Eritrea visa requirements · checked 26 September 2026

Visa & Entry Requirements for Eritrea

Q: What documents do I need to enter Eritrea?

Passport validity: The UK government says that to enter Eritrea your passport must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive. Travel insurance: No official source we could read states a travel insurance requirement for entering Eritrea. Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states a return or onward ticket requirement. Proof of funds: The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland lists proof of financial support among the documents for a tourist visa.

Q: How many countries can visit Eritrea without a visa?

2 of 198 passports can enter Eritrea visa-free (1%). and 196 need a visa from an embassy.

Most travellers need a visa for Eritrea: 196 of 198 passports must apply at an embassy or consulate, while 2 passports enter visa-free.

Eritrea's embassy in Washington says a visa is required for non-Eritreans and for Eritreans without a national ID; Eritrea's Ministry of Information says Eritrea and Kenya agreed to abolish visa requirements for citizens travelling between the two countries from 9 February 2023. The UK, Canadian, Australian and Serbian governments say their citizens need one to enter. The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland says that upon receipt of the visa application and fees, issuance takes ten working days, and that there is no assurance that a visa will be issued. The UK government says foreign nationals must apply in advance for a permit to travel outside Asmara's surrounding province, Zoba Maekel.

Check your passport

Your passport

Destination

Passports visa-free

196

Embassy visa required

Do I need a visa for Eritrea? Quick answers

Another passport? Use the checker or find it in the table below.

Visa for Eritrea — requirements summary

Visa-free: 2 (1%)
Visa required: 196 (99%)

All travellers must meet the entry rules set by Eritrea, and they depend on your nationality. Find your passport below — you may be able to enter visa-free, or need an eVisa, a visa on arrival or a visa from an embassy.

