Entry/Exit Requirements

You should have a passport and valid visa prior to arrival; travelers should not expect visas to be available at the airport. Travelers visiting Eritrea using a foreign passport do not need an exit visa, provided they leave before the expiration of their entrance visa. Persons staying beyond the visa expiration date may be subject to fines or imprisonment, or be required to remain in Eritrea for an extended period while their case is reviewed in court. All long-term residents, regardless of nationality, must obtain an exit visa prior to departure. Multiple use exit visas exist but are difficult to obtain. Upon entry and exit, visitors must declare all foreign currency, and may be asked to declare electronic equipment such as cameras, computers, and video equipment. Visitors must save all receipts for foreign exchange and present these upon departure to account for all foreign currency spent in Eritrea. Failure to report foreign currency or meet customs requirements usually results in both a fine and imprisonment. There is a 20 USD airport departure tax normally included in airline ticket prices. With a valid local residence ID it is possible to pay in local currency; otherwise payment must be made in U.S. dollars.

For the latest information about the airport tax and entry/exit requirements, please contact the Embassy of Eritrea, 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 319-1991; fax (202) 319-1304. Overseas, inquiries may be made at the nearest Eritrean embassy or consulate.

Valid Eritrea entry visas do not guarantee entrance into the country. The Eritrea government has the right to refuse entry and send travelers out on the next possible flight at the traveler’s personal expense.

U.S. citizens born in Eritrea, to Eritrean parents, or who in any other way appear to have Eritrean origins are required by the Government of Eritrea to register with the Immigration and Nationality office in Asmara within seven business days of their entry into the country. The Eritrean government sometimes subjects U.S. citizens of Eritrean heritage to the same entry/exit requirements as Eritrean citizens.

Eritrea has complicated citizenship laws and does not recognize renunciation of Eritrean citizenship. Dual nationals who enter the country on Eritrean travel documents are treated as Eritrean citizens, regardless of their other citizenship. U.S. citizens born in Eritrea, or who otherwise are considered to have acquired Eritrean citizenship, may be subject to certain obligations, including being drafted into national service or the civilian militia, regardless of the documents they present at entry. (National service is approximately nine months of military training, followed by an often unspecified and open-ended number of years in military or other government service.) In some cases, U.S. citizens of dual nationality and Eritrean Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States have not been allowed to leave Eritrea as they have been drafted into national service.

U.S.-Eritrean dual nationals who enter the country on an Eritrean passport or national ID card must obtain an exit visa prior to departure. The exit visa application process can significantly delay travel plans. Exit visas may be denied, even for persons who entered Eritrea legally. Eritrean dual nationals are required to pay a 2 percent income tax on overseas earnings to the Eritrean government prior to being granted an exit visa. Additionally, Eritrean authorities sometimes do not allow Eritreans who left the country after 1993 to depart Eritrea after visiting the country, even if they have a U.S. passport and a valid Eritrean visa.

Dual nationals cannot obtain civil documents such as birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce certificates, educational transcripts, property ownership records, or court records without proof of payment of the 2 percent income tax. The only exception is for hardship purposes (students and those unable to work) and this must be stated in writing by an Eritrean embassy abroad only after registering there.

Persons of dual nationality are at risk of being arrested or held without charge for questioning. The Eritrean government does not recognize the U.S. citizenship of dual nationals. It will not inform the U.S. Embassy of the arrest of U.S. citizens, and has not responded favorably to requests by Embassy officials to visit incarcerated U.S. citizens. When arrested, a person may be held for many days without being told the purpose of his or her incarceration. Conditions are harsh – those incarcerated may be held in very small quarters without access to restrooms, bedding, food, or clean water.

HIV/AIDS restrictions: The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Eritrea.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website.  For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.