Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the Swaziland High Commission in South Africa for the most up-to-date information.

A valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required for travellers arriving in Swaziland within six days of visiting a country with yellow fever infected areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a list of yellow fever countries.

Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia. You should carry copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.

Terrorism

Civil unrest/political tension

Crime

Money and valuables

Driving in Swaziland can be dangerous due to poor driving practices, lack of street lighting, inadequately maintained vehicles and the presence of pedestrians and livestock on the roads. For further advice, see our bulletin on Overseas Road Safety .

Buses and taxis should be avoided as they are poorly maintained and often overloaded.

Airline safety

When you are in Swaziland, be aware that local laws and penalties, including ones that appear harsh by Australian standards, do apply to you. If you are arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you but we can't get you out of trouble or out of jail.

Information on what Australian consular officers can and cannot do to help Australians in trouble overseas is available from the Consular Services Charter .

Penalties for drug offences are severe and include mandatory prison sentences.

It is illegal to possess pornographic material.

Photography of government buildings and military installations is prohibited.

Consensual homosexual acts between adults are not illegal in Swaziland, although the local community is generally intolerant of same sex relationships.

Serious offences, such as murder and treason, carry the death penalty.

The law in Swaziland gives the courts discretion to impose a sentence of corporal punishment, particularly where an offender is under 18 years of age.

Some Australian criminal laws, such as those relating to money, laundering, bribery of foreign public officials, terrorism, child pornography, and child sex tourism, apply to Australian overseas. Australians who commit these offences while overseas may be prosecuted in Australia.

Australian authorities are committed to combating sexual exploitation of children by Australians overseas. Australians may be prosecuted at home under Australian child sex tourism and child pornography laws. These laws provide severe penalties for up to 25 years imprisonment for Australians who engage in child sexual exploitation while outside of Australia.

Information for dual nationals

On 10 August 2010, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced it had moved to a post-pandemic period in response to pandemic (H1N1) 2009. The virus is expected to remain as a seasonal influenza virus and local outbreaks may occur. For more information see the WHO website .

We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance that will cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before you depart. Confirm that your insurance covers you for the whole time you'll be away and check what circumstances and activities are not included in your policy. Remember, regardless of how healthy and fit you are, if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. The Australian Government will not pay for a traveller's medical expenses overseas or medical evacuation costs.

Your doctor or travel clinic is the best source of information about immunisations (including booster doses of childhood vaccinations) and disease outbreaks overseas. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides information for travellers and our 'Travelling Well' brochure also provides useful tips for travelling with medicines and staying healthy while overseas.

The standard of medical facilities throughout Swaziland is limited. There are increasing shortages of basic medications. Hospitals will require confirmation of insurance cover or a guarantee of payment before commencing treatment. In the event of a serious illness or accident, medical evacuation to a destination with the required facilities would be necessary. Medical evacuation costs would be considerable.

The rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Swaziland is very high. You should exercise appropriate precautions if engaging in activities that expose you to risk of infection.

Malaria is prevalent in most areas of Swaziland apart from the capital Mbabane and the highlands (highveld). We encourage you to consider having vaccinations before travelling, taking prophylaxis against malaria and using an insect repellent at all times. Water-borne, food-borne, parasitic and other infectious diseases (including cholera, hepatitis, bilharzia, tuberculosis and rabies) are prevalent. We advise you to boil all drinking water or drink bottled water, and avoid ice cubes and raw and undercooked food. Seek medical advice if you have a fever or are suffering from diarrhoea.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has confirmed cases of avian influenza in birds in a number of countries throughout the world. For a list of these countries, visit the OIE website . For information on our advice to Australians on how to reduce the risk of infection and on Australian Government precautions see our travel bulletin on avian influenza .

Australia does not have a High Commission in Swaziland. You can obtain consular assistance from the nearest Australian High Commission which is in South Africa:

Wildlife

For parents