Tanzania’s domestic refugee framework, primarily governed by the Refugees Act No. 9 of 1998, does not provide for alternative or complementary protection status. The Act recognizes only those individuals who qualify under the refugee definitions derived from the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention. It does not make provision for individuals who may not meet the strict legal criteria for refugee status but who nevertheless face real risks of harm—such as torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, or indiscriminate violence—if returned to their countries of origin.

In international protection systems, complementary protection covers individuals who do not meet the refugee definition but are still in need of international protection under broader human rights principles (e.g., under the Convention Against Torture or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). This may include persons fleeing generalized violence, victims of trafficking, or those facing risks due to medical or humanitarian grounds.

While Tanzania is a party to several human rights instruments that underpin the rationale for complementary protection (including the Convention Against Torture and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights), these commitments are not reflected in national law through any separate legal category or protection regime. As a result, individuals who do not qualify as refugees but are still at risk upon return must rely on discretionary administrative decisions, such as temporary stay orders or delayed deportation, which lack transparency, legal guarantees, or oversight.