Sudan visa on arrival: how the counter visa works

The counter visa is issued by the immigration officers of the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration at Sudan's air, land and sea ports. In July 2025 the Directorate's media office denied reports that the service had been stopped: it described the visa on arrival as an official, established procedure and said approval is granted by the Directorate's headquarters, a practice that has not changed for a long time. Later the same day the Director General repeated that the foreigners' entry visa issued at the counter was still available and that its conditions had not been amended.

Because approval comes from headquarters rather than from the officer at the counter, the counter visa is not an automatic stamp for every passport. The Directorate has not published a list of eligible nationalities, a fee or a standard length of stay.

Sudan does not publish a list of nationalities eligible for the counter visa, and approval comes from the Directorate's headquarters rather than automatically at the desk. Travellers who want certainty can ask a Sudanese mission before departure or obtain an embassy visa through a sponsor's entry permit.

If your nationality is not covered by an official statement, obtain the visa in advance from a Sudanese embassy.

Sudanese embassies in Washington, The Hague and Berlin all ask for a passport valid for at least six months, and Berlin adds three blank pages. The embassy in Washington describes yellow fever and cholera vaccination as recommended rather than required. Minors under 18 travelling on a foreign passport need their father's written consent, and the Berlin embassy asks a single parent travelling with children for the other parent's notarised approval.

Arrive at an official port of entry; the Directorate also staffs land crossings such as Ashkit and Argeen on the border with Egypt. Present your passport to the immigration officer, explain the purpose of your trip and pay the visa fee as instructed at the counter.

Entering without a visa or outside an official crossing is an offence.

The General Directorate of Passports and Immigration handles residence permits and entry and exit permits for foreigners through its Aliens Affairs Department, which was relaunched in Khartoum State in February 2026. Official Sudanese sources reviewed do not publish a registration deadline, document list or fee for short stays, so ask your sponsor or the department after arrival how to regularise your stay. In November 2025 the authorities urged foreigners to carry their identity documents at all times, and the Directorate issues exit permits among its services, so ask immigration before you leave whether you need one.