Arrival in Sudan

Prepare a valid passport or identity document, birth, marriage and school records, visa or residence papers, vaccination and medication records, and paper and digital copies before travelling. Keep originals secure and store local contacts and emergency numbers offline. Entry rules can change quickly. Current guidance for some foreign nationals refers to a passport valid for at least six months, a yellow fever certificate and registration with the Aliens Department within three days of arrival; two passport photographs and a fee may be required, and a hotel may register the guest. Confirm the current rules with a Sudanese embassy or consulate and the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration, known locally as دائرة الأجانب or Jawazat. Port Sudan is the main operational air and administrative gateway. Port Sudan Airport and Khartoum Airport have limited international and domestic connections, and temporary closures or drone attacks can disrupt travel. Land crossings may involve armed conflict, checkpoints, looting, unexploded ordnance and flash floods. Verify the travel path, transport, operating hours and local security situation immediately before departure. No nationwide state system places every arriving person in first accommodation; hosts, communities, temporary sites and camps provide different arrangements. Some refugee camps and settlements also function as access points for services, while other locations rely on local or humanitarian networks. Sudanese nationals and returning citizens usually use the Civil Registry for personal identity documents, the national number, الرقم الوطني, and civil-status records. The General Directorate of Passports and Immigration handles passports. Its official electronic booking system lists offices in Port Sudan, Kassala, Gedaref, White Nile, Sennar, Dongola, Wad Madani and El Obeid, and booking is free. A lost passport normally requires a police loss certificate, a copy and the national number. Birth registration can require a hospital or health notification and both parents' national numbers; an absent parent may need to provide a power of attorney. A birth abroad may require the foreign birth certificate or a certified notification. Late or missing registration can require a court certificate and proof from the parents. Birth-certificate fees vary, while death certificates are issued without a fee according to the available local information. Foreign nationals use a Sudanese embassy or consulate and the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration for visa and residence matters. Categories include visits, work, study, tourism, medical treatment and investment. Residence may be temporary, regular, special or permanent. A sponsor or host, a valid passport and sometimes a medical examination may be required, but requirements and fees are not stable across Sudan. Confirm the registration deadline, documents, sponsor requirements and payment method at the responsible office before relying on a previous case. Refugees and asylum seekers generally approach the Commissioner for Refugees, COR, and UNHCR for joint registration and documentation where security conditions permit. Relevant access points include Shagarab and Kassala, parts of Gedaref, and the COR office and transit neighborhood in Port Sudan; the available contact line for Port Sudan is 0912726413. New asylum seekers may first receive temporary documents while further registration and refugee status determination are arranged. Carry every available identity, passport, birth, marriage and school document. Replacing lost records depends on confirmation and internet access. COR and UNHCR registration and assistance are free, and no one should pay for registration, protection or aid. For internally displaced people and returnees, the International Organization for Migration's Displacement Tracking Matrix, or DTM, records movements and conditions across 18 states, 185 localities and about 13,000 locations. DTM is a monitoring system, not an individual entitlement to accommodation, cash or other assistance. Access commonly runs through local authorities, community structures, humanitarian partners, temporary sites and camps, and varies by status and location. Health access depends heavily on the state and facility. State Ministries of Health, WHO and UNICEF partners, camp health facilities, mobile teams and referral services provide different parts of the pathway. The Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System, HeRAMS, recorded 4,809 health service delivery units as of 31 January 2026; about 37% were non-functional and 63% were at least partly functional. Priority services include emergency care, primary care, treatment for chronic conditions, pregnancy and childbirth, vaccination, nutrition and mental health and psychosocial support. UNICEF reported support during January to June 2026 for safe-water access for 6.6 million people, primary health care for 1.3 million people, measles and rubella vaccination for 3.8 million people and polio vaccination for 4.6 million people. Availability remains local and can change with insecurity, staffing, fuel, water, electricity and supplies. Pregnant people should seek antenatal care early and plan delivery at a health facility when one is reachable; children aged 0 to 1 should follow the scheduled vaccination programme. Food and cash support is not automatic. UNHCR and WFP food assistance generally targets registered refugees, and missed distributions are not necessarily issued later. Cash eligibility is assessed case by case according to socioeconomic conditions and is not guaranteed; the available information states that Port Sudan has no cash programme. Nutrition and stabilization centres are concentrated especially in Kassala and Gedaref. Ask a recognized UNHCR, COR, WFP or partner contact about current eligibility instead of paying an intermediary. For practical guidance, use the UNHCR and WFP Joint Call Centre at 1460, regional service lines, COR, community representatives, community-based protection networks, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society and local health or protection partners. Network and electricity failures can interrupt calls. Report complaints, fraud and sexual exploitation or abuse through recognized channels. Keep copies of documents and contact details with a trusted person, carry photo identification where required, and follow applicable curfews, checkpoints and movement restrictions. Medical care, water, food and protection are not guaranteed nationwide. Visa, residence and Aliens Department fees vary and are not reliably published through one national source. Civil Registry fees depend on the document and the applicant's circumstances. Foreign bank cards and ATMs may be unreliable, so lawful access to both US-dollar cash and Sudanese-pound liquidity can matter; use official exchange points. Armed conflict, kidnapping, detention, checkpoints, looting, unexploded ordnance, disease outbreaks, power and network outages, water shortages and seasonal flooding can affect the first days after arrival. Treat a travel plan, office opening, service line or assistance programme as current only after checking it locally.