Yemen e-visa: how the online portal works, fees and processing time

The Immigration, Passports and Nationality Authority of the Ministry of Interior launched the portal in Aden, which the government calls its temporary capital, on 24 June 2025. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the system was built by the International Organization for Migration in cooperation with the interior and foreign ministries and that it links the Authority with its branches, with land, sea and air entry points and with Yemeni missions abroad.

The eligibility page lists 247 nationalities and territories, and every one of them is shown as eligible for all 15 categories. Applications concern entry through Yemen’s official ports and remain subject to the approval of the competent authorities.

Whatever the category, the portal names the same entry conditions: a passport or travel document valid for at least 180 days, enough money for your stay and a return ticket. Acceptable proof of means includes cash you carry, an employment contract, a bank guarantee or a Yemeni guarantor. Entry can be refused to people with a contagious disease (unless they come for treatment through a legal guardian), to anyone considered a risk to public security or foreign relations, to people suspected of criminal purposes and to anyone whose name or document is on an alert list.

The portal publishes one fee per category in US dollars: USD 75 for the visit, family visit, study visit, group tourism, urgent tourist, 72-hour transit, special and companion visas; USD 100 for a work visa; USD 150 for a business visa; USD 300 for a multi-entry visa and for a multiple exit and re-entry visa; USD 75 for a single exit and re-entry visa; USD 25 for an exit visa. Diplomatic visas cost nothing.

The portal states that, until an internationally accepted electronic payment method is in place, fees are paid in cash in US dollars, either at the Authority's main centre in Aden through your host in Yemen or through a Yemeni embassy or consulate.

You create an account, choose the category and upload the documents listed for it, usually the passport page, a health certificate and the papers showing the purpose of the trip, such as a host's request, a contract or a tourism authority letter. Until you submit, the application can still be changed from your account. After submission an immigration officer decides whether the conditions are met; you follow the status in the same account and are notified by email if the visa is approved.

Most category descriptions say the visa sticker itself is issued by a Yemeni embassy or consulate on the basis of the Authority's approval, while the urgent tourist, special and companion visas are issued at the port of arrival. The portal also asks you to print the approval notification and show it on arrival.

A complete application is processed within 3–5 working days of reaching the Authority. Validity begins on the date you gave in the application, and you do not have to arrive on that exact day: any date within the validity period is accepted. If your nationality is not eligible online, the portal points you to a Yemeni embassy or consulate, where the fee is paid directly and an immigration officer usually decides within three working days.

The special visa (USD 75) is meant for foreigners whose country has no Yemeni embassy or consulate, or who need to reach Yemen quickly. It is approved through the portal and issued at the land, sea or air port you name in the application, together with your port of departure. Questions about applications and payments go to the Authority at info@ipnaye.org or through the portal's contact form.