Skip Global Navigation to Main Content
Skip Breadcrumb Navigation
Skip Left Navigation
Doing Business in Yemen
 

 

Exporting to Yemen
President Obama announced the National Export Initiative (NEI), with the goal of doubling exports by the year 2014. U.S. embassies are committed to supporting U.S. companies to start exporting or increasing their products to Oman. In this section, you will find a brief description of Yemen as an export market and some suggestions for getting started. 
Getting Started
Our Country Commercial Guide presents a comprehensive look at Yemen’s commercial environment using economic, political, and market analysis. The Country Commercial Guide includes chapters on selling U.S. products and services, leading sectors for U.S. exports and investments, and trade regulations and standards.  Also, advice on investment climate, trade and project financing, business travel, contacts, market research, and trade events. CCGs were established by recommendation of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), a multi-agency task force, to consolidate various reporting documents prepared for the U.S. business community. CCGs are prepared annually at U.S. embassies through the combined efforts of several U.S. government agencies. 
Contact your local U.S. Export Assistance Center, a trade specialist near you, or your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for advice and support on exporting to Yemen. 
Starting a business can be a challenge, but there is help for you in your area. Small Business Development Centers are partnerships primarily between the government and colleges/universities, administered by the Small Business Administration and offering educational services to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. 
Investing in Yemen
This section provides information for current and potential investors in Oman.
Potential investors: Getting Started
If you are considering investment in Yemen, here are some steps you may wish to consider as you get started:
Register with the U.S. Embassy in Yemen. If you are planning a visit to consider investing, let us know by sending an e-mail to. 
Visit online resources listed in the Key Business Links section.
Working in Yemen
In this section you will find information on business visas, travel advisories, and anti-corruption tools.
Business Visas
Yemeni tourist visas require time to obtain from Yemen’s embassy in Washington DC or its consulate in New York. A single-entry tourist or business visa costs US$50.00 (10500 Yemeni riyals) and is valid for one month; the visa may be extended for free for three months more at any local police station or Passports Authority within one week of arrival.  A multiple-entry tourist or business visa, which is valid for one year, costs US$300.00 (84,500 Yemeni riyals). Visas can also be obtained in advance through application to a Yemeni embassy, consulate.
Citizens of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, as well as citizens of Egypt, Syria and Jordan can enter Yemen with their passports only, without a need for a visa. 
The U.S. Embassy in Sana’a does not arrange visas for visiting businesspersons.  A Yemeni vist-entry visa is recommended; however, not all Yemeni diplomatic missions inform U.S. citizens of that option. For further information on obtaining a visa to visit Yemen, visit Yemen Passports and Immigration Authority.  
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is an important anti-corruption tool designed to discourage corrupt business practices in favor of free and fair markets.  The FCPA prohibits promising, offering, giving, or authorizing giving anything of value to a foreign government official when the purpose is to obtain or retain business.  These prohibitions apply to U.S. citizens, both individuals and companies, and companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges. The statute also requires companies publicly traded in the U.S. to keep accurate books and records and implement appropriate internal controls. More information on the FCPA can be found at http://www.fcpa.us/ .
A party to a transaction seeking to know whether a proposed course of conduct would violate the FCPA can take advantage of the opinion procedure established by the statute.  Within thirty days of receiving a description of a proposed course of conduct in writing, the U.S. Attorney General will provide the party with a written opinion on whether the proposed conduct would violate the FCPA.  Not only do opinions provide the requesting party with a rebuttable presumption that the conduct does not violate the FCPA, but the U.S. Department of Justice publishes past opinions which can provide guidance for other companies facing similar situations.
More information on the U.S. Department of Justice opinion procedure can be found at http://www.morganlewis.com/documents/fcpa/FCPAOpinionProcedureReleases.pdf

Exporting to Yemen

President Obama announced the National Export Initiative (NEI), with the goal of doubling exports by the year 2014. U.S. embassies are committed to supporting U.S. companies to start exporting or increasing their products to Yemen. In this section, you will find a brief description of Yemen as an export market and some suggestions for getting started. 

Getting Started

Our Country Commercial Guide presents a comprehensive look at Yemen’s commercial environment using economic, political, and market analysis. The Country Commercial Guide includes chapters on selling U.S. products and services, leading sectors for U.S. exports and investments, and trade regulations and standards.  Also, advice on investment climate, trade and project financing, business travel, contacts, market research, and trade events. CCGs were established by recommendation of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), a multi-agency task force, to consolidate various reporting documents prepared for the U.S. business community. CCGs are prepared annually at U.S. embassies through the combined efforts of several U.S. government agencies. 

Contact your local U.S. Export Assistance Center, a trade specialist near you, or your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for advice and support on exporting to Yemen. 

Starting a business can be a challenge, but there is help for you in your area. Small Business Development Centers are partnerships primarily between the government and colleges/universities, administered by the Small Business Administration and offering educational services to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Investing in Yemen

This section provides information for current and potential investors in Yemen.


Potential investors: Getting Started

If you are considering investment in Yemen, here are some steps you may wish to consider as you get started:

  • Register with the U.S. Embassy in Yemen. If you are planning a visit to consider investing, let us know by sending an e-mail to. 
  • Visit online resources listed in the Key Business Links section.

Working in Yemen

In this section you will find information on business visas, travel advisories, and anti-corruption tools.

Business Visas

Yemeni tourist visas require time to obtain from Yemen’s embassy in Washington DC or its consulate in New York. A single-entry tourist or business visa costs US$50.00 (10500 Yemeni riyals) and is valid for one month; the visa may be extended for free for three months more at any local police station or Passports Authority within one week of arrival.  A multiple-entry tourist or business visa, which is valid for one year, costs US$300.00 (84,500 Yemeni riyals). Visas can also be obtained in advance through application to a Yemeni embassy, consulate.

Citizens of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, as well as citizens of Egypt, Syria and Jordan can enter Yemen with their passports only, without a need for a visa. 

The U.S. Embassy in Sana’a does not arrange visas for visiting businesspersons.  A Yemeni vist-entry visa is recommended; however, not all Yemeni diplomatic missions inform U.S. citizens of that option. For further information on obtaining a visa to visit Yemen, visit Yemen Passports and Immigration Authority.  

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is an important anti-corruption tool designed to discourage corrupt business practices in favor of free and fair markets.  The FCPA prohibits promising, offering, giving, or authorizing giving anything of value to a foreign government official when the purpose is to obtain or retain business.  These prohibitions apply to U.S. citizens, both individuals and companies, and companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges. The statute also requires companies publicly traded in the U.S. to keep accurate books and records and implement appropriate internal controls. More information on the FCPA can be found at http://www.fcpa.us/ .

A party to a transaction seeking to know whether a proposed course of conduct would violate the FCPA can take advantage of the opinion procedure established by the statute.  Within thirty days of receiving a description of a proposed course of conduct in writing, the U.S. Attorney General will provide the party with a written opinion on whether the proposed conduct would violate the FCPA.  Not only do opinions provide the requesting party with a rebuttable presumption that the conduct does not violate the FCPA, but the U.S. Department of Justice publishes past opinions which can provide guidance for other companies facing similar situations.

More information on the U.S. Department of Justice opinion procedure can be found at http://www.morganlewis.com/documents/fcpa/FCPAOpinionProcedureReleases.pdf