Immigration
Exit controls rather than entry controls are the defining feature
Nationality is governed by Proclamation 21/1992. The operative constraint is not immigration but emigration: citizens require exit visas, national service obligations restrict departure, and irregular exit has been prosecuted.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, administered by the Department of Immigration and Nationality under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Governing law
- Eritrean Nationality Proclamation 21/1992
- Proclamation 82/1995 on national service
- Immigration and travel regulations issued by decree
In practice
Any conventional description of Eritrean immigration law misses the point. The legally and practically significant regime is exit control: citizens of national-service age generally cannot obtain exit visas, departure without permission has been treated as an offence, and the resulting irregular emigration has made Eritreans one of the largest refugee-producing populations relative to national size. The diaspora tax, a two per cent levy on income of citizens abroad, is a further distinctive feature, tied to the ability to obtain consular services and documents. Inbound immigration is minimal and tightly controlled, with internal travel permits also required for foreigners. Because the operative rules are administrative and largely unpublished, and because the human-rights findings on national service are central to understanding them, this entry records the position as research.