Eritrea: Various travel information
How to get to Eritrea
Direct plane flights go from Frankfurt am Main, Rome, London, Madrid and Paris to Asmara.
Ship
There is regular ship traffic between various European ports and Massawa and Assab in Eritrea. A smaller port is located in Tio. There is also a weekly ferry between Massawa and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Travel in the country
Air connections
Domestic air traffic exists between Asmara, Massawa, Sawa and Assab.
Rail
The rail network of Eritrea covers approx. 300 km. Passenger trains run regularly from Asmara to Massawa and Agordat in the western lowlands.
Bus
A national bus network connects cities and rural regions with one another.
Roads
Eritrea has a well-developed road network of around 990 km.
Ferry connections
Passenger ships operate between Massawa, Assab and Tio.
Traffic rules
Right-hand traffic prevails in Eritrea. In order to avoid trouble with the police or even the courts, one should strictly adhere to the traffic regulations in force in the country. The maximum speeds shown can of course be reduced or increased by traffic signs. Regardless of the information given here, it is advisable to obtain detailed information from the ADAC or the AvD.
Maximum speeds
In addition to the general speed limits shown, the speed limits indicated by signs must be strictly observed.
- Urban: in built-up areas there is a speed limit of 35 km/h
- Country roads: there is a speed limit of 80 km/h on country roads
Drinking alcohol limits
In Eritrea there is an absolute ban on alcohol for drivers of motor vehicles.
International license plate
According to Abbreviationfinder, Eritrea’s international license plate is:
| HE |
Eritrea: Diplomatic missions
Visit Countryaah for a full list of Eritrea embassies and consulates in each country around the world.
Representations in Germany
The building in which the Embassy of Eritrea is located is a beautiful villa on Stavangerstrasse in the Berlin district of Pankow. The Stavangerstraße branches off from Gotenstraße, which in turn is a cross street with Bornholmerstraße. The embassy is in a quiet, bourgeois area of Pankow. The embassies of Cuba, Cape Verde, Ghana, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the vicinity of the Embassy of Eritrea.
Embassy in Berlin
Stavangerstraße 18
10439 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 446 7460
Email: embassyeritrea@t-online.de
www.botschaft-eritrea.de
Consulate General in Frankfurt am Main
Lyoner Strasse 34
60528 Frankfurt/Main
Tel: 0049 – (0) 69 – 436 496
Responsible for: Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Thuringia
German representations in Eritrea
Embassy in Asmara
Warsay Street, Saba Development Building
Asmara, Eritrea
Tel: 00291 – (0) 1 – 186 670
Email: info@asmara.diplo.de
www.asmara.diplo.de
Only emergency aid, no visas are issued.
(responsible is the embassy in Nairobi/Kenya)
Austrian representations in Eritrea
Embassy
The Federal Republic of Austria has no representation in Eritrea. The embassy in Egypt is responsible.
Embassy in Cairo
El Nile Street/Corner 5, Wissa Wassef Street,
5th Floor, Riyadth-Tower, Giza
11111 Cairo
Tel: 0020 – (0) 2 – 570 2975
Email: kairo-ob@bmaa.gv.at www.austriaegypt
. org
The Austrian embassy in Egypt is still responsible for Sudan
Representations of Eritrea in Austria
Honorary Consulate in Vienna
Rabengasse 2-10/62/2
1030 Vienna
Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 713 1900
Swiss representations in Eritrea
Embassy of Switzerland in Sudan
Street 15, House No. 7
Amarat
Khartoum, Sudan
Tel: 00249 – (0) 183 – 471 010/115
Email: kha.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
www.eda.admin.ch/khartoum
Consulate General in Asmara
171-5-Street No. 39
Asmara
Eritrea
Tel: 00291 – (0) 1 – 120 393
00291 – (0) 1 – 202 828
Email: sasa@eol.com.er
Representations of Eritrea in Switzerland
Embassy Geneva
Rue de Vermont 9
Case postale 85
1211 Geneva 20
Tel: 0041 – (0) 22 – 740 4940/2840
Email: eritrean.embassy@bluewin.ch
Consulate in Wettingen
Schwyzerstrasse 12
5430 Wettingen
Tel: 0041 – (0) 56 – 427 2893
Eritrea: entry and exit regulations
Formalities, visas
For a tourist stay in Eritrea of up to 30 days, travelers need a passport that is valid for at least one month after the stay, a visa (except for citizens of Kenya and Uganda) and a booking receipt for the outward and return journey.
Import and export of foreign currency
The national currency of Eritrea is:
Nakfa = 100 cents.
There is no limit to the import and export of the local currency.
Travelers to Eritrea are required to provide a written declaration of their foreign currency holdings. The import of foreign currency is permitted without restriction, but the exchange must take place in official facilities (banks and Himbol exchange offices), the proof of this must be kept. An exchange of the national currency up to an amount of 3,000 Nfa is only allowed in the main office of the Himbol state exchange office in Asmara. Violations of these foreign exchange regulations are punishable by high fines and imprisonment.
Import and export of goods
The following articles may be imported into Eritrea duty-free:
– 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco
– 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
Travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings
Infectious Diseases
In Eritrea, the following infectious diseases are to be expected, which are not or less common in Germany or Central and Northern Europe:
- Malaria: There is a high risk of malaria in the country all year round. Except in altitudes above about 2,200 m and in the urban area of Asmara. About 80% to 90% of infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
- Amoebic dysentery
- Bacterial agitation
- Schistosomiasis
- Cholera: Only travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food are at risk of infection.
- Intestinal infections caused by contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
- Filariasis
- Typhus
- Hepatitis A and B
- Kala Azar disease
- Polio, polio
- Leishmaniasis Disease
- Meningococcal meningitis
- rabies
- Typhoid: There is only a risk of infection for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
- Tick bite fever
Vaccination recommendations
- Cholera, but only among travelers who may come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
- Diphtheria, a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country
- Hepatitis A and B, a vaccination against hepatitis B, is only required for people who may come into contact with blood or for those who seek sexual contact.
- Polio, polio, a vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Tetanus, a vaccination against tetanus, should always exist, also in the home country
- Rabies, but only in high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals
- Typhoid, but only in travelers who may come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food
Compulsory vaccination
For all persons older than one year and coming from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against an illness with yellow fever.
Yellow fever vaccination for children
In most of the countries where yellow fever vaccination is mandatory, this also applies to children over 1 year of age, in some countries even from 6 months. It should be noted that vaccination against yellow fever had a number of side effects, such as encephalitis. Around two thirds of those affected were children under 6 months. Therefore, under no circumstances should children under this age be vaccinated. But children under one year of age should also not be vaccinated if possible. If in doubt, yellow fever infection areas must then be avoided. Any vaccination against yellow fever may only be carried out in specially authorized yellow fever vaccination centers!
Malaria prophylaxis
When traveling in the country, it is strongly advised to undergo malaria prophylaxis. If the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by preparation” with you.
Warning notices
Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany
Citizens’ Service
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000
Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 51000
www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de
Shop
Shop opening times
The shops in Eritrea are usually open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Cheap or country-specific goods, souvenirs
Popular souvenirs from Eritrea are pieces of jewelry made of gold or silver, wood carvings, leather items, carpets, basketry as well as spears and drums.
