Yemen visit visa: visiting family or a host in Yemen

The host must be a Yemeni citizen or a foreigner living in Yemen who is able to accommodate and support the visitor. The host files the request and pledges that the visitor will leave Yemen at the end of the visit period. The general visit visa covers visits for kinship, medical treatment or study; the family visit visa is the dedicated category for visiting relatives.

For the visit visa the portal lists an electronic copy of the host's request, the passport data page (valid at least six months), a health certificate from an official authority showing freedom from infectious diseases, a signed pledge to leave at the end of the authorised period, round-trip tickets and documents proving the purpose of the visit. For a family visit this means proof of kinship; for treatment, documents about the treatment; for study, the approval of the school or university.

The family visit visa has a shorter list: host request, passport page, pledge to leave, proof of kinship and round-trip tickets. Its published list does not mention a health certificate, although the general entry conditions exclude people with contagious diseases.

Both visit categories cost USD 75 per person. 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.

The application is entered on the eVisa portal with the host's request attached. The Immigration, Passports and Nationality Authority decides within 3–5 working days of receiving a complete file; the sticker is then issued by a Yemeni embassy or consulate abroad on the basis of that approval. Validity starts on the date stated in the application, and you can arrive on any day within it.

The pledge to leave is part of the file. The portal also lists an exit visa (USD 25) that the Authority's branches or ports issue on the host's request, after any fines have been paid; it requires lawful entry and a copy of the entry visa.