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ER
DE
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Photos: Anthony Beck, Miguel Andres Parra · Pexels

Can an Eritrean transit through Germany?

Caution

Eritrean passport: limited consular network + UK/EU scrutiny

Eritrea's small consular network and the country's diaspora-tax policies create practical hurdles for Eritrean passport renewal. Most Western countries process Eritrean visa applications routinely but require additional documentation around military-service status. Sweden, the UK and Germany have historically been the largest issuers of Eritrean asylum / family-reunification permits.

2 additional warnings are folded into the result card below.

We don't yet have a verified record for Eritrean travellers heading to Germany for transit. The links below take you straight to Germany's embassy and official immigration portal — the authoritative answer lives there.

Transit from Eritrean to Germany

We don't have a structured visa record for this exact route yet. Until we do, the authoritative answer lives on Germany's government portal — linked below. Look for the transit visa section.

1. Germany — official visa portal

Federal Foreign Office — visa service

www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/visa-service

3. General travel-advisory dashboards for Germany

The four major English-language advisory services. They publish current safety guidance independently of visa policy and update on a rolling basis.

What you'll need

Transit visa for Germany

Specific to Eritrean passport holders.

Start ~0–8 weeks before your intended travel date.

Order these first — they have the longest lead time

  • Valid passport

    Identity2–8 weeks

    Most countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your departure date, with two or more blank pages.

    How: Renew via your own country's passport office if expiring within 12 months.

Then gather these

  • Passport-style photograph

    Identity1–3 days

    A recent biometric photo to the destination's specifications. Most consulates require their own dimensions, not your home country's.

    How: Any high-street photo studio, or app-based services that meet ICAO 9303 spec.

  • Online visa application form

    Application1–3 days

    The destination's online form (DS-160 for US, gov.uk for UK, IRCC portal for Canada, ImmiAccount for Australia, e-Visa portal for most others).

    How: Apply directly on the destination government website — never via a third-party paid service.

  • Onward or return ticket

    Purpose evidence1 day

    Proof you intend to leave the country before your permitted stay expires. Most short-stay visas and visa-free entries require this.

    How: Book a refundable flight or use a 24-hour hold from an OTA. Border officers can check the booking.

Lead times are global averages. Country-specific channels can be faster (FBI Channeler in days vs FBI Mail in months) — always check the destination's embassy or visa portal for current timelines.

Other visa types for this route

We also have data on these visa categories between ER and DE.

Related routes

Compare other transit-visa routes

Sources & references

Every link below is a primary government source. We aggregate; the source is the authority. If anything on this page disagrees with a link below, the link wins.

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Where can Eritrean passport holders go?

Other passports visiting Germany

Who needs a visa for Germany?

Informational only. A valid visa permits entry subject to officer discretion at the border. Always verify with the destination's embassy or official source before travel, employment, or relocation.