Eritrea
Getting help
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) cannot provide tailored advice for individual trips. Read this travel advice and carry out your own research before deciding whether to travel.
Emergency services in Eritrea
Ambulance: 122244
Fire: 116
Police: 113
Contact your travel provider and insurer
Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.
Refunds and changes to travel
For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.
Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:
- where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
- how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim
Consular assistance
Consular support is severely limited in parts of Eritrea. Constraints on travel within Eritrea mean the British Embassy is often unable to deliver in-person consular assistance outside the greater Asmara area.
The Eritrean authorities may not inform the British Embassy if a British national is in need of help. There have been recent instances where the Eritrean authorities have refused the embassy consular access to detained foreign nationals.
Support from FCDO
FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:
- finding English-speaking lawyers, funeral directors and translators and interpreters in Eritrea
- dealing with a death in Eritrea
- being arrested or imprisoned in Eritrea
- getting help if you’re a victim of crime
- what to do if you’re in hospital
- if you’re affected by a crisis such as a terrorist attack
Contacting FCDO
Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.
You can also contact FCDO online.
Help abroad in an emergency
If you’re in Eritrea and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the British Embassy in Asmara.
FCDO in London
You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.
Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)