Foreign buyers acquire residential property in Zanzibar every year, and the law provides for it. What they own, and how securely, depends almost entirely on the structure the purchase sits within. This guide sets out that structure, then walks through a purchase at Seasons Residences, on the east coast, from reservation to handover.
Can foreigners buy property in Zanzibar?
Yes. Land in Zanzibar is vested in the state, so private ownership takes the form of a lease rather than freehold — for every buyer, local or foreign.
For a foreign buyer, the route that works is a purchase inside a project approved by the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA). The Zanzibar Investment Act 2023 allows full foreign ownership within ZIPA-approved schemes, and the Condominium Act of 2010 allows a single residence within a building to be registered as its own title. Together they give an overseas buyer something registrable, transferable and mortgageable in their own name.
Outside that framework the position changes. A plot bought privately, or a house held through a local nominee, can leave a foreign buyer holding an interest that cannot be registered to them, and most of the difficulty foreign buyers meet in Zanzibar starts there.
Leasehold, and what a Unit Title adds
A Zanzibar lease runs for a fixed term. At Seasons it is 33 years, extendable three consecutive times — 99 years in all, well beyond any practical holding period.
The Unit Title is the part buyers ask about least and should ask about most. It registers one residence — internal area and terrace — as a separate title within the building, with a share of the common parts, so you can sell it, leave it to your family or borrow against it without reference to any other owner. Title is recorded through ZIPA, the Land Commission and the Business and Property Registration Agency (BPRA), and can be held in your own name or through a locally incorporated company, at your discretion.
The role of ZIPA
ZIPA approval sits above the individual sale. It is what permits full foreign ownership in the first place, and it carries the statutory protections an overseas buyer relies on: government registration of the ownership interest, and the right to repatriate rental income, sale proceeds and capital in any freely convertible currency.
Seasons is a ZIPA-approved Strategic Investment project.
What to check before you reserve
The diligence on a Zanzibar purchase comes down to a handful of documents, each of which a developer should hand over before you pay anything beyond a refundable deposit:
- ZIPA approval for the project and, where it is claimed, Strategic Investment status.
- The company you are contracting with and its registration number. At Seasons that is Season Residences Limited, BPRA Z0000185388.
- The route to your Unit Title: which lease, which registry, and when title is issued.
- A draft Sale & Purchase Agreement, in hand before you commit to anything more than a refundable reservation.
- A payment schedule tied to certified construction milestones rather than calendar dates.
- The Rental Pool Agreement, where the residence will be let: who operates it, on what split, with what reporting.
Appoint independent Tanzanian counsel with Zanzibar leasehold experience before you exchange contracts. Legal fees typically run at 1–2% of the price.
How a purchase proceeds
At Seasons the sequence runs as follows.
Reservation. A $10,000 deposit holds the residence for 45 days, refundable in full during a 14-day cooling-off period. The draft Sale & Purchase Agreement follows within seven days.
Exchange. The agreement is signed within the 45 days, and 20% of the price falls due.
Construction. Three payments follow as the work is certified: 30% when the substructure is complete and the construction permit is in force, 25% at topping-out, and 15% when the interiors are finished — each released against an engineer's or project manager's certificate.
Handover. The final 10%, less the $10,000 already paid, falls due when the occupancy certificate is issued. At Seasons that is scheduled for Q4 2028.
For a studio at $118,000, that is $10,000 to reserve, $23,600 at exchange, $35,400, $29,500 and $17,700 through construction, and $1,800 at handover.
Pricing rises with each release. The Founders release of 17 residences is priced at base rates; the launch release is set 10% higher and the construction release 20% higher, so the earliest position is the best-priced one.
What it costs to buy
Beyond the purchase price, the indicative acquisition costs at Seasons are:
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| ZIPA registration | $500–$1,500, one-off |
| Stamp duty | 1% of price, paid by the purchaser at the ZRA rate on the unit lease; the same for every nationality |
| Legal fees | 1–2% of price |
| Land Transfer Board approval | Required for every transfer; handled by Seasons |
| Annual ground rent | Nominal, fixed in the lease |
| Furniture pack | Separate purchase, from $14,500 for a studio |
Every residence at Seasons is fitted to one specification so that it can enter the rental programme at handover, which is why the furniture pack is bought with the residence.
