Immigration Procedure:

Your passport or travel document must be valid for at least six months.

A 48-hour shore pass will be issued upon arrival. For longer stays or travel inland, a visa is required, valid for one month for entry within 2 months of the issue date (see “how to get a visa” below).

It is necessary to report to the Port Authority and Immigration, even if you already have a visa.

How to get a visa?:

The 30-day visa: this can now be obtained in Massawa, for US$50 per person. First, go to the immigration office in the Port area. Here you must fill in an entry card which the officials will stamp. Take this, your passport, 2 passport photos and your shore pass to the Immigration office outside the port gate. You will have to fill in another form before they can issue you the visa. Processing of visas is slow as it is done by computer and power cuts are frequent, so may take a few hours. It is unknown  how this visa is obtained in Assad.

Visa in advance: These are best-secured through an Eritrean consulate or embassy, but some visitors have reported success with a “pre-arranged” visa (essentially the same as a visa on arrival, but with advanced notice given to authorities). Eritrean Embassies have websites where a visa application can be downloaded. When you apply for a visa to Eritrea, you must do it at an Eritrean diplomatic mission in – or accredited to – the country where you are a citizen and nowhere else. If there is no Eritrean Embassy or other mission in your country, contact your foreign office/ministry to verify the nearest accredited Eritrean mission.

For a tourist visa, you need to submit specific information about when and at what port you will arrive and depart. You may need to assure the authorities that all aboard will be departing on the same yacht. If exchanging crew or leaving via an airport, the onward ticket must be shown at check-in.

Visa processing may take up to four weeks.

Visa Extensions:

For visa extensions you will need a photo. A fee must be paid in euro’s or dollars. The original one month visa can be renewed twice. Extension of your visa should be arranged before your visa for Eritrea expires. Immigration Department tel. 118380, visas tel. 162154.

Archaeological Site Permit:

To visit Eritrea’s archaeological sites, the visitor needs a permit issued by the National Museum of Eritrea, Asmara (close to the Selam Hotel, Tel: 1122389).

A permit to visit the Dahlak Islands can be obtained from the Ministry of Tourism in Massawa (Taulud Island, Tel: 52797). More information may be found at the Ministry of Tourism website.

Last updated:  February 2022

Tourism Service Centre – Eritrea

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