Visa Requirements
You require a visa to visit Chad.

You will be asked to produce a yellow fever vaccination certificate on arrival in the country. Failure to do so may result in a further vaccination being administered, for which a charge is made.

Driving (Left/Right)
Right

Road Safety
Roads are poor and often impassable during the rainy season, especially in the south. You should travel in convoy, keep doors locked and carry spare fuel and supplies. Due to the activity of highway bandits, you should not travel by road after dark.

Air Safety
Do not use domestic flights run by Chadian airline companies unless this is unavoidable. You should bear this in mind when making your travel plans.

The EU has published a list of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban or restrictions within the community. You should check the following link to see whether this will affect your travel: http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm

Local Travel
You are advised to exercise caution, seek local advice before travel, and ensure you register with your local embassy.

The area bordering the Darfur region of Sudan is highly volatile. As a result of the conflict in Darfur, around 200,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to the eastern part of Chad. The humanitarian situation is grave and the security situation extremely unstable, with reports of fighting spilling across the border and rebel activity in this area. Armed insurgent groups are committing acts of banditry and violence on both sides of and across the Chad/Sudan border.

The situation around Guereda and Iriba is uncertain: some international organisations and NGO’s have temporarily relocated staff from these areas over the weekend of 21 January 2006. On 6 February 2006, two staff members affiliated with UNHCR were forcibly abducted in this area (but subsequently released unharmed).

You should be cautious when travelling to the Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti provinces in the north of the country, and to the border areas with the Central African Republic where there have been recent armed clashes andreports of increased rebel activity. The area bordering Libya remains heavily land-mined.

The tri-border area where Chad, Sudan and CAR meet should be avoided. French nuns were killed in two incidents in Bousse in December 2004 and March 2005.

You should avoid the area south of GozBeida where roadblocks are frequently used to facilitate car-jackings. There have been a number of deaths associated with these.

For travel outside the capital, you require authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior, which is normally granted without difficulty after a few days.

Police checkpoints are common: you may be asked to show your passport, driving licence or vehicle registration documents.

Health

You should obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.

Diseases
Water-borne diseases, malaria and HIV/AIDS are prevalent. Since 2001 Chad has experienced several serious outbreaks of cholera, measles, Hepatitis E and Meningococcal disease (Meningitis). Meningitis outbreaks are especially common in the south of the country, which lies within the African meningitis belt stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia.

Before travelling, you should take medical advice on anti-malaria medication, and ensure that you take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. You should only drink bottled water.

You are advised to take medical advice before travelling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date.

Medical Supplies and facilities
Medical facilities are poor.

Hospitals in N’Djamena have been affected by the continuing strikes by Government workers. Travellers to N’Djamena therefore need to keep in mind the possibility that medical services, stretched at the best of times, may be even less responsive than usual.

Landmines

The mine problem in Chad is a result of decades of internal conflict and the 1973 Libyan invasion. Most of the known mined areas are located in the Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region in the north, and in the Biltine and Ouaddai regions in the east, with lesser-mined areas in the west and south. There is also a serious problem of contamination with unexploded ordnance (UXO) throughout the country, especially in the north and east. Areas such as the Wadi Doum military base are also contaminated with abandoned missiles, munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

An impact survey identified 249 mine-affected communities in 23 of the 28 departments surveyed. This did not include the Tibesti region, which is the most affected area in the country. Mine contamination directly interferes with the livelihood and safety of more than 280,000 Chadians, blocking access to water, pasture and agricultural land, roads and trails.

The Chadian border with the Darfur region of Sudan contains several mined areas and many areas contaminated with UXO.