Moving & Living - Eritrea - Complete Guide

01Choose a base around the actual posting and permitted journeys

Start with the place where you will work or study. Asmara, the capital, is a highland city above 2,000 metres. Its historic centre includes Harnet and Sematat avenues, Mai Jah Jah park and the older quarters of Arbate Asmera and Abbashawel. These are useful reference points for comparing daily journeys, rather than a guarantee that a particular street has suitable housing. UNESCO's city description.

For a posting elsewhere, have the employer explain the accommodation, road access and travel authorisation before booking. Massawa is a coastal base; Keren, Mendefera and Assab are separate locations with different journeys and services. A flat in Asmara is not automatically a workable base for an assignment in another region.

Foreign residents cannot plan movement around the country as though it were unrestricted. Make the first regional transfer part of the employer's arrival arrangements and obtain the appropriate permit before travelling. The British guidance distinguishes the ministries handling tourist, business and diplomatic journeys and the local zoba administration for residents outside Asmara. Travel-permit authorities. Book changeable initial accommodation near the actual appointments while those details are being settled.

02Apply through the consulate responsible for your purpose and location

Separate the entry visa from residence and employment authorisation. Describe the proposed move to the Eritrean embassy responsible for your country of residence: nationality, employer or host, duration and each accompanying family member. A tourist application should not be used to conceal an employment posting.

The Washington embassy now uses CAPS: online B62.3 application, photograph/evidence upload and payment, followed by mailing the original passport. Its jurisdictional requirements include local-residence evidence for non-US applicants. Current embassy instructions; Actual CAPS portal.

1. Select the correct category and complete the form.
2. For employment, obtain the sponsor's role/duration letter; for study, obtain the school's letter.
3. Upload the requested documents, pay and retain the confirmation.
4. Follow the passport-mailing instructions and allow return delivery. The employment category requires at least 15 business days' processing.
5. Travel after receiving the visa. Read its conditions: the first-entry window and period after arrival are different.

British-passport guidance specifies at least six months' passport validity on arrival and two consecutive blank pages. Other applicants should use their own consulate's requirements. British entry guidance. The London embassy provides an appointment-based consular channel for the UK and Ireland. London services. A family visit is not automatically a permanent family-residence decision, and a parent's visa should not be assumed to authorise a child's stay.

03Have the sponsor secure work permission and define the contract

Ask for an employment contract that covers the actual assignment: location, duration, start date, salary, payment method, leave, accommodation, medical arrangements and return travel. Identify who handles immigration and Labour Ministry visits, who pays official charges and what happens to employer housing if the assignment ends. The Labour Proclamation describes job-specific foreign-worker permission and the content of employment contracts. Original labour framework.

1. Have the employer obtain the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare's current application checklist and confirm the required permission before your entry.
2. Prepare the employee portion with passport identity, education, profession, experience, proposed duties, salary and benefits. The published work-permit form calls for a CV, experience and educational evidence.
3. Have the employer complete the establishment, licence, workforce and signature sections, and explain how it meets the local-skills and training conditions.
4. Retain the authorisation and official payment evidence. Coordinate its conditions with the entry visa and residence record; one document does not silently replace the others.

The WHO-hosted original 80/2003 regulations, reviewed here page by page, also provide annual renewal, renewal within the 30 working days before expiry and registration at the beginning of the year's first month. Obtain the ministry's current implementation instructions and tariff; the old USD 50 schedule is not presented as a verified 2026 price. Diplomatic, UN, AU and specified government-agreement cases have exemptions in that text, which a sponsor must establish for the actual assignment. Original work regulations and form.

Optional business: the Business Licensing Office under the Ministry of Trade and Industry is the company-registration authority identified in ESAAMLG's July 2025 evaluation. Obtain its activity-specific registration and licensing list before trading. Prepare ownership, proposed activity and funding information, and ask how your own immigration and work permission fit that business. Registration does not establish a verified investor residence entitlement. Regulatory evaluation.

Remote work: no dedicated remote-worker visa or residence category was verified. In addition to lawful permission, the actual connection must support the job. A visitor visa, internet café and foreign salary are insufficient evidence that an ongoing remote-work arrangement is authorised or practical.

04Price the move in nakfa and clarify payroll and tax

The Eritrean nakfa is ERN; EriTel labels local prices NKF. Build a budget using the actual employer benefits and property quotation rather than an invented national average. Food, transport, water arrangements and household connectivity should be separate lines, even when the accommodation is supplied.

Sources: Washington's revised fees, EriTel mobile table and actual internet packages. The operator does not give a clear effective date for every tariff. These are its currently published figures, not a promise that an October installation invoice will be identical.

For illustration only, a lease quoted at ERN 8,000 monthly with a negotiated two-month deposit would require ERN 24,000 for the first rent and deposit together. Neither amount is a market estimate or standard legal deposit. Add flights, temporary lodging, document legalisation, insurance and shipping before assessing the move's initial cash need.

Have payroll explain gross salary, withholding and any taxable benefits, and retain the payslips. The historical income-tax proclamation identifies the Inland Revenue Office and Eritrean-source income, including income paid outside the country. It does not justify quoting an unverified current personal-tax band. Original tax framework. Ask Inland Revenue or a qualified adviser about your salary, foreign pension or business income and any individual filing requirement. Review departure obligations in your existing tax jurisdiction separately. The diaspora recovery/rehabilitation tax is a distinct nationality-related consular matter, not an ordinary foreign-worker salary-tax rate.

05Obtain a real school offer before moving the family

Begin with the child's age, existing school reports, language needs and the daily journey from the proposed home. A school name in an old expatriate directory is not evidence that it is accepting students now. Use the institution's own contact and obtain the offer directly.

Rainbow International School Asmara is an actual starting point at Debresala Street No. 4. Its own site describes a British-based curriculum and applications for ages 3–16. Its admissions page asks families to contact the school for the form, required documents and a meeting or visit, then discusses the child's educational experience and placement. School's own site; Actual admission process.

1. Give the school the child's date of birth, present year group, reports and intended arrival date. Ask what spaces are available and how placement is assessed.
2. Request its application form and exact document list. Confirm whether overseas records require translation or authentication.
3. Arrange the meeting or assessment it requests and explain any learning, medical or language support needs.
4. After an offer, obtain tuition by year group, payment schedule and additional costs, plus uniform, calendar and transport information.
5. Coordinate the child's own entry and residence arrangements with the confirmed start date.

For higher education, the national system includes colleges rather than an assumed open international application to the former University of Asmara. Current Ministry of Information material describes higher-education institutions, and a separate report identifies the College of Science at Mai-Nefhi. Neither is a foreign-admission offer. Current college context; Mai-Nefhi institution. Have the consulate or host introduce the responsible admissions office and obtain written programme, qualification-recognition and foreign-student eligibility information before treating a course as a relocation route. A place does not itself authorise employment.

06Establish the residence basis before planning retirement

No dedicated retirement or passive-income residence category, qualifying pension threshold or pensioner's ordinary settlement entitlement was verified. Start with the responsible Eritrean consulate and explain whether the proposed stay is a foreign national's retirement, a family connection or the return of someone with Eritrean nationality or parentage. Those are materially different cases.

1. Obtain the actual residence basis and the decision-making immigration office, including conditions for a spouse or other dependant.
2. Request the permission's duration, renewal conditions and travel/exit requirements before paying for a long lease.
3. Establish how the pension can be received and converted legally. Ask the receiving institution about documentation and charges, and how living costs can be accessed under its account rules.
4. Arrange age-appropriate medical insurance and a route to any specialist care your health requires, including evacuation cover accepted for the destination.
5. Maintain funds for return travel and continuing commitments abroad; do not assume unrestricted outward transfers from a local account.

For dual nationals, entry and departure require particular preparation. Canadian guidance identifies exit-visa requirements for dual citizens who enter using an Eritrean passport or national identity card. British guidance also identifies an exit permit for entry on an Eritrean identity card. Obtain case-specific consular advice before travel, including any nationality or national-service implications for family members. Dual-national entry and exit guidance; British guidance. This is a task to resolve before a family move, not a formality to postpone until the return flight.

