Entering by boat: Sudan
What to do to enter Sudan by sea: the procedures, the papers to present and the ports where you can clear in.
Check with the authorities before you leave (last checked on 28 October 2026).
The steps
- Contact an agent in advance.
- Call Port Control on VHF 16 or 14, then anchor and wait for the agent.
- The agent collects passports, paper copies, passport photos and previous clearance.
- Receive shore passes and the sailing permit.
Papers to have on board
- Passports for the whole crew
- Crew list
- Boat papers (registration certificate)
- Outward clearance from the previous country
- Going through an agent
Good to know
- Country at war since April 2023; Port Sudan was hit by drones in May 2025 (air base, fuel depots). The French foreign ministry advises against all travel.
- Security (JMIC, August 2026): 'substantial' threat in the southern Red Sea; report to UKMTO.
- An agent is almost essential (little English spoken by officials).
- Clearance information is old (2021): check with an agent before any stop.
Ports of entry
The ports where you can clear in, and the services available there.
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In the app, free: the map of every port of entry and its offices with their contacts, the crew list and the entry forms filled in for you, ready to print or send to an agent.
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- noonsite.com/place/sudan/formalities
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Sudan
- ukmto.org/-/media/ukmto/products/update-080-jmic-advisory-note-04-august.pdf
This information is gathered from public sources and sailors’ experience. It does not replace the country’s authorities, whose word is final: check before you leave.