Coming to Yemen

When packing for your trip to Yemen it is better to bring only essential items. Though you may fear you are under-packing, remember that you will want to bring back many souvenirs when you return. Most items needed for daily life can be easily and cheaply purchased in Sana’a. Toiletries, culturally appropriate clothing, power/plug converters, and many small appliances are readily available.

When packing clothing, both men and women should remember to bring layers as Sana’a's weather can vary in temperature, especially day to night. Students should remember to dress more conservatively than they do in their home countries. Women in particular should be prepared to wear loose, non-revealing clothing. If you are concerned that an item may be questionable, it is best to leave it at home. Since Yemenis take pride in their traditional clothing, many students purchase and wear these traditional outfits while staying in Yemen.

Though students may wish to bring a small supply of their favorite toiletries, the vast majority of these items can be purchased in Sana’a. Over-the-counter medicines can be found at most pharmacies, save a few brand names, but students should bring a supply of necessary prescription medicines. Most prescriptions can be found in Yemen, but local supply cannot be guaranteed. Birth control and feminine hygiene products are also available, though tampons cannot be easily found.

The YCMES recommends bringing a laptop computer to take advantage of the wireless system, though campus computers are available for students 24 hours a day. Students may want to bring a small selection of favorite music, movies, and books, as these items are not always easily found in Sana’a.

What we recommend to pack:

Clothing

• 2-3 pairs of jeans/pants
• 2-3 loose-fitting skirts/dresses (for women)
• 3-4 light-weight, long-sleeve shirts
• 2-3 T-shirts
• 1 fleece, sweater, or sweatshirt
• 1 medium-weight jacket (water resistant preferable)
• Several pairs of socks
• Several pairs of underwear
• 1 pair of comfortable walking shoes
• 1 pair of comfortable sandals/flip-flops
• Sleepwear
• 1 good belt
• Swimming suit (conservative for women, i.e. no bikinis)
• 1 semi-dressy outfit for social functions

Documents

• Passport original and photocopies
• 2nd form of ID (such as driver’s license)
• Plane tickets
• YCMES contact information (when en-route)
• Copies of important documents (health insurance, transcript, important contacts, marriage license, inoculation records, YCMES enrollment certificate, etc.)
• Extra passport-sized photos (also readily available in Sana’a)

Miscellaneous

• Small supply of common toiletries (tampons for women)
• Glasses, contacts, and contact supplies
• Sunglasses
• Photos or memorabilia from home
• Camera
• Laptop computer and charger
• Mobile phone (SIM card adaptable)
• Small selection of favorite music, movies, or books
• Ear plugs (if light sleeper)
• One good backpack or shoulder bag
• Flashlight
• Alarm Clock
• Necessary medications
• Medic alert bracelet (if applicable)

With a connection flight from the U.S. there is a limit of two check bags weighing 50lbs. each and with linear dimensions that do not exceed 62 inches.

With a Yemenia flight from Europe there is a checked baggage limit of 30kg.

These restrictions are current as of August 2007 and are subject to change

Most foreigners find living in Sana’a to be quite inexpensive. The basics of living, food, transportation, clothing, toiletries, etc. are low-cost by Western standards. The amount of money spent by a student depends upon his/her needs and interests. To have an idea of the cost of living in Yemen, the following is a short description of prices for basic items. A regular meal at a normal café runs from 200-500YR (less than $2.50) and at a nicer restaurant up to 2000YR ($10); 0.75cl bottle of water is 35YR (approx. $0.20); clothing items generally run between 500-2000YR ($2.50-10); toiletries such as shampoo between 300-600YR ($1.50-3); a pack of cigarettes 130-200YR (less than $1). There are establishments and stores that stock more expensive or foreign products comparable to Western prices. A student who is cost-conscious and limits him/herself to few indulgences can easily budget for $150-200 a month. These costs are as of August 2007 and do not include buying souvenirs or other gifts.

YCMES-Arranged Tickets

The YCMES has a special agreement with Yemenia Airlines and can arrange discounted tickets for its students. During the application process, a student can opt to include the round-trip airfare in his/her study package at the YCMES. After receiving the student request for departure city and dates, the YCMES Travel Office works to match these requests with a reserved itinerary.

Though students can sometimes find a less expensive flight on their own, the YCMES recommends that its students fly on a college-arranged flight. The discounted tickets that the YCMES offers are valid for one year and date changes can be made more easily than other international, discounted tickets. Ticket changes come at little or no extra cost to the student as long as there are seats in the same class available on the selected flights. It should be noted, though, that these tickets are not completely flexible; changes in departure cities or requests for specific layover sites or times will be difficult and mostly likely add a fee. Generally, the cheapest flights through the agreement are from New York, Washington DC, Boston, Dayton, Paris, London, Frankfurt, and Rome. Other cities can be accommodated with additional costs.

