Eritrea travel advice

Travellers are advised not to travel within 25km (15 miles) of Eritrea's border with Ethiopia and Djibouti, and not to travel to Eritrea's border with Sudan, including the town of Tesseney; and in the area north and west of Nakfa, Agordat and Barentu.

The Ethiopia-Eritrea border remains closed and unmarked. Several security incidents have taken place in recent months along the border, particularly in the areas of Humera, Tsorona and Zalambessa. Since the relocation out of Eritrea of the UN Peacekeeping Mission (UNMEE) in March 2008 the risk of cross-border tensions increasing and the security situation deteriorating very rapidly remains.

All foreign nationals, including resident diplomats, are required to apply ten days in advance for travel permits to leave Asmara - these are not always granted. This means that diplomatic staff from the British Embassy are unable to offer emergency assistance to British nationals outside Asmara quickly. Eritrean authorities have not always informed the relevant Embassy when a foreign national is in need of consular assistance - this potential lack of any assistance outside Asmara is something to take into account fully before travelling.

Dual British/Eritrean nationals should be aware that, under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the British Embassy is unable to offer assistance in Eritrea. The Eritrean authorities consider all British nationals holding either Eritrean or PFDJ identity documents (including out of date documents) as Eritrean nationals.

There is an underlying threat from terrorism in Eritrea. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.

All British nationals travelling to Eritrea should register with the British Embassy in Asmara on arrival.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel