Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cotra; although even here you will still need to employ the services of a tour company in
some form or other in order to obtain a visa). If there is no embassy in your home country,
you can obtain a visa from an embassy/consulate in a neighbouring country (neighbouring
your country or neighbouring Yemen). Note that Israelis or travellers to Israel (with an Is-
raeli stamp in their passport) will be denied a visa/entry to Yemen.
If you're staying more than two weeks you must register at any police station (although
try to do it in Sanaʻa) within the first two weeks of your stay. It's a fairly painless proced-
ure that costs YR1000 although at the time of research the rule was brand new and not
everyone knew about it. If you don't register you will be fined YR5000 on leaving Ye-
men. With the situation as it is in Yemen at the moment, it would also be a very good idea
to register with your home embassy on arrival in Sanaʻa.
Take note also of the travel-permit restrictions.
Travel Permits & Closed Areas
Due to civil war and tribal tension, as well as problems with kidnapping and terrorism,
certain areas are completely out of bounds to foreign visitors - everywhere else except
Sana'a and Socotra require a travel permit and the services of a tour company.
Currently, the only areas open to foreign tourists on an organised tour are: Sana'a and
environs, the Haraz Mountains (including Shibam, Kawkaban, Thilla, Hababah, Al-Mah-
wit and Manakhah and around), parts of the Tihama Red Sea coastal areas and, further
south, Ta'izz, Ibb and Jibla as well as the island of Socotra. However, most Yemeni tour
companies are only willing to take tourists to Sana'a and Socotra as they still deem the
risk of visiting other parts of the country too high.
Note that the situation changes very fast - often on a day-to-day basis and there is often
confusion as to where is, and is not, open. The tourist police and tour companies in Sanaʻa
are the best people to ask for up-to-date information and the Yemen branch on Lonely
Planet's Thorn Tree forum (
www.lonelyplanet.com
) also has plenty of to-the-minute in-
formation.
Travel permits, which are free, can be obtained from the Tourist Police (
Click here
)
in
Sanaʻa (your tour company will generally arrange these for you). Although officially open
24 hours, if you do go and get permits on your own, you're best advised to come to the of-
fice between 8am to 6pm Saturday to Thursday, when you're more likely to get some-
where! To gain a permit from the tourist police, you'll need the following:
passport and photocopy of passport (including personal and visa details)
itinerary (showing where you're travelling to, when and for how long)
means of transport, eg air, car hire (including the name of the car-hire company or travel
agency)
names of everyone in your group
