Insurance cover note in Tanzania

What a cover note is

• TIRA's glossary defines it as "a temporary document that evidences the existence of insurance coverage until issuance of the policy". The Kiswahili column calls it uthibitisho wa uwepo wa mkataba wa bima and says the document lasts one month, to allow the policy to be prepared and delivered (TIRA glossary).
• For motor insurance, the insurer must issue the certificate of insurance at the same time as the cover note (section 7, Cap. 169).
• Since TIRA-MIS, motor customers receive a cover note, a policy and an EFD receipt instead of a paper sticker (TIRA); the e-sticker is the evidence that a vehicle is insured under the Road Traffic (Evidence of Motor Vehicle Insurance) Regulations, GN No. 376 of 2025 (TIRA AIMP 2025).

The premium rule printed on every cover note

Regulation 35 of the Insurance Regulations, 2009, made under section 137 of the Insurance Act:

• A policy becomes invalid from its start date if the full premium is not paid within seven days of inception — except motor insurance, where the premium must be paid at inception.
• This requirement must be shown in bold print on each cover note and each policy.
• Every policy or cover note issued by an insurer, broker or agent must show the full premium charged on its face.

So a motor cover note without payment protects no one: pay first, then check that the premium printed matches what you paid.

How to get a cover note

1. Buy the cover from a company on TIRA's register of licensed entities — an insurer, a broker or an agent (list of insurers).
2. Pay the full premium (motor: on the day cover starts) and keep the EFD receipt.
3. Ask for the cover note reference: insurers, brokers and agents record each cover note in TIRAMIS (TIRA).
4. Check it yourself the same day on TIRAMIS — steps below.

TIRA does not issue cover notes itself: a "download" of yours comes from the company that sold the cover. What TIRAMIS gives anyone is the verification result, which can be printed as proof — see TIRAMIS check.

Check a cover note on TIRAMIS

1. Open tiramis.tira.go.tz or the TIRAMIS app.
2. Choose Verify Insurance Cover Note.
3. Search by cover note reference, registration number, sticker number or chassis number.
4. Read the insurer, the dates, the premium and the status (ACTIVE, PENDING, CANCELLED or EXPIRED).

If a cover you paid for is not there, go back to the seller first; the regulator's complaints route is on TIRA Tanzania. Every screen of the result is explained on TIRAMIS check.

Fake cover notes and stickers

Section 158 of the Insurance Act, Cap. 394 punishes selling or holding a fake sticker or certificate with a fine of at least TZS 5 million, at least 2 years in prison, or both. Driving without valid cover and its consequences, in Kiswahili: madhara ya kuendesha gari bila bima.

Related guides

What the law requires for every vehicle: car and motor insurance in Tanzania. Third-party or comprehensive: compared. Bodaboda and bajaji: motorcycle insurance. In Kiswahili: bima ya gari.

Sources

1. TIRA — Insurance technical terms / Istilahi za bima: "Cover Note" (read 31 October 2026)
2. TIRA — Insurance Regulations, 2009, regulation 35 (validity of a policy, premium on the cover note) (read 31 October 2026)
3. Motor Vehicles Insurance Act, Cap. 169 (R.E. 2023) — Tanzania Police Force
4. TIRA — welcome note of the Commissioner of Insurance (TIRA-MIS: cover note, policy and EFD receipt instead of a paper sticker)
5. TIRA — Annual Insurance Market Performance Report 2025 (chapter 7: Road Traffic (Evidence of Motor Vehicle Insurance) Regulations, GN No. 376 of 2025)
6. TIRAMIS — TIRA's verification portal (Verify Insurance Cover Note)
7. TIRA — register of licensed entities (insurers, brokers, agents)
8. Insurance Act, Cap. 394 (R.E. 2023) — TIRA