packages explains what that coordination covers.

Government and notarial charges are paid at the official rate against the authority's control number or the notary's invoice. They are listed separately from Zatra's professional fee. Notarisation, commissioning of oaths and any legal opinion a bank or regulator will rely on are handled by an advocate. Disputes over a refused document, or any seizure or prosecution, also go to an advocate. Zatra does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome.

Sources and status

Accurate as at 13 November 2026. Settled: Tanzania is not listed on the HCCH status table; notaries practise under Cap. 12; BRELA requires certified copies for foreign companies. To verify: office-by-office acceptance of apostilled documents and current Ministry procedure. Unknown: whether BPRA and ZIPA accept Mainland notaries.

• Status table, Apostille Convention. Hague Conference on Private International Law, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Notaries Public and Commissioners for Oaths Act, Chapter 12. TanzLII, version of 30 November 2019. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• GN 308 of 2014, notarial fees. Government Gazette via Laws.Africa, 29 August 2014. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Companies Act, Cap. 212 R.E. 2023. BRELA, 2023. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Companies (Forms) Rules, GN 260 of 1932. TanzLII, text as at 31 July 2002. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Permit application guidelines. Immigration Services Department, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Certificate of incentives. TISEZA, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Evaluation of foreign qualifications. Tanzania Commission for Universities, undated brochure, 2026 copy. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Legalisation of Tanzanian documents. German Embassy Dar es Salaam, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Legalisation of documents from Tanzania. Government of the Netherlands, updated 25 September 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Legalisation of document. Embassy of Tanzania, Ankara, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Work and residence permit application process. Clyde & Co, 6 April 2023. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.
• Investment certificate. Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority, 2026. Accessed 13 Nov 2026.

Figures to confirm before you act

• Tanzania's status on the HCCH table on the day you sign, in case of a new accession.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication charge, office location and opening days.
• Tanzanian mission consular charges in the issuing country.
• Whether a given office will accept an apostille in place of embassy legalisation.
• How recent a certified copy or police clearance must be for each office.
• BPRA and ZIPA certification standards and charges for foreign documents.
• Work permit class for the role, which moves the fee between F0414 and F0415.

This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.