Just Landed in Yemen? Your First 7 Days

Mobile is the primary way to get online; fixed broadband is limited and the state-linked PTC/YemenNet backbone is subject to deliberate slowdowns and outages tied to the conflict. Buy a SIM in person with your passport and expect patchy 3G/4G that degrades sharply outside Sana'a, Aden and a handful of other cities. Keep a VPN installed, because access to specific sites and services is periodically restricted.

Typical cost: A prepaid SIM with a small data bundle costs the equivalent of a few US dollars, while monthly data top-ups typically run the equivalent of USD 5-15 depending on the operator and area. Prices are quoted and paid in rial, so the dollar figure shifts with the volatile exchange rate.

Yemen is an almost entirely cash economy split between two currency zones with different and rapidly moving exchange rates; a US dollar can be worth well over 500 rial in the north and a very different figure in the south. The US dollar is the reliable store of value, so bring clean, undamaged notes and change only small amounts as needed at licensed exchangers recommended by trusted locals.

Opening an account: Opening a bank account as a foreigner is difficult and rarely worthwhile given the banking sector's instability, the north-south split between competing central-bank authorities, and international sanctions exposure. Most expats and aid workers rely on cash, employer payroll arrangements and the informal hawala money-transfer network rather than local accounts. Money-service firms such as Al-Kuraimi (Al-Kuraimi Islamic Bank) are widely used for domestic transfers and cash pickup.

Cash: Cash is king. Card acceptance is negligible, ATMs are unreliable and frequently empty, and everyday spending in markets, taxis and shops is settled in rial banknotes. Keep a range of small denominations, since vendors and drivers often cannot make change, and count notes carefully in a country where two note types circulate.

Tipping: Tipping is modest and discretionary. Rounding up a taxi fare or leaving a small amount for hotel and restaurant staff is appreciated but not expected, and generosity toward those who help you day to day goes a long way in a relationship-driven culture.

Foreigners must hold valid residence documentation and, in practice, register with the Immigration, Passports and Naturalisation Authority, with your sponsoring employer or host organisation handling the paperwork. Separate travel permits (tasrih) are commonly required to move between governorates, and the procedures, offices and even the issuing authority differ between Houthi-controlled and government-held areas. Rules can change at short notice, so treat any advice as provisional and re-confirm through your sponsor before relying on it.

Deadline: Regularise your status and permits promptly on arrival, typically within your visa validity window; your sponsor or employer should begin the paperwork immediately rather than waiting, as delays can complicate movement and departure.

Where: Immigration, Passports and Naturalisation Authority offices, handled via your sponsoring employer, host organisation or NGO, with the relevant office depending on whether you are in a Houthi-administered or government-held area.

There is no ride-hailing app and no metro; getting around means shared minibus taxis known as dabab, agreed-fare private taxis, and vehicles provided by your organisation. Within cities, always agree a fare before setting off, as meters do not exist and foreigner pricing is routine. Inter-city road travel is dangerous, checkpoint-heavy and fuel-dependent, and should only be undertaken with security clearance and the right permits.

From the airport: Sana'a International Airport handles limited UN Humanitarian Air Service flights and a small number of commercial routes, while Aden International Airport in Khormaksar and Seiyun Airport in Hadhramaut serve the south and east. From any of them, arrange a pre-booked driver through your employer, host organisation or hotel rather than taking a random taxi, and confirm the fare, route and expected checkpoints in advance.

Housing is found through personal contacts, local brokers known as samsar, and employer or NGO arrangements rather than online listings, which barely exist. Prioritise compounds or buildings with a generator, water storage and controlled access, and have a trusted local verify the security of the neighbourhood before you commit. Never sign for a place sight-unseen or without your security officer's sign-off.

Typical rent: Rents vary widely by city, zone and security level; a modest flat in Aden or Sana'a might run the equivalent of USD 200-500 per month, while serviced or secured expat housing and NGO compounds cost considerably more. Rents are frequently negotiated and paid in US dollars for foreigners.

Deposit norm: Landlords typically ask for one to three months' rent up front, often in US dollars, and sometimes request six or twelve months paid in advance. Get any agreement documented and witnessed through your fixer or organisation to reduce disputes.

The health system has been devastated by years of conflict, with many hospitals damaged, chronically under-supplied or dependent on aid agencies, and periodic outbreaks of cholera and other diseases straining what remains. Serious conditions cannot be reliably treated in-country, so medical evacuation to Jordan, Egypt or the Gulf is the realistic plan for anything major, and you should confirm that route before you need it.

How to access it: For routine care, use the better-equipped private hospitals in Sana'a and Aden or clinics run by international organisations such as the ICRC and MSF, which operate in parts of the country. Carry your own supply of any regular prescription medication, since pharmacies are frequently out of stock and specific drugs can be impossible to source. Keep a small personal first-aid and rehydration kit at home.

Insurance: Arrange comprehensive international health insurance that explicitly names Yemen as covered and includes medical evacuation and repatriation before you arrive; standard policies routinely exclude active conflict zones, so read the exclusions carefully. Local insurance is effectively unavailable and public care cannot be relied upon for anything beyond the most basic treatment.

• Dress conservatively: men wear long trousers and cover their shoulders, while women should cover arms, legs and hair, with an abaya and headscarf expected in most public settings and a full face veil common among local women.
• Greet with the right hand and the phrase 'As-salamu alaykum', and use the right hand for eating, giving and receiving, as the left is considered unclean.
• Accept offers of tea, coffee or a meal graciously, and if invited to a qat-chewing session treat it as the important social and business ritual it is, even if you only observe.
• Ask permission before photographing anyone, especially women, and never photograph checkpoints, soldiers, military sites or government buildings under any circumstances.
• Respect prayer times, the Ramadan fast and the daily rhythm of afternoon qat sessions, during which offices and shops often close and business slows to a halt.
• Keep interactions between unrelated men and women reserved and formal, avoid physical contact across genders, and let local hosts set the tone in mixed company.
• Remove your shoes when entering homes and many majlis sitting rooms, and accept hospitality as a sign of respect rather than something to rush or refuse outright.

• Armed checkpoints are everywhere and run by rival factions; stay calm, keep your documents ready, follow instructions, and never argue, film or make sudden movements.
• Kidnapping of foreigners for ransom or political leverage is a genuine and ongoing risk; vary your routine, avoid publicising your movements, and follow your security team's advice without exception.
• Landmines and unexploded ordnance contaminate many former front-line and rural areas; stay strictly on known, cleared routes and never wander off-road, into fields or into abandoned buildings.
• Photographing or being seen to note sensitive sites can lead to arrest on suspicion of spying; be extremely cautious with cameras, drones and even conspicuous note-taking in public.
• Politics is dangerous ground; avoid discussing the war, the rival authorities or sensitive local disputes, and never take sides in conversation, as informers and hardening positions are a real hazard.