What is a Visa on Arrival (VOA)?

Visas are mandatory for travellers to acquire before visiting a foreign country. Visa on arrival is a type of visa that a traveller can get issued upon arrival without applying for it beforehand. In this case, there is no need to go through an entire process of a visa application before entering the territory of the intended country. This allows the immigrants to have flexibility in their travel plans and have made arrangements on short notice. Visa on Arrival requires the least amount of paperwork.

Visa on Arrival in Ethiopia

There are ways to apply for an Ethiopia visa. You can apply before visiting Ethiopia, or you can also apply for an instant visa immediately after arriving in Ethiopia. It is also possible to issue the Ethiopian visa on arrival by applying for it from the departing country. But there is one certain condition. The regular visa on arrival for Ethiopia is available only for tourists, i.e, you are eligible for an Ethiopian Visa on Arrival only if your purpose is tourism. For other visiting purposes, you will be required to issue a visa before travelling to Ethiopia. The visa will be processed and issued online by the Main Department of Immigration and Nationality Affairs, where applicants can securely apply and pay for their entry visa

Rules to get a Visa on Arrival

The immigrants applying for a visa on arrival need to follow the given rules and regulations to successfully issue the visa. Neglecting these rules will result in a denial of the visa application.

• The immigrants will be required to queue in one of the kiosks at the International Bole Airport in Addis Ababa.
• The information submitted must match the documents on the passport.
• The Ethiopia Visa fee is to be paid in a digital or an analogue way.
• Immigrants with dual nationality must choose the nationality of the passport they will be used to travel to Ethiopia.
• The visa is a single-entry visa and will not be valid any longer once the immigrant leaves the country’s perimeter.
• The visa has a validity duration of 3 months and no more.
• The visa cannot be used to leave and reenter Ethiopia
• For applying for the visa on arrival from the departing country, the immigrant is to travel to their nearest Ethiopian Embassy and apply from there.

Eligibility

Immigrants from many countries are allowed to issue a visa on arrival after reaching Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a very tourist-welcoming country and so has incredible relationships with foreign countries. Yet due to political reasons, some countries are not allowed to apply for a visa upon arrival in Ethiopia. Nationals of all African Union member states and individuals who hold residence permits issued by these countries are eligible to apply for a visa on arrival for Ethiopia.

The countries are:

Citizens and residence permit holders of the following Asian countries can issue a visa on arrival in Ethiopia.

• China
• Hong Kong
• India
• Israel
• Japan
• Kuwait
• Macau
• North Korea
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand

Nationals and official residents of the following European countries are permitted to issue the visa on arrival:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

Citizens and residence permit holders of the following North American countries are eligible for applying for a visa on arrival

• Canada
• Mexico
• United States

Immigrants from the following two countries of South America can obtain a visa on arrival in Ethiopia:

• Argentina
• Brazil

Citizens of the following two countries of Oceania are eligible to enter Ethiopia through a visa on arrival

• Australia
• New Zealand

If citizens from the countries not mentioned above wish to apply for the visa on arrival, they will require the approval of the Immigration, Nationality and Vital Events Agency in Addis Ababa

Prices of Visa on Arrival:

The payment for the visa on arrival is to be made from the counter. The minimum cost of the visa is $50 USD. The payment is to be made before the application is processed.

Extension of visa

The duration of validity of the Ethiopian visa on arrival is no more than 3 months and the validity duration starts from the day of arrival. In order to extend the limit of the visa, the foreign nationals or the immigrants are required to visit the Immigration, Nationality and Vital Events Agency of Ethiopia, situated in Addis Ababa, in person and apply for the Ethiopia Visa extension. The alternative to this process is to apply online from the official website of Ethiopia. Visitors are to extend their visa in case they would need to stay inside Ethiopia for longer than the validation duration of their visa. The immigrants will not be allowed to stay in the country once their visa has expired.

Requirements for visa on arrival

To issue the e-visa or the visa on arrival in Ethiopia, the immigrants must have the following requirements.

• The immigrant must be travelling to Ethiopia for tourism purposes. Otherwise, they will be required to issue a visa through the embassy of Ethiopia in their respective countries.
• A passport which will be valid for at least 6 months from the travel date to Ethiopia
• Two copies of the immigrant’s passport-size photo.
• The passport.
• Evidence of sufficient financial support is required for the trip to Ethiopia.
• If the immigrant is visiting Ethiopia to respond to an invitation from the African Union participants of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, they will be required to show the invitation letter for verification.
• The information required for the visa on arrival has to be filled out with authentic and required information.
• The immigrant will require a proper Copy of his Green card or I-94 or Work Permit (for Non-US Nationals)
• A fulfilled application form for the visa on arrival
• The application will require the date of arrival to Ethiopia, Visa validity duration, the country and city that the immigrant has departed from, the airlines company that the immigrant will be using while visiting Ethiopia and their flight number under arrival information
• The application will further require the immigrant's address of staying in Ethiopia, type, name and detailed address of the accommodation, and contact of accommodation.

The immigrants are requested to stay up to date with the latest information on the visa of Ethiopia. Due to the ever-changing condition of the world, the processes and eligibility of the visa in Ethiopia may change at any time. The visa on arrival has been temporarily down for improving migration control in Ethiopia. The situation is expected to be solved shortly. By keeping track of the latest updated information, the immigrants will not need to face any unexpected situations while visiting Ethiopia.