Tanzania Currency and Money Guide
- Country Tanzania
- Guide Budget
- Reviewed 29 October 2026
- Sources 1
- Length 2 min read
Credit Kennedy Bundi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
The currency is the Tanzanian shilling, issued by the Bank of Tanzania. In practice you will use two currencies and it is worth knowing which is expected where.
Dollars are accepted, but not everywhere and not all of them
United States dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas. Park fees, lodges and organized tours are commonly priced in dollars. Away from those, you are spending shillings.
Travelers checks are not widely accepted. Treat them as unusable.
Bring dollar bills that are recent and in good condition. Older, torn or marked notes are often refused or exchanged at a reduced rate.
ATMs, and the two ways they fail
Most banks in major cities have ATMs that accept foreign debit cards and issue shillings. They sometimes break down or run out of money, which is a different problem from a card being declined and needs a different response: try another bank rather than another card.
To reduce the risk of card cloning, use ATMs located inside the bank rather than on the street.
The 2025 election, and why this section is not evergreen
A general election was held on 29 October 2025. In the days of political unrest that followed, widespread cash shortages were reported, alongside widespread fuel shortages.
That is worth carrying into a plan even now. It is the clearest recent demonstration that cash availability in Tanzania is not independent of events, and it is the argument for not arriving with a single card and no reserve.
A workable arrangement
- Carry some US dollars in good condition for park fees, lodges and tours.
- Draw shillings from an ATM inside a bank, in more than one withdrawal rather than one large one.
- Bring a second card on a different network, kept somewhere separate.
- Do not rely on travelers checks.
- Keep enough cash to cover a day if the ATMs are empty.
- Tell your bank you are traveling, so a first withdrawal is not blocked.
Express kidnap, and why it belongs on a money page
In Dar es Salaam, tourists have been express kidnapped: assaulted, robbed and forced under threat of violence to withdraw cash from ATMs. Some have been made to arrange large cash transfers through Western Union after being befriended by strangers or getting into unlicensed taxis.
The two behaviors that lead into it are ordinary and social: accepting an invitation from someone who has just made friends with you, and getting into a taxi that was not arranged through your hotel or operator. Both are covered in the safety guide.