Ethiopia e Visa Application

In order to apply for an Ethiopian Evisa, you may wonder what kind of application process there might be, and what are the options in Visa types for an individual. There are several ways to apply for an Ethiopian visa.

You can apply for an Ethiopian visa through an embassy by visiting them physically, or through online web portals while sitting at your home. These two processes of visa application have certain terms; which are:

  • Sticker Visa Application
  • Evisa Application

Sticker Visa Application

For the application for a sticker visa, you will need to collect a visa application form from an Ethiopian Embassy near you. After submitting the necessary documents, you will be allowed to collect the application form from the authority, which you will be filling up with your details as mentioned. Then you will again need to visit the embassy to submit your visa application form.

Evisa Application

To apply for an Ethiopian Evisa, you will be required to have access to electronic devices such as a mobile phone, tablet, or personal computer. Through these devices, you will visit the Evisa Application Websites and follow the steps to fill up the online visa application form of Ethiopia. The steps are really easy as guides are given beside them, along with well-explained descriptions.

In this article, we will be guiding you through the process of the Evisa application.

What is a Visa?

A visa is an official document that allows tourists to enter a foreign country legally. It might grant a tourist the right to travel to a port of entry, airport, or land border crossing. There are multiple types of visas. Visas will vary according to the purposes of the visit.

What is an E-Visa?

E-visa is the shortened form of an electronic visa. Just like a visa, an e-visa is also an official legal document that enables a tourist to visit a country. Unlike traditional sticker visas, applying for an e-visa is much easier, less time-consuming, and super effective. Tourists can apply for visas online which saves them all the tiring procedures. As an applicant, all you have to do is apply for the e-visa online providing all the required documents and information about yourself without going to any embassy or office. Once the application has been evaluated for authentication, and the Ethiopia Visa fee has been paid, the e-visa will be issued and a confirmation message will be sent via the email address you provided in your visa application. You will get the confirmation email only if the application has been approved. Otherwise, if your visa is rejected, you will be notified about it too.

Ethiopian Evisa types

There are 3 main types of visas applicable to Ethiopia. These are briefly mentioned below:

Tourist Visa

This type of visa is issued to visitors who enter Ethiopia for the sake of tourism. In this case, their stay is temporary. An Ethiopian tourist visa applicant will have visa options for the following four cases:

  • Single Entry Visa
    • For 30 days
    • For 3 months
  • Multiple Entry Visa
    • For 3 months
    • For 6 months

Note that a single entry visa lets the visitor enter the issued territory only once within the mentioned tenure. On the other hand, a multiple-entry visa allows the visitor to enter the issued boundary multiple times within the mentioned tenure.

Business Visa

An Ethiopia business visa is to be issued to applicants who wish to travel to Ethiopia for the cause of business or work, including voluntary work. You can either apply as an individual or through your business agency. In such case, you will not require a visa if you are-

  • Holder of a Diplomatic Passport
  • Holder of an Official Passport
  • Holder of a Service Passport
  • Holder of a UN travel document

If you are a US Diplomat or Official, you will require an official letter from the US State Department.

Journalist Visa

This type of visa will be applicable to you in case if you are a-

  • Journalist
  • Filmmaker
  • Professional Photographer

In this case, your reason for travel would be to report on your related field of job. You will need to submit some background information related to your report/work/program. You will also need to inform the authority of what kind of kits and instruments you are taking along with you for security reasons.

N.B: If you intend to film or take photos from a helicopter or place, you will need to take additional permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of Ethiopia beforehand.

Evisa requirements

The following materials are needed in order to apply for an Ethiopian Evisa. Please go through the details so you do not make mistakes in arranging the required documents.