07Prepare originals, declared electronics and the shipping inventory

Keep a separate file for every traveller: passport, visa, host/sponsor contacts, accommodation, employment or school evidence and any requested family records. Make copies and retain encrypted digital scans accessible without depending on a local connection. Put originals needed at arrival in hand luggage.

The London embassy explains that UK-issued official records used in Eritrea first go through the relevant UK legalisation authority and then embassy authentication, with the original presented. That is a concrete UK pathway; ask the responsible consulate for your issuing country's process rather than assuming an apostille alone will be accepted. Original-document authentication. Request the receiving office's translation and recency requirements before ordering several expensive versions.

1. List the laptops, phones, cameras and other electronics you are taking, including serial numbers and whether they will leave with you.
2. Prepare the border declaration and retain any certificate issued. Current British guidance requires declaration of electronic items; missing records can create problems on departure.
3. For shipped goods, make a numbered inventory with ownership, value and condition, and obtain the destination broker's written clearance and duty instructions for your status.
4. Separate goods staying in Eritrea from temporarily imported personal equipment. Do not treat a personal allowance described for an Eritrean citizen sending goods home as an automatic foreign-resident exemption.

Electronics and customs guidance.

Optional pet: current German government guidance identifies a valid rabies vaccination and international health certificate. A complete Eritrean import-permit procedure, certificate timing and quarantine conditions were not independently verified. Obtain those destination requirements through the Eritrean consulate before booking, then arrange the origin authority's veterinary evidence and airline acceptance. Current pet-entry starting point. Carrier acceptance does not substitute for veterinary entry permission.

08Record entry, declarations and the first-night address

Travel with the issued visa, sponsor details and required health evidence. Use the actual category and purpose when answering border questions. Before leaving immigration, inspect the entry stamp and permitted period, then record the end date in a calendar that works offline.

1. Complete the required declarations for goods and electronic equipment. Retain the documents with your passport copies for later departure.
2. Declare foreign cash or travellers cheques worth USD 10,000 or more under current British guidance and preserve the certificate. Keep a record of the amount brought in even if your own case falls below that declaration threshold.
3. Use the approved foreign-exchange channel and keep exchange receipts. The same guidance says travellers must account for foreign money spent through Himbol exchange or an official hotel when departing.
4. Meet the prearranged host or driver and reach the booked address. Carry the street and house numbers on paper, not just a map link.
5. At the property, record the host's working telephone number, drinking-water arrangement and immediate transport plan.

The country is cash-based; a card and an expected airport ATM are not an arrival funding plan. Arrange lawful access to local cash before depending on purchases or an onward journey. Current US cash-access guidance. Currency declaration, exchanging money and proving how it was spent are separate records.

Ask the host about guest-address reporting immediately, especially if staying in a private home rather than a registered hotel. The original immigration framework provides distinct host/guest reporting obligations; begin them with the local office rather than waiting for a long-stay residence application. Guest and residence framework.

09Register the stay, family and work records separately

Have the sponsor arrange the Department of Immigration and Nationality visit for the actual residence category. Take the passport, visa and entry record, address, sponsor evidence and the family documents requested for each person. Do not assume the employer's work submission automatically registers the spouse, child or private address.

1. Get the current residence checklist, application form, official payment instruction and collection process from the receiving office.
2. File the requested evidence and retain a dated receipt or reference. Confirm the permitted stay while processing is pending; an application is not an automatic extension.
3. Check the issued document's identity, validity and restrictions. Ask for the renewal lead time and address-reporting procedure.
4. Coordinate any separate foreigner registration under Proclamation 127/2002 with the sponsor and relevant office. Record who has actually filed it.
5. Have payroll confirm any required employee tax registration and retain the withholding record. Business registration, work permission and personal residence are separate files.

The original immigration text distinguishes residence permission from foreigner registration, permits dependent-family consideration and requires notification when changing town. It specifies a three-day destination registration after a resident's inter-town move and separate tourist/address reporting. Later amendments exist, so have Immigration confirm the current process rather than using the old six-month wording as permission to delay. Original residence provisions; Later amendment record; Separate registration law.

