Travelers should take normal precautions within Djibouti City limits after dark. Medical facilities are limited and medicines are often unavailable. Doctors and hospitals are likely to expect immediate cash payment for health services. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Travelers have found supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas coverage, including provision for medical evacuation, to be useful.
Petty crime occurs in Djibouti City and elsewhere in the country.
The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to local police and to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Both are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Due to narrow, pot-holed, poorly lit streets, drivers and pedestrians in Djibouti City should exercise extreme caution to avoid accidents. Major roads outside the capital are paved, but poorly maintained and lack guardrails in some areas. In the north, land mines from the 1991-1994 civil war have injured travelers, including foreign visitors.