Sudan operates on the Sudanese pound, abbreviated SDG or often written as ج.س in Arabic script. The currency has experienced severe inflation over the past decade, with exchange rates fluctuating dramatically. As of late 2023 and into 2024, the official exchange rate and the parallel market rate diverge significantly, sometimes by multiples of two or three times. The Central Bank of Sudan sets official rates that bear little relation to street prices. You will encounter two economies: transactions at government rates and transactions at real market rates.
Physical US dollars remain the most practical foreign currency to carry into Sudan. Euros have limited utility outside Khartoum. The US dollar bills you bring must be in pristine condition. Banks and money changers reject notes with any tears, excessive folding, ink marks, or pre-2013 series dates with remarkable consistency. The difference in accepted versus rejected bills often determines whether you can change money at all. Carry only new-looking hundred-dollar bills and some fifties. Smaller denominations receive worse rates and face more frequent rejection.
ATMs function sporadically. When they work, they dispense Sudanese pounds at official government rates that make withdrawals financially punishing compared to parallel market exchanges. International cards face frequent rejection. The machines in Khartoum at branches of Omdurman National Bank and Bank of Khartoum have better track records than those in regional cities, but "better" means functional perhaps half the time you attempt a transaction. Plan on ATMs being unavailable.
Money changers operate openly on streets in Khartoum, particularly along Zubeir Pasha Street and around the Souq al-Arabi area. These changers offer parallel market rates. The practice exists in a legal gray zone that the government alternately tolerates and cracks down upon. Rates vary by negotiation and by the day's political news. Changing one hundred dollars might yield anywhere from thirty to fifty percent more Sudanese pounds than the official rate would provide, depending on timing. The changers use calculators, count carefully, and operate as established informal businesses. You take counterparty risk that the bills might be counterfeit, though this occurs less frequently than the alternative of using official channels at confiscatory rates.
Banks require extensive paperwork for foreign exchange. The process at institutions like the Bank of Khartoum involves forms, photocopies of passport pages, sometimes letters of invitation or hotel confirmations, and waits that extend across multiple visits. The rates posted make the exercise academic. Banks serve a purpose for large transfers or formal business requirements, not for traveler currency conversion.
Credit cards have almost no acceptance. A handful of international hotels in Khartoum accept Visa or Mastercard, but payment terminals fail regularly, and the exchange rates applied incorporate official government rates that make every transaction expensive. Carry enough cash in US dollars to cover your entire stay, then exchange incrementally to Sudanese pounds as needed.
Mobile money services operate domestically. Systems with names like Bankak and Sudani Mobile Money allow Sudanese residents to transfer pounds between phone accounts. As a foreign visitor without a Sudanese SIM card registered to a local ID, you cannot participate in these systems. They solve problems for residents, not for travelers.
The practical approach: arrive with US dollars in excellent condition, change amounts of one hundred to two hundred dollars at a time with street changers in Khartoum at parallel rates, carry large amounts of Sudanese pound notes because inflation makes the bills nearly worthless individually, and budget for a fully cash economy. A dinner might cost five thousand pounds. A taxi across Khartoum might cost three thousand. You will carry bricks of low-denomination notes.
Khartoum International Airport serves as the primary entry point for air travelers. The airport sits approximately five kilometers from the city center, across the Blue Nile in the Burri district. Airlines with regular service include Turkish Airlines through Istanbul, EgyptAir through Cairo, Ethiopian Airlines through Addis Ababa, Emirates through Dubai, and Qatar Airways through Doha as of 2024, though schedules compress and expand with Sudan's economic situation. Domestic carrier Sudan Airways operates when it has functioning aircraft and fuel, which varies by season and state finances.
The airport itself functions minimally. Arriving passengers clear immigration at counters where officials review visas, stamp passports, and sometimes ask basic questions about purpose of visit and duration. Baggage claim operates without carousels in the international terminal; instead, luggage arrives on conveyor belts through wall openings and accumulates on the floor. Porters offer assistance for fees of two hundred to five hundred Sudanese pounds. The customs area beyond baggage claim rarely involves physical bag searches for tourists, though officials maintain the right to inspect anything.
No currency exchange booth operates reliably at the airport. A bank desk exists but opens irregularly and offers only official rates when staffed. The first money change happens in the city. Airport taxis wait outside the terminal. Official taxi services quote prices in Sudanese pounds, typically three thousand to five thousand pounds to central Khartoum hotels depending on negotiation. Drivers accept US dollars at whatever rate they personally decide, which will not favor you. Agree on the price before entering the vehicle.