Import regulations by Sudan customs

No duty is required for tourists personal effects such as clothing, toiletries, etc., plus 200 cigarettes or oz. of tobacco. Custom duties will be levied on such items as cameras, typewriters, computers, firearms electrical appliances, etc., subject to refund if exported within six months. A letter of guarantee signed by a bank, business firm or a Sudanese citizen may be accepted in place of a deposit on the above mentioned items.

Sudan has a cash-only economy, with no international ATMs. Major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, or American Express, are not accepted due to U.S. sanctions. Travelers must be prepared to pay cash for everything.
There is currently no curfew in Khartoum. Hotel officials and local police can inform visitors whether a curfew is in effect in other localities. However, anyone who is outside between 2300 and 0500 is subject to document searches at police checkpoints. There is a strict curfew enforced throughout Darfur from 2130 to 0630.

A permit is required before taking photographs anywhere in Khartoum, as well as in the interior of the country. Photographing military areas, bridges, drainage stations, broadcast stations, public utilities, slum areas, and beggars is prohibited.

Photography permits Requirements: A prospective photographer is required to obtain a photographic permit from the Sudanese Tourism Corporation by submitting the following:

* Letter from the sponsoring company or Sudanese citizen
* Photocopy of the passport
* 2 passport-size photographs

The nature of the visit determines the validity period of the permit.
Photographing archeological sites requires a permit from the Antiquities Authority and the Ministry of Tourism (fees are charged).
Scenic photography requires a permit from the General Secretariat for External Information.
Filming on videotape requires a permit from the Ministry of Tourism. Photographing for media reporting and informational purposes requires a permit from the General Secretariat for External Information.

Export regulations by Sudan customs

Prohibited items
The import of goods from Israel and South Africa is prohibited. Sudan also adheres to the list of prohibited goods drawn up by the Arab League and these include alcoholic beverages. Fresh fruit and vegetables and blank pro-forma invoices may not be imported. Firearms require a permit from the Ministry of Interior. Meat and fish products are prohibited without prior permission from the Ministry of Animal Fish Resources.

Other Sudan customs information

The risk of yellow fever is primarily in the equatorial south. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age from infected areas, and may be required from travellers leaving Sudan. Those countries and areas formerly classified as endemic zones are considered by the Sudanese authorities to be infected areas. Travellers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would normally not require a vaccination certificate to enter the country.

Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to Sudan. However, cholera is a serious risk in the country and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness; see the Health appendix.

Vaccination against typhoid is advised.

Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year throughout the country. In the north, the risk is seasonal and low. It is higher along the Nile south of Lake Nasser and in the central and southern part of the country. The Malaria risk on the Red Sea coast is very limited. High resistance to chloroquine and resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported. The recommended prophylaxis is mefloquine.

Food drink: All water should be regarded as a potential health risk. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water; swimming pools which are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Visceral leishmaniasis especially occurs in eastern and southern Sudan. Vaccination is strongly recommended. The disease is transferred through sandflies which live mainly on river banks and in wooded areas.
The transmission rate of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) is high, with a significant risk of infection for travellers visiting rural areas in the south of the country. Hepatitis A, B and E, diphtheria and meningococcal meningitis are also present. Dracunculiasis is prevalent in the south. Shigellosis was detected in North Dafur in June 2004, in the Abu Shoak Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, which has a population of 40,000: there were 11 deaths. Ebola was recently detected and contained in Yanbio in south Sudan. Tetanus and Giardia Amoebiasis also occur. HIV/AIDS is becoming an ever-growing problem.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.

Health care: Medical treatment may be free at certain establishments but health insurance is essential and should include cover for emergency repatriation. Medical facilities are very limited, particularly outside Khartoum.

http://www.sudani.co.za/tourism_entry.htm http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1029.