Ethiopia is a country in the African continent best known for its ancient culture. Being the home of most world heritage sites, it welcomes thousands of visitors every year. Ethiopia keeps attracting thousands of tourists because of its natural beauty. For visiting Ethiopia, all immigrants need an Ethiopian visa. When immigrants require to travel to another country but need to make a stop in Ethiopia, they need to issue a visa that is required for transition. A Transit visa is different from a tourist visa or e-visa. The immigrant can not stay in Ethiopia for more than 72 hours with a transit visa. For immigrants who are transiting to a different country through Ethiopia, there are some specific transit visa rules.

Transiting in 12 Hours

Immigrants who are transiting under 12 hours will not require a transit visa. They are to stay inside the permitted transiting area. The stay in the transiting area should not cross 12 hours and if the time crosses 12 hours, the immigrants will need to issue a transit visa. If the immigrant needs to leave the permitted transit area, then they will also need a transit visa for Ethiopia. The immigrants are required to leave Ethiopia for their designated country before 12 hours end to transit without a visa. They will not be allowed outside the transiting area without a visa. If 8 hours pass and the connecting flight is still not ready yet, the immigrants will be presented with a free hotel package where they will be able to avail a hotel room, rest up, have a meal and transfer. The transit visa will not be required if the immigrant gets the free hotel package.

Transiting in 24, 48 or 72 Hours

Immigrants required to stay in Ethiopia for more than 12 hours before moving on to their destination country, will require a transit visa. The passengers will be transiting through the Bole Airport in Addis Ababa. They will be redirected to specific hotels reserved for the transiting passengers for the time being. When their respective flight time arrives, they will continue with their connecting flights.

Transition Duration Exceeding 72 Hours

If the connecting flight is still not available within 72 hours of the immigrant’s transition, they will be required to issue a visa on arrival or a tourist visa of Ethiopia. In such cases, the transit visa will expire. The tourist visa will allow the immigrant a 30 days stay inside the Ethiopian borders. The immigrant will be capable of boarding a ticket to the destination country after issuing the visa on arrival or the tourist visa of Ethiopia. The visa on arrival can be issued from the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and is only allowed to certain nationalities of immigrants.

Transit Visa Processing:

To issue the transit visa for Ethiopia, the immigrants can apply for the transit visa on arrival. The immigrants can issue transit visas from the Ethiopian embassy or consulate as well. Transit visas of 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours are available. Since the transit visa is only required for staying over 12 hours or to leave the permitted transit area, it is advisable that the immigrants issue the transit visa on arrival from the Bole International Airport at Addis Ababa. The immigrants can also apply for transit visas through the online process. The following documents will be required for issuing a transit visa.

• Airport transit visa application form.

  The immigrant will be required to fill out the application form for the visa. The application will be asking details of your travel and the following documents

  • Your nationality
  • Destination country
  • Service Type
  • Date of arrival
  • Date of leaving
  • Duration of your stay while transitioning
  • Personal details
  • Email address
  • Passport number
• Passport with 6 months validity and blank pages

  You will be required to have your passport with at least 6 months validity. Your passport must also have at least 2 blank pages. The transit office will be posting a seal on the passport as evidence of your transit visa.

• Passport identification pictures

  You must present your passport identifying pictures that are not older than 1 year. You must carry at least two copies of your pictures.

• Travel health insurance

  You are to present your travel health insurance to issue the transit visa. The insurance should be enough to cover your medical needs for the travel duration in your destination country.

• Travel ticket to destination country

  You are to show the travel ticket for your journey to your destination country. This will serve as proof of your transition.

• Visa for destination country

  Along with your ticket for the destination country, you will be required to present your visa for the destination country as well. Without the visa for the destination country, your transit visa will not be approved.

• Evidence of financial support

  You must show evidence of your financial support throughout the travelling duration. These documents will be required to issue the visa for the destination country as well as for issuing the transit visa for Ethiopia.

The transit visa is required for a stay over 12 hours or to leave the permitted place of the transition area. The mentioned documents will be required to issue the transit visa for Ethiopia. Even if you are not planning on issuing the transit visa, you should still be prepared for it always. You must carry the required documents with you throughout the travel duration.

The Transit visa fee

The fee depends on the duration of the stay in the transit area. Here is the list of the visa duration and their fees respectively.

Covid-19 Requirements for Transit Visa

You will not be required to show evidence of your PCR test or proof of vaccination against Covid 19 for a transit visa. Healthcare facilities will be available for emergency cases of Covid 19. However, as the healthcare service is limited, it is the responsibility of the immigrant to be careful and prepared for the risks of Covid 19.