Passport	Requirement	Max stay	Details
Afghanistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Albania	Visa required	—	Details →
Algeria	Visa required	—	Details →
Andorra	Visa required	—	Details →
Angola	Visa required	—	Details →
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa required	—	Details →
Argentina	Visa required	—	Details →
Armenia	Visa required	—	Details →
Australia	Visa required	—	Details →
Austria	Visa required	—	Details →
Azerbaijan	Visa required	—	Details →
Bahamas	Visa required	—	Details →
Bahrain	Visa required	—	Details →
Bangladesh	Visa required	—	Details →
Barbados	Visa required	—	Details →
Belarus	Visa required	—	Details →
Belgium	Visa required	—	Details →
Belize	Visa required	—	Details →
Benin	Visa required	—	Details →
Bhutan	Visa required	—	Details →
Bolivia	Visa required	—	Details →
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa required	—	Details →
Botswana	Visa required	—	Details →
Brazil	Visa required	—	Details →
Brunei	Visa required	—	Details →
Bulgaria	Visa required	—	Details →
Burkina Faso	Visa required	—	Details →
Burundi	Visa required	—	Details →
Cambodia	Visa required	—	Details →
Cameroon	Visa required	—	Details →
Canada	Visa required	—	Details →
Cape Verde	Visa required	—	Details →
Central African Republic	Visa required	—	Details →
Chad	Visa required	—	Details →
Chile	Visa required	—	Details →
China	Visa required	—	Details →
Colombia	Visa required	—	Details →
Comoros	Visa required	—	Details →
Costa Rica	Visa required	—	Details →
Côte d'Ivoire	Visa required	—	Details →
Croatia	Visa required	—	Details →
Cuba	Visa required	—	Details →
Cyprus	Visa required	—	Details →
Czechia	Visa required	—	Details →
Denmark	Visa required	—	Details →
Djibouti	Visa required	—	Details →
Dominica	Visa required	—	Details →
Dominican Republic	Visa required	—	Details →
DR Congo	Visa required	—	Details →
Ecuador	Visa required	—	Details →
Egypt	Visa required	—	Details →
El Salvador	Visa required	—	Details →
Equatorial Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Estonia	Visa required	—	Details →
Eswatini	Visa required	—	Details →
Ethiopia	Visa required	—	Details →
Fiji	Visa required	—	Details →
Finland	Visa required	—	Details →
France	Visa required	—	Details →
Gabon	Visa required	—	Details →
Gambia	Visa required	—	Details →
Georgia	Visa required	—	Details →
Germany	Visa required	—	Details →
Ghana	Visa required	—	Details →
Greece	Visa required	—	Details →
Grenada	Visa required	—	Details →
Guatemala	Visa required	—	Details →
Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Guinea-Bissau	Visa required	—	Details →
Guyana	Visa required	—	Details →
Haiti	Visa required	—	Details →
Honduras	Visa required	—	Details →
Hong Kong	Visa required	—	Details →
Hungary	Visa required	—	Details →
Iceland	Visa required	—	Details →
India	Visa required	—	Details →
Indonesia	Visa required	—	Details →
Iran	Visa required	—	Details →
Iraq	Visa required	—	Details →
Ireland	Visa required	—	Details →
Israel	Visa required	—	Details →
Italy	Visa required	—	Details →
Jamaica	Visa required	—	Details →
Japan	Visa required	—	Details →
Jordan	Visa required	—	Details →
Kazakhstan	Visa required	—	Details →
Kenya	Visa-free	—	Details →
Kiribati	Visa required	—	Details →
Kosovo	Visa required	—	Details →
Kuwait	Visa required	—	Details →
Kyrgyzstan	Visa required	—	Details →
Laos	Visa required	—	Details →
Latvia	Visa required	—	Details →
Lebanon	Visa required	—	Details →
Lesotho	Visa required	—	Details →
Liberia	Visa required	—	Details →
Libya	Visa required	—	Details →
Liechtenstein	Visa required	—	Details →
Lithuania	Visa required	—	Details →
Luxembourg	Visa required	—	Details →
Macau	Visa required	—	Details →
Madagascar	Visa required	—	Details →
Malawi	Visa required	—	Details →
Malaysia	Visa required	—	Details →
Maldives	Visa required	—	Details →
Mali	Visa required	—	Details →
Malta	Visa required	—	Details →
Marshall Islands	Visa required	—	Details →
Mauritania	Visa required	—	Details →
Mauritius	Visa required	—	Details →
Mexico	Visa required	—	Details →
Micronesia	Visa required	—	Details →
Moldova	Visa required	—	Details →
Monaco	Visa required	—	Details →
Mongolia	Visa required	—	Details →
Montenegro	Visa required	—	Details →
Morocco	Visa required	—	Details →
Mozambique	Visa required	—	Details →
Myanmar	Visa required	—	Details →
Namibia	Visa required	—	Details →
Nauru	Visa required	—	Details →
Nepal	Visa required	—	Details →
Netherlands	Visa required	—	Details →
New Zealand	Visa required	—	Details →
Nicaragua	Visa required	—	Details →
Niger	Visa required	—	Details →
Nigeria	Visa required	—	Details →
North Korea	Visa required	—	Details →
North Macedonia	Visa required	—	Details →
Norway	Visa required	—	Details →
Oman	Visa required	—	Details →
Pakistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Palau	Visa required	—	Details →
Palestine	Visa required	—	Details →
Panama	Visa required	—	Details →
Papua New Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Paraguay	Visa required	—	Details →
Peru	Visa required	—	Details →
Philippines	Visa required	—	Details →
Poland	Visa required	—	Details →
Portugal	Visa required	—	Details →
Qatar	Visa required	—	Details →
Republic of the Congo	Visa required	—	Details →
Romania	Visa required	—	Details →
Russia	Visa required	—	Details →
Rwanda	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Lucia	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa required	—	Details →
Samoa	Visa required	—	Details →
San Marino	Visa required	—	Details →
Sao Tome and Principe	Visa required	—	Details →
Saudi Arabia	Visa required	—	Details →
Senegal	Visa required	—	Details →
Serbia	Visa required	—	Details →
Seychelles	Visa required	—	Details →
Sierra Leone	Visa required	—	Details →
Singapore	Visa required	—	Details →
Slovakia	Visa required	—	Details →
Slovenia	Visa required	—	Details →
Solomon Islands	Visa required	—	Details →
Somalia	Visa required	—	Details →
South Africa	Visa required	—	Details →
South Korea	Visa required	—	Details →
South Sudan	Visa required	—	Details →
Spain	Visa required	—	Details →
Sri Lanka	Visa required	—	Details →
Sudan	Visa required	—	Details →
Suriname	Visa required	—	Details →
Sweden	Visa required	—	Details →
Switzerland	Visa required	—	Details →
Syria	Visa required	—	Details →
Taiwan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tajikistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tanzania	Visa required	—	Details →
Thailand	Visa required	—	Details →
Timor-Leste	Visa required	—	Details →
Togo	Visa required	—	Details →
Tonga	Visa required	—	Details →
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa required	—	Details →
Tunisia	Visa required	—	Details →
Türkiye	Visa required	—	Details →
Turkmenistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tuvalu	Visa required	—	Details →
Uganda	Visa-free	—	Details →
Ukraine	Visa required	—	Details →
United Arab Emirates	Visa required	—	Details →
United Kingdom	Visa required	—	Details →
United States	Visa required	—	Details →
Uruguay	Visa required	—	Details →
Uzbekistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Vanuatu	Visa required	—	Details →
Vatican City	Visa required	—	Details →
Venezuela	Visa required	—	Details →
Vietnam	Visa required	—	Details →
Yemen	Visa required	—	Details →
Zambia	Visa required	—	Details →
Zimbabwe	Visa required	—	Details →

