Who Can Invest, and the Documents You Need

Before your first bid you need two things: to be eligible for the auction, and to have the documents your CDP will ask for when it opens your account.

Who can buy at the auctions?

The notice for each auction says who may take part, and it is not always the same.

• The notice for 25-year bond No. 722 (auction of 15 October 2026) and for bills auction No. 1208 (7 October 2026) say: "All investors, including foreign nationals, are eligible to participate."

• The notice for the reopening of 25-year bond No. 695 (24 June 2026) said: "All residents of the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, and Tanzanian citizens in the diaspora, are eligible to participate."

• The Bank of Tanzania's 2022 bond guidelines state that East African Community residents are eligible.

So always read the "Eligibility" line of the notice for the auction you want.

Accounts for different investors

The Bank of Tanzania's CDS application form lists the kinds of account holder, including:

• Individual: one person.

• Joint: two or more holders, for example a married couple. One form has room for three holders; more need another form.

• Minor: an account for a child, opened and run by a parent or guardian, whose details go on the form.

• Groups and organisations: co-operatives (such as SACCOs), NGOs, religious and educational groups, companies, pension funds and others each have their own category.

The form also asks you to state your region of residence: EAC, SADC or Diaspora.

Documents to prepare

The CDS application form (CDS/FORM/02) asks each holder for:

• Full name, postal and physical address, email and mobile number

• Identification: passport (with place of issue and expiry date), voter ID, driving licence or national ID number

• TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) and where it was issued

• Nationality, country of residence and date of birth

• Occupation and employer

• Tax status: if you are exempt from tax, evidence of the exemption

• Settlement bank details: bank name, account number and account name. The account name must match the CDS account name, because this is where your coupons and repayments are paid.

• Specimen signatures and passport-size photos for the signature card

Banks acting as CDPs usually summarise this as: a completed CDS form, a copy of your TIN certificate, a copy of a valid ID and a passport photo. Ask your CDP for its own checklist, because some also require you to hold an account with them.

Living abroad?

Tanzanians in the diaspora have been eligible in recent notices. Because payments are made through Tanzanian banks, ask your CDP which bank account you can use for settlement, and whether you can sign forms and bid remotely.

Next step

Open your CDS account through a CDP, or go back to the investment journey.

Sources: Bank of Tanzania auction notices (bond No. 722, bond No. 695, bills No. 1208); Bank of Tanzania, CDS/FORM/02 application to open a CDS securities account; Bank of Tanzania, Guidelines for Participation in Primary and Secondary Markets for Treasury Bonds (2022). This article is for education only and is not investment advice.