Visa
A visa that has been issued by Immigration and citizenship service of Ethiopia is required to enter Ethiopia. You must apply for a visa in one of the following methods.
- Through the Ethiopian Embassy /counselor in your country or
- By applying for an online e-visa.
The requirements for each method of applications are found on their respective websites. If you choose to apply through the Ethiopian embassy in your country, you might request more information at the embassy in person. The online e-visa application is recommended in regard to the convenience if you’re planning a short tourism or business trip to Ethiopia, these visas work just the same as a regular paper visa. The difference is that you don’t have to visit an Ethiopian embassy or consulate to obtain them. All you need to do is fill out an online application form, and you’ll receive your visa via email. Your visa will be electronically linked to your passport.
For E-Visa, please check the following requirements.
- Nationals of African States who can’t make e-Visa payment online can apply online and make the payment on arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in cash.
- Please carefully read and comply to the important notices and guidelines stated in each step of the application form.
- The validity of Ethiopian e-Visa starts from the date you intend to enter Ethiopia not from date of issue.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you intend to enter Ethiopia.
- e-Visa application fees are not refundable
- A passport size photo and scanned copy of passport is required.
- People with dual nationality should choose the nationality according to the passport to be used for the travel.
- Note that business visa is not issued to individuals under the age of 18. Parents who come to Ethiopia with business visa along with their children can apply tourist visa for their children.
- Please note that we do not accept credit card payment transactions of applicants originating from the following countries effective 18 November 2020: Cuba, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Crimea region of Ukraine, Syrian Arab Republic
Passport holders from 130 countries can visit Ethiopia for short business/tourism trips with two visa types which allow eligible citizens to travel to and from Ethiopia. The tourist visa is one of the types of visas that will allow international travelers to enter Ethiopia a single time. You can choose between a 30-day or a 90-day single-entry visa.If you’re a citizen of Kenya or Djibouti, you don’t need to apply for a visa to travel to Ethiopia for tourism. If you’re a citizen of Hong Kong or Taiwan, you can apply for a visa on arrival, but only if you enter through Addis Ababa International Airport.. The Ethiopia Business Visa is another category of a visa type. International business travelers can apply for the Ethiopia Business eVisa to visit the country for business meetings, training, or events. This is also a Single Entry visa, valid for 30 days after arrival only.There are six different types of business visa. If you’re traveling to Ethiopia to participate in this year’s IAU symposium IAU386, You will need to apply for a workshop/conference visa(CV)
Workshop/Conference Visa – CV
A conference visa is issued to those who wish to visit Ethiopia for International conferences provided that they have an invitation to the conference, seminar or workshop being organized in Ethiopia by a Ministry or Department of the Government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Regional State Governments, Educational Institutions and Universities or organizations owned by the private sector or by the Government of Ethiopia, United Nations or its specialized agencies, African Union or reputed NGOs.
Requirements
- Recent passport-size photo, copy of passport of the applicant
- Passport of the visa applicant which is valid for at least 6 months from the intended date of entry to Ethiopia.
- Invitation letter valid for at least 6 months from the intended entry date to Ethiopia and invitation letter are required.
| Inviting Company Category | Descriptions | Required Documents |
| Governmental (Ethiopian) | Any governmental organization, ministry, department or educational institution of the Government of Ethiopia. | Formal application letter written by the inviting company to the Immigration And Citizenship Service of Ethiopia. |
Note:
- Invitation Letter issued by the inviting company/organization to the participant should describe the conference briefly such as conference name, start date, end date and venue.
- Note verbal is a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia to the Immigration And Citizenship Service stating that an organization/company has officially requested for visa.
Processing Time
Under normal circumstances, the processing time for Workshop/Conference Visa – CV is 3 days. So, travelers should submit their application at least 3 days before their estimated date of arrival
Duration and Validity
The Validity of the Visa starts counting from the date intended to enter Ethiopia.
Fee
For single entry 30-days conference visa, the application fee is 52 USD.
Extension
Conference Visa cannot be extended.
TOURIST VISA(VT)
Important Note!
There are some fraud websites that have a similar look and feel to the official Ethiopian Visa website. Please note that the Ethiopian government doesn’t have any agreements with the owners of those websites. Visa applications submitted or payments made through these websites are not acceptable. Please do not submit a visa application on these sites: www.ethiopiaevisa.com , www.ethiopiaonlinevisa.com , www.evisaforethiopia.com or others. The Government of Ethiopia is not responsible for any payments made or for the inconveniences this might create on the applicants. The official website is the e-Visa website.
Travel Information/tips
Here are some of the important pieces of information and tips you must consider as you plan your trip to Ethiopia:
- Ethiopia COVID-19 entry regulations/requirements have been lifted since October 2022, you will not be requested of these requirements on arrival.
- Two methods to travel to ethiopia: Air transportation and land transportation: best recommendation to travel to Ethiopia for overseas travelers is by plane, with the national airline: Ethiopian Airlines
- The main hub of the Ethiopian airlines is the “Bole International Airport” located in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.
Useful Travel Tips
- Currency – Birr (ETB). $1 is equivalent to approx. 54.60 Ethiopian Birr( which will vary based on foreign exchange rate pls refere thi link (https://www.combanketh.et/en/exchange-rate/ )
- Time zone – UTC+3 (EAT)
- Languages largely spoken in Ethiopia – Afar, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya and many more. The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic, it’s largely spoken in the capital, Addis Ababa.
- If you plan to use electronics during your stay, the power plugs and sockets are of type C, E,and F
- Anticipated Weather: during November, Addis Ababa is anticipating rain on one of the days in the week and 23° / 6° (highest/lowest in degree celsius) temperature during the 24hrs of the day on average