Western Sahara Travel Guide

Western Sahara is a disputed, largely Moroccan-controlled territory, and its entry situation reflects that unresolved status directly: there is no single, settled nationality-by-nationality visa regime the way there is for a recognized country, and authorities recommend checking with a consular post before booking rather than relying on a general guide. Where travel does happen, it is generally treated as an extension of a Moroccan visa or visa free entry for the Moroccan-controlled areas, since Western Sahara's western portion functions administratively as part of Morocco, using the Moroccan dirham as its currency.

Security advice draws a sharp line around a specific feature of the territory: the FCDO advises against all travel to areas within 40 kilometers north and west of the Berm, the militarized boundary between Moroccan-controlled territory and the area controlled by the Polisario Front, including the city of Es Semara, and separately advises against all travel to areas south and east of the Berm entirely. Canada's guidance is similarly cautious, citing the threat of terrorism and unexploded landmines, a legacy of the territory's unresolved conflict.