Update on Sudan visa in aswan?

Hi,

Got my visa easily in Aswan in May of 2012. Make sure you have a letter of recommendation from your own embassy and it shouldn't be too much trouble. If they ask you for your sponsor, just make one up. They don't actually verify your sponsor.

Thanks!

How many days/hours did it take you? Do you have any information on opening hours?

I got my Sudanese visa today from Aswan consulate. I'm from Finland and the visa is valid for two months, starting today. 50 USD.

"How did it go?"

I first went there immediately after the overnight train from Cairo on Tuesday (late) morning around 11 AM. I filled the form but met some further questions/clarifications about my occupation and also about my "sponsors" in Sudan. She also had questions about my hair (long but not messy; she said it looked different on the passport photo than in person while it's the same.) I had also an Arabic letter from my embassy with me just in case but she wasn't interested in that. I ended up writing an address and name of one hostel in Khartoum as a "sponsor" but that didn't really seem to convince the secretary who in a bored manner told me to "come back next week."

That sounded like crap after all the easily-flowing-visa-application-stories-in-Aswan shared here, so I insisted on the reason for that long uncertain wait. I told her I was told it's wiser to apply in Aswan where it's faster and more efficient to which she replied "it used to be", but then after a few further words of polite suggestions she told me to "come back on Thursday midday", after two days, that is. However, she took my passport photos and photocopies and attached them to the application which was then put into her desk drawer alongside another application (of a veiled woman.) "That's it for now."

So today on Thursday I went back without any extra high hopes (weekend coming, late time of clock to visit a consulate etc.) but there was another person today who first asked "where's your application" and after hearing where it was went to the office to pick it up from the drawer. I'm not sure if anything had happened to the papers in between but at least now things got further, he stamped it, told me where to pay for it (downstairs after a one minute) and then it was produced. Plenty of waiting and (for me) it took three days.

I don't know why was it, I'm used to very straight-forward and reliable service with this passport of mine of a country that for most non-European people is completely unknown, and those who know it, can't remember anything this country has ever been part of, haha!

The Sudanese consulate is friendly and quite easy to find, people on the street know it and you can get the main directions also from the Tourist Office in Aswan, next to the train station.

I'm not sure about the opening hours but as I left today a bit before 2 PM, things were still going on there and also I saw another westerner walking in as I was going.

Nice, thanks a lot for posting your very recent experiences. Enjoy Sudan!

The problem is that we would like to minimize our time in Aswan (although it's a rather nice town) and that the ferry is departing once a week. It changed to sunday I heared: is this true?

Thanks a million for posting some up to date information on the Aswan visa situation. I must say im getting very nervous about this, I arrive on Luxor on Wednesday 15th may, and will get the train to Aswan that evening so I can tackle the sudanese embassy on Thursday, however if I dont get the visa on Thursday I will then have to wait until sunday when the consulate opens again, however the ferry to Aswan now leaves on a Sunday, so it throws the plans into chaos if a visa is not forthcomming on the thursday. I assume also that the boat to wadi halfa will be sold out by Sunday, thats assuming that I can actually get one on the Sunday.....all part of the fun I guess!

Ps: does anybody know of any decent campsites in Aswan?

I just had a few quick follow up questions to this post. I know it is not mentioned above, but was there any requirement from the Sudanese embassy to be able to prove that you had either an onwards ticket out of Sudan or a visa for Ethiopia (or the country you were intending on continuing to)? Thanks heaps.

GOT MY VISA - in Aswan today: 22 May 2013

CONFIRMING - visa valid for 2 months; $US50; 2 photos; 1 passport-page copy. Issued in 3 days (but actually, done there as you wait on the 3rd day, between 11am - 12).

As for a sponsor: I just wrote a KH hotel ... Nothing was asked of any embassy intro letter. This was on a New Zealand passport.

the candy trail ... a nomad across the planet, since 1988

#6, nothing was asked about onward travel. I had an Ethiopian visa already in my passport, though, so I don't know if it had been different without it.

#6 I got it without an onward ticket or an onward visa (but will get an Ethiopian visa in KH). This was not an issue a few days ago when I was there and nor were they any questions about it.

the candy trail ... a nomad across the planet, since 1988