Eritrea travel advice

Warnings (from the FCDO, word for word)

Areas where FCDO advises against travel

Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. 

FCDO advises against all travel to within 25km of all of Eritrea’s land borders.

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Eritrea.

Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.

Tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia are high. If a crisis develops in Eritrea, the situation could change quickly, including your ability to travel within Eritrea or leave the country. Practical support from the British government such as face-to-face consular support or evacuation may be severely limited in a crisis. Read our general guidance on consular support in a crisis.

Be prepared to re-arrange your own departure from Eritrea if a crisis develops. If it is not safe or possible to leave, you should:

• stay indoors whenever possible, and have a stock of essential supplies such as food, drinking water and medicine
• obey any local restrictions such as curfews
• monitor the media for developments that would allow you to leave safely

Support for British nationals in Eritrea

Consular support is severely limited in parts of Eritrea. Staff at the British Embassy in Asmara cannot offer support in person in areas of Eritrea where FCDO advises against travel. Diplomats at the British Embassy require travel permits from the Eritrean government to travel outside Asmara, which means the Embassy cannot always provide consular assistance in person in parts of Eritrea.

Due to the ongoing security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw the dependants of our UK staff in Eritrea. Our Embassy continues to operate.

The Eritrean authorities may not inform the British Embassy if a British national is in need of help. There have been instances where the Eritrean authorities have refused to give the Embassy consular access to detained foreign nationals.

If you’re in Eritrea and you need urgent help (for example, you’ve been attacked or arrested, or someone has died), get in touch using the below:

• during office hours, visit the British Embassy in Asmara at 66-68 Mariam Ghimbi Street. Office hours are Monday-Thursday between 8am and 4:30pm or Friday between 8am and 12:30pm

• for out of hours support, call the British Embassy Addis Ababa on +251 116 170 100 or the Foreign Office in London on +44 207 008 5000

British-Eritrean dual nationals

If you are a British-Eritrean dual national or are of Eritrean origin, the Eritrean authorities consider you to be an Eritrean national. You may therefore be subject to obligations including taxes and national service. This may apply if you hold identity documents issued by Eritrea’s Department of Immigration and Nationality, including out of date documents, or if you do not hold these documents but are of Eritrean origin. The British Embassy is unable to offer consular assistance to dual nationals in Eritrea.

From FCDO: warnings and insurance.

Passport validity

To enter Eritrea, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least 2 blank consecutive pages for stamping.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

From FCDO: entry requirements. Written for British passport holders.