Marrying and Sponsoring an Eritrean Citizen
Listen to this article- Located in Eastern Africa bordering the Red Sea
- The weather is hot, dry desert weather along the Red Sea coast, but cooler and wetter in the central highlands. Rains occur from June to September but its semi-arid in the western hills and lowlands of the country
- Droughts are common as well as earthquakes and volcanoes although very rarely. Swarms of locusts is another hazard
Marriage to an Eritrean Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to an Eritrean citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps. The Eritrean government imposes strict requirements on foreigners who marry Eritreans as an indirect way of discouraging Eritrean citizens from moving to other countries.
You must demonstrate to Eritrean officials that they are not currently married to anyone else – either you have never been married or all divorces are finalized – that your identity is proven, and that you have never committed any crimes in Ertirean. This is done by providing various documents including an Affidavit of Single Status to the Eritrean government either in Eritrea or via an Eritrean embassy.
If you want to bring your Eritrean spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Eritrean Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Eritrea, you must demonstrate to the Eritrean government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Eritrean Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Eritrean citizen can legally take place in Eritrea, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Eritrean spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Eritrean spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Eritrean Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry an Eritrean citizen.
How long is the Eritrean Marriage document valid?
The document is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. If you do not marry your Eritrean fiancé within 6 months of the issuance of the Eritrean Marriage document, you must apply again with new supporting documents.
List of Eritrean Consulates in Canada
Calling Eritrea from Canada
- The country code is 291 to call you dial 011 – 291 – local numbers
Eritrea does not use area codes.
- Landlines: 011 – 291 – 1 – xxx xxx
- Cells: 011 – 291 – 1/7/8 – xxx xxx
Calling Canada from Eritrea
To call Canada from Eritrea, dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number
List of Canadian Area Codes
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
Eritrea follows East Africa Time (GMT+3) and does not practice Daylight Saving Time
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Eritrea is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 10 hours | 9 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 9 hours | 8 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 8 hours | 7 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 7 hours | 6 hours |
| Newfoundland | 6.5 hours | 5.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in Eritrea
Consulate of Canada in AsmaraAbeneh Street 745 Postal Address: Telephone: 291 (1) 18 18 55 or 291 (1) 18 64 90 |
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Embassy of Canada in Khartoum29 Africa Road Postal Address: Telephone: 249 156 550 500 |
View Larger Map |
The Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for Eritrea
Want to know more about marrying in Eritrea? Let us know!
To learn more about sponsoring your spouse to Canada, click the button below:
Sponsorship Review
Immigroup will review your completed spousal sponsorship application.. Immigroup will make sure you have not made any mistakes on your application or in gathering the documentation of your relationship. We will assess your sponsorship letter and give you peace of mind that you are submitting an application with a very good chance of success. Don’t lose sleep at night worrying about whether you’ve done enough. Call us at 1-866-760-2623 for a review.
