Search this question and you will find confident percentages. Six to ten per cent of the purchase price. Two to three per cent transfer tax. A quarter of a per cent here, one and a half per cent there. Very few of those numbers carry a source you can check.
So this guide does something different. It separates what is actually fixed in Zanzibar law from what genuinely varies, and it says plainly which is which.
One cost is fixed and published: stamp duty on a transfer of property is 1% of the value, and the purchaser pays it, under the Stamp Duty Act No. 7 of 2017. Almost everything else, registration, consent, legal work and ongoing charges, varies by property, by project and by district, and has to be quoted for your specific purchase rather than taken from a blog.
The Zanzibar Revenue Authority publishes stamp duty rates directly. The ones that matter to a property buyer:
| Instrument | Rate | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Conveyance or transfer | 1% | Purchaser or transferee |
| Land lease | 1% | Lessee or tenant |
| Other lease | 0.5% | Lessee or tenant |
| Agreement | 0.5% | As per instrument |
| Transfer of shares | 1% | As per instrument |
The transfer of shares line matters more than it looks. If you buy a property by acquiring the company that holds the lease rather than the lease itself, you are on a different line of the same schedule. Which structure you use changes what you are charged.
Stamp duty is filed through the authority's ZIDRAS portal.
Using current asking prices, and applying only the rate that is published:
That is one line of the bill, not the bill. It is simply the only line anyone can calculate for you from published rates before a lawyer has seen the file.
These costs are real and documented, but the amounts are not published as a single national rate:
If a website quotes you a precise total percentage for all of this, ask where the figure comes from. In most cases it is an estimate repeated between agency blogs rather than a published rate.
Two charges continue after completion and change the economics of a rental purchase more than the one-off fees do.
Annual ground rent. Land is held on lease, and a ground rent may be payable each year under the terms of that lease. It is set in the individual title.
Service charges. Managed developments carry them, and in a resort-style scheme with pools, security and grounds they are not small. If you are buying for rental income, the service charge is the difference between a gross yield and a real one.
Ask for both figures in writing before exchange, and ask how each has moved over the past three years.
There is one benefit worth knowing, though it is not a saving. A purchase at a minimum of US$100,000 qualifies the buyer for a Residence Permit covering themselves, their spouse and up to two dependents.
Beyond that, be careful with claimed incentives. Reductions tied to investment-project status depend on approvals your purchase may not have, and they are not automatic because a property is expensive. Have your lawyer confirm in writing whether any specific relief actually applies to your transaction.
Work out the purchase price first, then get the costs schedule quoted against that specific property. Our guide to what property costs in Zanzibar covers asking prices and price per square metre by area, and whether foreigners can buy land in Zanzibar explains which legal route your purchase sits on, because that determines several of the fees above. You can browse current listings with price and internal area on every one.
Rates and references are accurate as at September 2026 and are provided for general information only. Fees and law change, and rates can differ by district and project. Always take advice from a Tanzanian lawyer licensed in Zanzibar before committing to a purchase.