Tax once you own
Transaction taxes are the same for every nationality; income taxes turn on tax residence, not citizenship. The indicative position is:
- Property tax: a flat TZS 10,000 a year per residential unit.
- Rental income: 10% withholding on rental distributions, final for tax residents; the non-resident rate is confirmed with your tax adviser.
- Capital gains on resale: 10% for tax residents, 30% for non-residents.
- Rental income, dividends and sale proceeds repatriated in full, in any freely convertible currency.
These rates come from the tax framework rather than the developer, and they can change. Take independent tax advice in Zanzibar and in your country of residence, where the same income may also be taxable.
Owning a residence you do not live in
Most foreign buyers in Zanzibar are not relocating. They want a place to return to, and an asset that is looked after — and earns — in between. That depends on the operator more than on the building.
At Seasons, owners keep 28 nights a year, reserved from an agreed calendar. For the rest of the year every residence is let through a professionally managed rental programme run by Seasons Management Company, held jointly by Seasons Lodge Ltd and Ubunifu, so the people rebuilding the place carry its performance. A furniture reserve is taken from rental revenue first — nil in the first year, 4% from the second — and keeps furniture and fittings at hospitality standard. The rest is shared 65/35 between owner and operator, pooled across the development and allocated by each residence's reference nightly rate and the nights it is available. Owner costs are deducted quarterly, on one statement. Owners, their guests and rental guests use the lodge's pools, beach club, restaurant, spa and gym on the same footing as lodge guests.
The questions to put to any operator are the same everywhere: who owns it, how long it is committed for, what it is paid, and what you will see in the reporting.
Residency
A property purchase does not in itself carry the right to live in Zanzibar. Tanzania's Class C11 Investor Residence Permit is available to those investing USD 100,000 or more in a ZIPA-approved project; it covers the investor, a spouse and up to four children under 20, runs for two years and is renewable while the property is held. The application fee is about USD 500–550. It is a separate application to Tanzanian Immigration, approval is not automatic, and its terms change from time to time. At Seasons, every residence is priced above that threshold.
Selling
A Unit Title is sold by conveyance, like any registered property. Every transfer is approved by the Land Transfer Board, which Seasons handles. At Seasons, resales are handled by the Seasons sales team, and a residence goes to market with its rental record and a maintenance history funded from the reserve — the two things a second buyer looks at first.
Questions buyers ask
Can foreigners buy property in Zanzibar?
Yes, within ZIPA-approved projects, where full foreign ownership is permitted and the residence is registered as a Unit Title in the buyer's name or company.
Is property in Zanzibar freehold?
No. Land is vested in the state and private property is held on leasehold. At Seasons the lease is 99 years — 33 years, extendable three times.
Can I get a mortgage?
The title is mortgageable. The Seasons sales team can advise on current lender terms.
Does buying property give me residency?
Not automatically. The Class C11 Investor Residence Permit requires USD 100,000 or more in a ZIPA-approved project and is a separate application.
Is the reservation refundable?
At Seasons, the $10,000 reservation is refundable within 14 days and is then credited against the purchase price.
Do I need to visit before buying?
Most buyers do. Site visits at Pongwe are by appointment, and remote walkthroughs are available.
Are rental returns guaranteed?
No. Returns depend on occupancy and rates once the residence is operating. The Seasons scenario modelling, with its assumptions stated, is set out at seasonsresidences.africa.
Pricing, floor plans and the Buyers Pack
Current availability in the Founders release, floor plans by residence and the Buyers Pack — with the full legal framework, payment schedule and cost tables — are sent on registration.
This guide is general information, current at October 2026, and not legal, tax, immigration or investment advice. Figures are indicative, drawn from the Seasons Residences Buyers Pack and Zanzibar's investment framework, and subject to change. Take independent advice before committing to any purchase.