Keep copies of the issued residence and work permissions for banking, telephone applications and travel enquiries. The complete current residence fee schedule and a universal public application checklist could not be independently verified; obtain the official itemised payment order for your own case. Calendar the actual expiry, not an assumed national duration.

10Arrange cash access and understand the local account's limits

Ask the employer which branch handles its salary payments. The Commercial Bank of Eritrea and Housing and Commerce Bank are the two commercial institutions identified in ESAAMLG's July 2025 report. That evaluation reflects a July–August 2024 assessment and describes branch-based services, without ATM, card, internet or mobile banking. Current US travel guidance likewise identifies the cash economy. Dated regulatory assessment; Current payment guidance.

1. Visit the nominated branch with passport, residence evidence, employer or income-source records and address details. Obtain its actual foreign-resident checklist and provide any additional evidence it requests.
2. Ask whether salary is paid into that account or otherwise, which branch processes withdrawals and what withdrawal limits apply to you.
3. Get the opening funds, maintenance, transaction and foreign-currency terms in writing. No current public account tariff or universal opening minimum was verified.
4. Retain the contract, account details and deposit evidence, and test the process with a manageable amount before transferring substantial funds.
5. Keep official exchange receipts and a ledger separating money received, exchanged and spent.

The regulatory report describes restricted outward remittances, including an approved overseas-medical-payment exception, and some correspondent arrangements. Ask about permission for your intended transfer before sending substantial savings in; do not assume unrestricted outward access.

For cash, exchange through the authorised service and keep the record needed for departure. Plan around branch hours and your applicable withdrawal limits rather than holding all available money as cash. The export limit for nakfa is 1,000 under current entry guidance. Currency evidence and departure limit.

11Inspect services before agreeing the tenancy

Find initial options through the employer, school or a trusted local contact who can help establish the owner's authority. Inspect the offered unit in person. A furnished apartment description should identify the actual rooms and appliances, not only photographs of another property.

1. Test the route to the office, school and shopping at a normal weekday time. Record the street and house numbers the local administration will need.
2. Ask how water reaches the property, how much storage exists, who operates any pump and who pays for deliveries or repairs. Run taps and inspect bathroom drainage.
3. Establish electricity-account responsibility and whether backup supply actually serves the unit. Ask who pays for fuel or maintenance where relevant.
4. Inspect the telephone line and obtain the last paid bill if planning ADSL. A working line and tenancy contract are part of EriTel's resident-expatriate application evidence. Operator's residential requirements.
5. Put rent currency, payment period, term, deposit, included services, repairs, notice and deposit return in a written agreement.
6. Make payments to the verified owner or authorised representative, and retain receipts identifying the property and period. Agree an inventory and handover record with photographs.

A national standard deposit, universal advance-rent period or verified current rent average was not established. Negotiate the actual terms and use a suitable local lawyer or translator for a substantial commitment. The FCDO living directory provides professional-service starting points. Lawyer and translator directory.

For employer housing, establish whether the agreement is yours or the employer's and what happens if the posting changes. Arrange the new address notification before moving town and have the host help resolve the appropriate local reporting. Confirm the cost of connectivity and water separately rather than treating a furnished rent as the complete household price.

12Identify treatment and evacuation arrangements in advance

Choose insurance that explicitly covers residence, the proposed job and the place of assignment. Ask the employer what medical assistance it provides, who authorises referral and whether treatment requires an upfront payment. An ordinary short-trip policy may not match an employment posting or a continuing condition.

Current FCDO health advice gives 122244 for an ambulance, notes that English may not be spoken and describes limited medicine availability and care outside the main towns. Save that number, your employer's assistance contact and the insurer's emergency line on paper as well as in the phone. Health and emergency information.

1. Locate a provider close to the home or workplace and contact it about the service you need. The FCDO directory, updated July 2025, lists Orota Referral Hospital, Halibet Hospital and regional facilities including Massawa and Keren.
2. Confirm the appointment process, payment arrangements and what your insurance actually covers. A directory entry is not a guarantee of today's staff, equipment or availability.
3. Arrange a first consultation for recurring medication or ongoing conditions before your initial supply runs low.
4. Agree the escalation plan for a condition that cannot be treated locally, including the insurer's authorisation and travel arrangements.

