Visa requirements for Eritrea

Most visitors need a visa in advance for Eritrea. 1 of 199 passports enter visa-free.

Find your passport

Rules by passport

Visa-free (1)

Eritrea

Checked against U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) on October 10, 2026.

Visa required (198)

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
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Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
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France
Gabon
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Guinea
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Guyana
Haiti
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Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
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Iran
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Ivory Coast
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Jordan
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Niger
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Pakistan
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Portugal
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Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
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San Marino
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Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
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Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
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Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
the Bahamas
the Central African Republic
the Comoros
the Democratic Republic of the Congo
the Dominican Republic
the Gambia
the Maldives
the Marshall Islands
the Netherlands
the Philippines
the Republic of the Congo
the Seychelles
the Solomon Islands
the United Arab Emirates
the United Kingdom
the United States
the Vatican City
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Checked against U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) on October 10, 2026.

Visa fees for Eritrea

Visa type	Fee	Source
Visa	70 USD, business visa, single entry (3-month $100; 6-month $200; 1-year $300); money order/cashier's check to Embassy of Eritrea; non-refundable Applies to US passport holders only.	Embassy of Eritrea, Washington DC
Visa	5000 JPY, tourist visa, single entry, via Tokyo (business single JPY 7,000; 3-mo 11,000; 6-mo 20,000; 1-yr 30,000; official gratis) Applies to Japanese passport holders only.	Embassy of Eritrea in Japan

Visa fee: No official source publishes this information. Fees are set per issuing mission; only the Washington and Tokyo embassy schedules were verified. Checked: Embassy of Eritrea, Washington DC, Embassy of Eritrea in Japan.

Processing times

Visa type	Processing time	Source
Visa	Minimum 10 days required (Washington embassy); 5 working days normal procedure (Tokyo embassy)	Embassy of Eritrea, Washington DC

Apply through official channels

Embassy of Eritrea (Washington DC) - business visa requirementsBusiness visas carry higher fees than tourist visas per mission schedules, but fees are mission-dependent rather than route-dependent, so no per-route business override is written.

Travel insurance for Eritrea

Travel insurance

Not required. No official source we have checked requires travel insurance to visit Eritrea, and none publishes a minimum coverage amount for visitors.

Some visa services claim insurance is mandatory for Eritrea and charge you for a policy. We found no official rule behind those claims, so we will not present it as one. Insurance may still be a sensible choice for your trip, but for Eritrea it is your choice, not an entry rule. We watch for new mandates daily, and this page will say so if one appears.

Countries that do require it: the full travel insurance requirements list.

Sources and verification

199 of 199 passport rules verified against U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk), 0 with no official source publishing the rule.

U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov) (checked October 10, 2026)
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) (checked October 10, 2026)

Common questions

Do I need a visa for Eritrea?

It depends on your passport. 1 of 199 passports enter Eritrea visa-free; 198 need a visa or authorisation arranged in advance. Find your passport in the groups above.

What does a visa for Eritrea cost?

It depends on the visa type and your passport. For example, the visa costs 70 USD, business visa, single entry (3-month $100; 6-month $200; 1-year $300); money order/cashier's check to Embassy of Eritrea; non-refundable. Applies to US passport holders only. See the full fee table above.

How long does Eritrea visa processing take?

Standard processing for the visa: Minimum 10 days required (Washington embassy); 5 working days normal procedure (Tokyo embassy).

Do I need travel insurance for Eritrea?

No verified requirement. No official source we have checked requires travel insurance to visit Eritrea, and none publishes a minimum coverage amount for visitors. Some visa services claim it is mandatory and charge for a policy; we found no official rule behind those claims.