Tanzanian law does provide for the issuance of travel documents to refugees and, potentially, stateless persons. The primary legal instrument governing this area is the Passports and Travel Documents Act, No. 20 of 2002, which includes provisions for the issuance of travel documents to non-citizens who are unable to obtain passports from their countries of origin. This includes a specific category known as the “Geneva Convention Travel Document”, issued to individuals recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, to which Tanzania is a party.

Under the Passports and Travel Documents Act and its associated Regulations, refugees who are formally recognized may be issued a Convention Travel Document (CTD), in accordance with Article 28 of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which requires State Parties to issue travel documents to refugees lawfully staying in their territory.