Students will receive their itinerary from the YCMES office during the application process. Prior to travel, the YCMES will inform the student about how and when to obtain their ticket. All YCMES-arranged tickets are non-refundable.

Carriers that fly to Sana'a International Airport

• Yemenia Airlines
• Egypt Air
• Emirates Airlines
• Ethiopian Air
• Qatar Airways
• Saudi Arabian Airways
• Air Arabia
• Lufthansa
• Turkish Airlines
• Syrian Air
• Royal Jordanian
• Gulf Air

If a student flies on a YCMES-arranged ticket, airport pickup and drop-off is free of charge. Students who fly on their own ticket can arrange for pickup with the YCMES and should inform the Sana’a office of their flight itinerary. At the time of writing, this cost was $25 and includes both airport pickup and drop-off when the student departs Yemen at the end of his/her studies.

A student is met at the airport by a YCMES representative outside of baggage claim. Unless there is a large group of students on the same flight, this representative will have a sign with the student’s name on it. The student is then brought to his/her respective dormitory by YCMES transportation. In case of the unlikely event that a YCMES representative is not present at the airport, a student should carry the phone number and address of the college.

Policies on Student Visas

All students studying at the Yemen College for MIddle Eastern Studies are required to obtain a Yemeni student visa. The YCMES follows all visa regulations set forth by the Yemeni Immigration Office, and therefore, does not teach students on a tourist visa.

The YCMES acts as a sponsoring institution for students to study and live abroad in Yemen and will remain so for the duration of the your stay. At the end of your stay at the YCMES, or if you terminate your studies prematurely; the student visa will be cancelled and an exit visa issued. You will then be required to leave the country and may only return through a tourist visa.

As a sponsoring institution, the YCMES reserves the right to expel any student from its programs for reasons of breaking student policies and/or other reasons deemed appropriate by the YCMES. Expulsion will nullify any Yemeni student visa.

For more information on YCMES student policies please visit our student policies page.

Restrictions on Obtaining a Yemeni Visa

If you are carrying an Israeli passport of have any Israeli stamps or visa in your current passport you will be ineligible for a Yemeni visa. In order to secure passage into the country you must apply for a new passport.

A Pakistani or Iranian visa or passport may also be problematic but does not necessarily prohibit a Yemeni visa from being issued.

If you are not a citizen of the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or a Western European country the visa process may take up to two-weeks and be subject to additional fees.

If you are a resident of an Asian, African, Eastern European, Central American, or South American country; check with the YCMES and your local Yemeni Embassy or Consulate for possible restrictions when applying for a Yemeni visa.

Arranging your own visa

If you would like to arrange your own visa, first contact that Yemeni Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence. The embassy or consulate will then inform you of the process for obtaining your visa. You must apply for a student visa and a letter from the YCMES stating student affiliation is required in order to obtain your visa.

Arranging your visa through the YCMES

If you would prefer the YCMES to arrange your visa, you will need to send us a copy of the picture page of your passport as well as any renewal pages.

If you are applying to the Program in Contemporary Middle East Studies please send your passport information to the Assistant to the Dean at ycmes@ycmes.org. If you are applying to the Program in Arabic Language please send your information to PAL Program Officer, Brian Lewis at PAL@ycmes.org.

Please note that at the time of this writing the cost of a student visa is $45 for U.S., Canadian and Australian citizens and 35 for EU citizens. If you are not a citizen of the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or a Western European Country, the process may take up to two weeks with additional fees.

f you organize your visa through the YCMES you will retrieve your visa at the Sana'a International Airport. After exiting the runway-bus and entering the immigration proceed to the visa window located to your left where the YCMES student visa will be placed in your passport. Remember! the visa is already paid for and there should be no extra fees.

After receiving your passport proceed to through the normal customs and immigration line-located in the same hall-before proceeding to the baggage claim area.

Student Visa Information & Restrictions

The student visa allows one entry into the country. All American and non-EU residents arrive on a one-month study visa. If you plan on staying for five to seven weeks the student visa and two-week exit visa will be sufficient for your say. EU-nationals receive a three month visa.

An HIV test is required if you wish to apply for a residency visa in order to extend your stay beyond the validity of your student visa. The HIV test must be administered while you are in Yemen as the Yemeni government does not accept any test results other than those from national health clinics at a cost of $30 / €20.50.