Eritrea visa types, fees and processing times

Tourist visa

Embassy

Processing: 10 business days
Valid for: 90 days

Fee not published — confirm with the embassy or consulate before you apply.

Business visa

Embassy

Processing: 10 business days
Valid for: 90 days

Fee not published — confirm with the embassy or consulate before you apply.

Entry requirements for Eritrea

Passport validity

6 months

The UK government says that to enter Eritrea your passport must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive. The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland asks for a national passport valid for at least six months before the expiry date, with at least three blank pages for the visa.

UK FCDO — Eritrea travel advice, entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Blank passport pages

3 blank pages

Your passport needs at least 3 blank pages.

Embassy of the State of Eritrea in Switzerland — Visa and travel services✓ Checked 7 Oct 2026

Vaccinations: Yellow fever

9 months

WHO's Annex 1 lists Eritrea as requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged 9 months or over arriving from countries at risk of yellow fever transmission.

WHO, International Travel and Health, Annex 1 — countries requiring proof of vaccination against yellow fever✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Travel insurance

No official source we could read states a travel insurance requirement for entering Eritrea. The UK government says public hospitals in towns other than Asmara are often poorly equipped and medical facilities in rural areas are even more limited, and advises travel insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Eritrea travel advice: health✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Return or onward ticket

No official source we could read states a return or onward ticket requirement. The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland lists, for a tourist visa, proof of financial support and a hotel or apartment reservation (if applicable); its list does not include a ticket.

Embassy of the State of Eritrea in Switzerland — Visa and travel services✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Proof of funds

The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland lists proof of financial support among the documents for a tourist visa. No official source we could read states an amount.

Embassy of the State of Eritrea in Switzerland — Visa and travel services✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Customs allowances

The UK government says to declare foreign cash or travellers cheques if the value is 10,000 US dollars or more and to keep the certificate you get to show when you leave. When you leave you must be able to show that any foreign currency you spent was exchanged at Himbol, the state foreign currency exchange, or spent at an official hotel, and you are not allowed to take more than 1,000 nakfa out of Eritrea.