The same directory says Sembel Hospital was functioning as a COVID-19 testing centre without other medical services at its review. Do not book ordinary private treatment there based on a much older expatriate recommendation; ask the facility about current services. Actual facility directory and its limitations.

Discuss travel-health measures and altitude with a qualified clinician before moving to Asmara. Carry the appropriate prescription documentation and an authorised medicine supply with contingency, since replacement options can be limited. For a remote posting, have the employer identify the nearest treatment point and evacuation arrangements before departure.

13Obtain the right EriTel subscription and plan permitted transport

EriTel's own mobile page says GSM is voice-only. A local SIM is not a mobile-data solution, and international roaming should not be assumed. Choose a phone arrangement and a separate internet arrangement. Actual GSM service.

The operator's visitor contract requires the host to handle purchase and, for tourists, a Ministry of Tourism recommendation letter. It sets an initial maximum of 60 days and allows a requested extension. That temporary process is distinct from a resident's subscription; ask EriTel which category fits your documents. Visitor Form 601.

1. Have the host or sponsor obtain the appropriate registration/recommendation and bring the passport or residence evidence requested.
2. Register the device and activate the service through EriTel. Test a call to the local host and to the assistance number you expect to use.
3. For prepaid recharge, the operator gives *141*scratch-card-number#; balance is available through 456 and its published balance code. Store your number separately. Recharge and service instructions.
4. For resident-expatriate ADSL, prepare the application, chosen line/bandwidth, last paid telephone bill, supporting embassy letter and tenancy contract. Submit through the operator's stated in-person process rather than a menu labelled “coming soon”. Actual application requirements.
5. Request an all-in quote including equipment, installation, tax and line rent, then test the actual connection. Silver's advertised shared downstream/upstream rates do not establish measured performance at your home. Service tiers.

For road travel outside your authorised base, apply to the ministry appropriate to the purpose, specifying the itinerary and vehicle. Processing can take several days; leave only when the permit is issued. Residents working outside Asmara also need local zoba permission to leave their area. Purpose-dependent travel process. Confirm public-transport eligibility for the particular authorised trip rather than assuming a bus ticket is enough. For driving, obtain the licence and insurance requirements appropriate to your existing licence; the German guidance's international-plus-national licence instruction is specific to German holders. Driving documentation scope.

14Build an offline routine and close the first-month gaps

Build the routine around the places and people you can actually reach. In Asmara, begin with the everyday shopping journey, the school or workplace and a repeatable walk around the centre. Harnet Avenue, Mai Jah Jah and the historic cinema frontages are useful orientation points identified in the UNESCO description. A photograph of Cinema Impero does not establish a current screening timetable; obtain any event information locally. City reference points.

Ask the school about parent activities, colleagues about language help and neighbours about ordinary service hours. Learn the terminology used by your office: zoba for the region, EriTel for telephone service and nakfa for local cash. Have a competent speaker help with a contract or administrative question whose answer affects your permission, rather than relying on an approximate translation.

Create a paper contact sheet with the home address, sponsor, school, treatment point, insurer, consulate and permit-handling office. Keep appointment copies, maps and confirmation numbers available offline. Schedule important international communications at a connection you have tested; a missed online appointment is easier to prevent than to fix after a service interruption.

• First days: record entry, retain declarations and exchange evidence, confirm host reporting and arrange immigration/work visits.
• First week: verify the workplace, treatment route, phone process and actual housing options; confirm any onward travel permit.
• After registrations: collect the issued documents, resolve the account and salary-payment process, and submit the correct residential service application.
• Before the month ends: compare actual spending with the budget, obtain school confirmation and settle utility-account responsibility.
• Continuing calendar: track visa/stay and residence conditions, annual work renewal and registration instructions, insurance dates and lease notice. Before an overseas journey, resolve the exit permission applicable to your status and assemble currency/electronics evidence.

A complete moving file contains issued permissions, understood conditions and working household arrangements. Keeping those records together makes a change of address, a dependent's arrival or the next renewal a practical sequence rather than a fresh search for lost paperwork.