An HIV-positive result will prohibit you from obtaining an residency visa and you will be asked to leave the country.

Note: If you are leaving the country and plan to return, you must purchase a new entry visa upon your return arrival. Please notify the college of any travel plans you may have and we will arrange for an exit and re-entry visa for you.

Students are recommended to register with their embassy or consulate prior to or upon arrival in Yemen. Every embassy has its own set of procedures for registry so students should make sure to research their embassy’s procedures. Most embassies allow online registration, which allows students to receive warden messages or any other emergency information during their stay in Yemen.

A complete list of embassies located in Yemen can be found here.

For vaccine and immunization preparation when traveling to Yemen, it is best to consult your doctor or health-care provider at least one month before departure. He/she will be able to determine specific needs, taking into account your health and immunization history and current risks in Yemen. This time will also allow any necessary vaccines or medications to take effect before arrival in Yemen. If your health-care provider does not specialize in travel medicine, locate a travel clinic near you to get the most updated and concise recommendations.

There are no required vaccinations for entering the country, unless you are coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission. In this case, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry.

There are no required vaccinations for entering the country, unless you are coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission. In this case, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry. Though not required for traveling, make sure that all of your routine vaccinations are up-to-date (i.e. influenza, chickenpox, polio, measles/mumps/rubella, and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus). Other general vaccinations recommended for traveling to areas such as Yemen are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, and Rabies. Yellow Fever and Tuberculosis are also mentioned, but just as a precaution.

Yemen does have a malaria risk, highest from September to February and in areas under 2000 meters (does not include Sana’a and is limited on Socotra). Malaria is a serious disease and can be deadly, infecting humans through the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Health officials recommend malaria pills if traveling to these areas. Some anti-malaria drugs include: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine, most available abroad as well as in some Yemeni pharmacies.

Visit the Center for Diesease Control for more information.

Living in another culture, especially while studying, can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience. The stresses and strains of cultural adjustment should not, however, be underestimated. It is difficult to assess the degree to which cultural adjustment/shock will affect you in advance, but preparing yourself prior to departure and understanding your reactions as you experience them will aid in successful acclimation. One way to prepare yourself is to understand the stages of cultural adjustment and be able to identify your emotional state according to these adjustment phases.

• The Honeymoon Stage: Shortly after arriving in a new place people may feel giddy and elated. This “honeymoon” stage is characterized by feelings of excitement, exhilaration and anticipation. The new and different things students see around them will be thrilling and fascinating. People in the “honeymoon” stage exhibit an eagerness to please and take an active interest in what they can learn from their new environs. Unfortunately, this eagerness to please and accept their new surroundings may mean that the person does not gain a complete understanding of cultural differences between their own and the new culture, and may be unwilling to ask for assistance. Cultural misunderstandings may accumulate, making the traveler more likely to experience the second, less pleasant stage of cultural adjustment.
• The Hostility Stage: The hostility stage is characterized by frustration, anger, anxiety, judgementalism, fear, and often depression. The strains of living in an unfamiliar environment and speaking a non-native language can lead to feelings of isolation. This is a distressing stage that fortunately does not last very long for most people. As new situations are encountered and dealt with, the visitor gains a more complete understanding of his/her environment and the hostility stage gives way to the integration stage.
• The Integration/Acceptance Stage: Humor is a sign that a visitor has moved from the hostility stage toward the integration stage. Cultural mistakes that would have caused frustration during the previous stage are more easily laughed off. The visitor begins to feel more functional in his/her new environment. Integration is accomplished by making new friends, finding recreational outlets, accomplishing minor tasks, and being willing to ask questions when something is uncertain.
• The Home Stage: This stage occurs when the visitor strikes a balance between retaining his/her own culture and being functional and happy in the new culture. This person has successfully adjusted to the norms and standards of their environment, a valuable, life-enriching skill. Reaching this stage takes time and work on the part of the visitor; there may be many times when it seems unattainable, but perseverance and flexibility ensure success.

There is also the process of reverse culture shock upon leaving Yemen and returning home. Students often feel that this is more difficult than the original adjustment to the foreign culture. One common feature of reverse culture shock is having a hard time fitting into the life you originally had and relating your experience in Yemen to home, including with friends and family. Students change a lot on a study abroad experience, but may not be aware that the place and people they are returning to have also changed while they were away. It is best to talk to a friend who has had a similar experience, and to also recognize how study abroad has made you more independent, knowledgeable on different cultures and languages, and to appreciate the differences in people.