UK FCDO — Eritrea travel advice, entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Eritrea visa requirements statistics

198

Passports covered

196

Most common: Visa required

Least common: Visa-free

Visa-free access

Understanding Eritrea visa requirements

We track the entry rules of Eritrea for 198 passports. The most common situation is visa required, which applies to 196 passports (99%). 1% of passports can enter without a visa. The least common is visa-free (2 passports).

Entry categories for Eritrea

Visa-free entry: 2 passports can enter without a visa.
Visa required: 196 passports must apply at an embassy or consulate.

What else you need to enter Eritrea

Passport validity: The UK government says that to enter Eritrea your passport must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Travel insurance: No official source we could read states a travel insurance requirement for entering Eritrea.
Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states a return or onward ticket requirement.
Proof of funds: The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland lists proof of financial support among the documents for a tourist visa.

Open your passport in the table for the exact rules — maximum stay, fees, how to apply and the official source. Entry rules change at short notice: confirm with the embassy of Eritrea or its official immigration website before you travel.

Frequently asked questions about Eritrea visas

Do I need a visa for Eritrea?

Eritrea's embassy in Washington says a visa is required for non-Eritreans and for Eritreans without a national ID. Eritrea's Ministry of Information says Eritrea and Kenya agreed to abolish visa requirements for citizens travelling between the two countries from 9 February 2023. The UK, Canadian, Australian and Serbian governments say their citizens need one to enter. The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland says that upon receipt of the visa application and fees, issuance takes ten working days, and that there is no assurance that a visa will be issued.

How long does an Eritrean visa take?

The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland says that upon receipt of the visa application and fees, issuance takes ten working days, and that a visa is valid for three months from the date of issue unless stated otherwise. It says there is no assurance that a visa will be issued.

Can I travel outside Asmara in Eritrea?

Only with a travel permit. The UK government says foreign nationals must apply in advance for a permit to travel outside Asmara's surrounding province, Zoba Maekel, and to certain sites within the capital. Tourists apply to the Ministry of Tourism; applications may take several days and are not always successful, and officials check permits at checkpoints outside Asmara.

Can I use cards or ATMs in Eritrea?

Not for everyday transactions: the Government of Canada says Eritrea has a cash-based economy, credit cards are not accepted as a method of payment for everyday transactions, and foreign currency must be exchanged at a branch of Himbol, at main banks or in major hotels in Asmara. The UK government says to declare foreign cash or travellers cheques worth 10,000 US dollars or more and keep the certificate you get to show when you leave, and that you must be able to show that any foreign currency you have spent was exchanged at Himbol or spent at an official hotel.

Is Eritrea safe to visit?

The UK government says that though Asmara is a relatively safe city, there is a risk of street crime, especially at night. It advises against all travel to within 25 km of all of Eritrea's land borders, says foreign nationals must apply in advance for a permit to travel outside Asmara's surrounding province and that international SIM cards do not work, and says British Embassy staff cannot always provide consular assistance in person outside Asmara.

Do US citizens need a visa for Eritrea?

US citizens need a visa for Eritrea. Full rules for United States passport holders.

Do UK citizens need a visa for Eritrea?

UK citizens need a visa for Eritrea. Full rules for United Kingdom passport holders.

Do German citizens need a visa for Eritrea?

German citizens need a visa for Eritrea. Full rules for Germany passport holders.

What documents do I need to enter Eritrea?

Passport validity: The UK government says that to enter Eritrea your passport must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive. Travel insurance: No official source we could read states a travel insurance requirement for entering Eritrea. Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states a return or onward ticket requirement. Proof of funds: The Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland lists proof of financial support among the documents for a tourist visa.

How many countries can visit Eritrea without a visa?

2 of 198 passports can enter Eritrea visa-free (1%). and 196 need a visa from an embassy.

Data: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0) — official sources are linked on each passport page. Gaps filled from the Passport Index dataset (MIT).

Check other requirements

Travelling from Eritrea?

Where can Eritrea citizens travel visa-free?

Eritrea passport holders can visit 12 countries without a visa. Open a country for the exact rules.

Map and full list →