Sub Saharan Africa

Insurance

 

We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and ensure that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. You should ensure that your medical insurance covers the cost of air ambulance evacuation out of Eritrea in the event of a serious accident or illness. 

 

Here's how we can help if things go wrong.

 

Consular assistance outside Asmara

 

There are limits to what the British Embassy can do to assist British nationals outside Asmara.   All diplomatic staff in Asmara are required to apply for permission to travel 10 days in advance.  This means that diplomatic staff from the British Embassy are unable to offer emergency assistance to British nationals outside Asmara.  You are advised to take this into account before deciding whether or not to travel to Eritrea.

 

You should be aware that the Eritrean authorities have not always informed the relevant Embassy if a foreign national is in need of consular assistance (for example, if they have been taken into detention or are in need of medical attention).  This applies inside Asmara as well as more widely in the country.

 

Consular registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. 

 

Passports

 

Applications for British passports can be lodged at the British Embassy in Asmara.  However, because all applications are forwarded to the High Commission in Nairobi for processing, the issuing of a full passport usually takes three-four weeks.

 

Emergency passports, good for a single trip back to the United Kingdom, can usually be issued by the British Embassy Asmara within two working days.  You will need to provide satisfactory proof of nationality: we advise that all travellers keep a photocopy of the biodata (photograph and personal details) page of their passport in a safe place or with friends or family in the UK.

 

Money

 

The economy is completely cash-based.  There are no ATMs in Eritrea.  Credit cards are not accepted anywhere except a few hotels such as the Asmara Palace, Sunshine and Crystal hotels.  It is illegal to exchange currency other than at a branch of “Himbol”.  It is illegal to attempt to use foreign currency to make purchases in Eritrea.

 

For more information on bringing currency into and out of Eritrea see the Entry Requirements section of this travel advice.