Visas, Permits and Procedures

Entry Visa: Entry visa to Sudan is issued at all Sudanese embassies and consulates abroad. Non-Sudanese nationals, except holders of the United Nations Laissez-passer, or seamen on duty, should present a valid passport and three passport-size photos. An entry visa application form, stating the essential details of the passport, should be filled out and application dues paid. On certain occasions, the entry visa can be issued at the airport and border stations, provided that the visitor or his/ her agent has sent an application to the Ministry of Interior, Department of Passports and Immigration.

Transit Visa: This visa is valid for seven days for air travellers and twenty-one days for land travellers. It is not required for transit passengers, who must leave the country within 24 hours, during which they should stay at the airport.

Temporary residence in Sudan: This residence permit allows the holder to enter Sudan and remain for a stated period. Visitors intending to work or study must apply for a temporary residence permit for the required duration, subject to extension, if necessary.

The documents that are required for the issuance of a temporary residence permit for work are:

• Work permit

• A letter of recommendation from the employer or work place

• Two passport-size photos

• Fees

The documents that are required for the issuance of a temporary residence permit for study are:

• Acceptance from a university or an institute

• Two passport-size photos

• Fees

Exit Visa: An exit visa must be obtained by all Sudanese nationals, as well as by foreigners who have resided in Sudan for longer than three months.

Alien Regulations: Upon arrival Sudan, all foreign visitors must register their names at the Alien Department of the Ministry of Interior, or at the pertinent departments in other states of Sudan, within a period not exceeding three days after their arrival. They are also required to notify the authorities also in case they move from one locality to another.

Registration Requirements:

• Completion of registration form

• One passport-size photo

• Letter of sponsorship from a Sudanese citizen, company or hotel

• Fees

Upon completion of these formalities, a visitor is granted a one-month residency in Sudan, unless the visa authority states otherwise. On expiry, a visitor's stay may be extended upon the completion of an application form, provision of a passportsize photo and payment of due fees.

Domestic Travel: Foreign visitors are allowed to travel freely between the different districts and of Sudan, after receiving the domestic travel permits from the Alien Department. The validity of this permit is one month, subject to renewal. Documents needed to issue a travel permit are:

• Valid visa

• Four passport-size photos

• Fees

Health Regulations: A foreign visitor to Sudan must provide on arrival an official health certificate for AIDS and Ebola and a valid international certificate of vaccination. This should include vaccination against yellow fever and cholera if arriving from endemic areas, as well as vaccination against other infectious diseases, depending on the outbreak of such diseases locally or abroad. This certificate is not required for children under one year of age. Infants below the age of six months of age must provide an AIDS health certificate.

Foreign Currency Regulations: Foreign visitors are permitted to bring with them any amount of foreign currency, traveller's cheques or Letters of Credit, provided that they declare these sums at the Customs Foreign Exchange at the arrival terminals, this declaration is compulsory. The Customs Declaration Certificate is valid for a period of three months, subject to renewal. Any transaction involving foreign currency outside the amounts declared is considered an illegal act. Other transactions like the selling or buying of foreign currency within the declared sums are done through dealing wit~ the accredited bank exchange bureaus found in most hotels, bank branches and the airports. On departure, a foreign visitor may leave with the unspent amounts, provided that the spent amounts have been dully registered and deducted from the total sum indicated in the Customs Declaration Certificate.

Customs: No duty is required for tourists' personal effects, such as clothing, toiletries, etc., plus 200 cigarettes or 1/4 lb. of tobacco. Custom duties will be levied on such items as cameras, typewriters, computers, firearms, electrical appliances, etc., subject to refund if exported within six months. A letter of guarantee signed by a bank, business firm or a Sudanese citizen may be accepted in place of a deposit on the above mentioned items.

Photography Permit Requirements: A prospective photographer is required to obtain a photographic permit from the Sudanese Tourism Corporation by submitting the following:

• Letter from the sponsoring company or Sudanese citizen

• Photocopy of the passport

• 2 passport-size photographs

The nature of the visit determines the validity period of the permit. Photographing archaeological sites requires a permit from the Antiquities Authority and the Ministry of Tourism (fees are charged). Scenic photography requires a permit from the General Secretariat for External Information. Filming on videotape requires a permit from the Ministry of Tourism. Photographing for media reporting and informational purposes requires a permit from the General Secretariat for External Information.

Driving Regulations for Foreigners: Foreigners resident in Sudan are subject to the same driving regulations as Sudanese citizens. They can obtain a Sudanese driving licence upon passing a driving test or by exchanging a driving licence obtained in another country. Foreigners are not allowed to drive public transport vehicles such as buses or taxis. A tourist entering the country with his personal vehicle is permitted to drive it for a maximum period of 90 days without licensing it with the Traffic Department, provided that it has a comprehensive insurance coverage or is insured immediately on arrival in Sudan. A tourist can drive in Sudan with the license issued in his country of origin for a maximum period of 3 months, after which he/she must exchange it for a Sudanese or an International Driving License. The validity of the international driving license is not limited to a specific period.

Please note that driving in Sudan is on the right hand side.

Motoring: Permission to motor through Sudan should be requested from the Ministry of interior Relations, Department of Passports and Immigration. Motorists must pay a deposit, or submit a letter of guarantee signed by a bank, a business firm or a Sudanese citizen. Permission to motor in or throughout Sudan is not granted to less than two vehicles. Most roads in Sudan are fit for motoring in the dry season only (November-May). Motorists are therefore advised to enquire about the state of the roads before attempting to travel.

Money: All financial transactions were and still are made in the Sudanese Dinar (SD), which was introduced a few years ago to replace the Sudanese pound. The exchange rate as of January 2007 was roughly US$1 to 200SD. Despite replacing the Sudanese Pound with the Dinar, most people still verbally refer to the Dinar as the former pound and convert accordingly. The rate is 1SD to 10 Sudanese pounds.

In January of this year, the Central Bank of Sudan has started the circulation of Sudanese pounds as a currency to take over from the Dinar. However, it is expected that the pound's introduction will not be a quick process.

The new Sudanese pound is worth exactly hundred times the currently used Dinar, meaning that 100 dinar bills will be changed into new one-pound banknotes. One-Dinar coins - the lowest entity in circulation - will be changed into one-piaster coins. The largest banknotes issued are denominated 50 pounds.

Language: The official language in Sudan is Arabic. The majority of the educat population and intelligentsia also speak and write in English, which is widely used in the business and government sectors, particularly in the southern states.

Time: Greenwich Mean Time+2.

Official Working Hours:

• Administrations: Saturday-Thursday: From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Banks: Saturday-Thursday: from 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.

• Business: Saturday-Thursday: from 7.30 to 2.30 p.m.

Public Post and Telecommunication Offices: Work at these offices starts from 8 a.m. and continues until 12 a.m.

National Flag: Sudan's national flag consists of a horizontal rectangle twice as long as it is wide. It is divided into 3 stripes: the top one red, the centre white and the bottom black. A green triangle protrudes into the stripes from the side next to the flagpole. The colours of the flag, which are in common with many sisterly Arab countries, are derived from a poem by a well known Arab poet, Safie AI Din AI Hili.

[Extracts from http://www.sudan-embassy.co.uk ]