Eritrea visa requirements for Gambian citizens
Gambian citizens need a visa for Eritrea and must apply for it before the trip at a consulate or embassy.
- Minimum passport validity
- 6 months
Why is this passport validity required? →
Last verified: 6 October 2026
Verified practical details
You'll need to apply for a visa at a consulate or embassy before travelling. Here are the practical details we've verified:
Authorisation system
Entry visa and internal travel permits
A visa is required, issued on a passport with at least six months' validity. There are tourist, business, official and diplomatic visas. Moving around the country also requires a permit, issued in Asmara by a different ministry depending on the visa type; the rule also applies to people who live and work in Eritrea.
Required documents
- Passport with at least six months' validity and, according to the UK Government, two consecutive blank pages.
- A visa obtained before travel.
- A travel permit to leave Asmara.
Transit rules
Photographing or filming government buildings, military installations and other places deemed strategic is forbidden. There are minefields: do not drive near the borders or off the main roads, and between Massawa and Asmara avoid shortcuts. Homosexuality is illegal. Foreign cards are not accepted in any shop or cash machine.
More Eritrea rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Eritrea page:
Official portal: . Destination data verified on 6 October 2026. Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Eritrea, updated 28 February 2025: advice against travel, visa and permits, risk areas, mines, currency, laws, consular assistance); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/eritrea (UK Government: blank pages). All checked on 6 October 2026.
This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Eritrea can enter the Gambia visa-free. See the Eritrea → Gambia page.
All 16 passports from Western Africa that VisaRadar tracks need a visa to enter Eritrea. Same result as the Gambia: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
With a passport from the Gambia, in the rest of Eastern Africa you can enter Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A passport from the Gambia ranks 130 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 64 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Gambian citizens need a visa for Eritrea?
Yes. You must apply for the visa in advance at the relevant consulate or embassy.
What minimum passport validity is required?
Passport with at least six months' validity and, according to the UK Government, two consecutive blank pages.
What currency is used in Eritrea?
Eritrean Nakfa (ERN).
What do Gambian passport holders need for the countries near Eritrea?
With a passport from the Gambia, in the rest of Eastern Africa you can enter Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Related pages
See Eritrea requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.