Passport size photo

The following criteria are needed to be fulfilled in the case of passport size pictures

  • The picture dimension should be 30x40 mm (width x height)
  • The picture should be vibrant and with color
  • The resolution of the passport picture should not be less than 600 dpi
  • The image size should be within the range of 5 to 1900 kilobytes
  • Your full face should be visible in the picture. Your ears and eyes should be properly visible too. Do not wear any sort of unnecessary accessories while capturing your passport-size picture. Your head should face straight to the camera angle.
  • Must be captured in the last 6 months
  • The background should be white
  • The picture cannot be blurry, It should be clear enough to identify all the features of your face properly.
  • Avoid wearing white clothes
  • For newborns:
    • The child/infant must be awake in the photo
    • No accessory should come in the picture frame
    • Use a white blanket as a background if you decide to lay down the baby
    • No other person can come in the picture frame, and no extra hands or body parts are to be seen in the

Passport details page, scanned copy

As a part of the required travel documents, you will need to upload scanned images of the insides of your passport as mentioned in your application form. Scan the passport pages as mentioned in the form and upload them as images or pdf, whichever format is mentioned in the form.

Valid Passport

You should be applying with a valid passport. Otherwise, your visa will be rejected. In this case, you should be careful about the following aspects:

  • Your passport should be valid for the least 6 months before your arrival date in the Ethiopian territory
  • The passport should have 2 or more blank pages so the immigration can be sealed and your visa can be issued
  • Your passport must be from the Evisa eligible country

Credit/Debit Card

You will need to be a holder of a credit or debit card so that you can pay for the Evisa Application form. You should be able to pay with your card. There are a variety of options available. You should also have enough balance on your card, otherwise, your application will not be submitted.

Covid Vaccination Status

You will need to submit your Covid Vaccination proof or status. You can submit your vaccination certificate. You will need to mention the amount of Covid Vaccine doses taken, the name of the vaccine, and the date of your doses taken.

Valid Email ID

Through the email ID that you are going to provide, you will get a confirmation mail after you submit your online application. This means that your application has been successfully received by the issuing authority and is ready to get processed. If you do not provide an active, valid email, you will not get any confirmation mail and you will not be notified when your application has been processed. Therefore, you will not get any update regarding your visa. Hence, it is important to have a valid email address to your Evisa Application Form.

Evisa application process

Below are the simple steps you need to follow in order to apply for an Ethiopian Evisa:

  1. Fill out the form

    In the online form provided on the visa website, you will have to enter your personal details along with some other information related to your visit. You will be asked to input your full name, date of birth, contact details, passport information, health and security data, criminal records, covid vaccination information, etc. in the Evisa Application Form. You might also be needed to upload a scanned copy of your passport-sized picture, along with some other travel documents.

  2. Review Application

    After you have successfully filled up the Evisa Application Form, you will be given a chance to review your whole application. Here you will thoroughly go through all the information that you have provided and check for any errors, including input of any wrong information or spelling mistakes. Once you are sure of all the information and you can clarify that all the information provided in the application is correct and true, you can proceed to the payment section.

  3. Payment Confirmation

    On this page, you will be required to provide your credit card or debit card information in order to pay for your visa application. You will see the required amount to pay on the screen in bold letters. After entering your credit/debit card information, you can proceed to finally pay for your application. There are many kinds of payment methods. And please beware of scam visa websites, or you might get scammed for paying the visa fee.

  4. Submit and Get a Confirmation Email

    After the payment process, you will proceed to the application submission page. Once you submit the application, you will be sent an email stating that you have submitted your Evisa application. This is a confirmation email that will be sent to the email address you have provided in the application form. So make sure you have provided a valid Emai address.

Evisa Visa Fee

It usually takes 3 to 5 business days to process your visa. Depending on your urgency, you can pay an additional visa fee to reduce the visa processing time. Again, the Visa fee also depends on whether it is a single-entry or multiple-entry visa.

  • For a single entry visa for 30 days, the visa fee is 32USD.
  • For a single entry visa for 30 days, the visa fee is 52USD.
  • For a multiple entry visa for 3 months, the visa fee is 42USD.
  • For a multiple entry visa for 6 months, the visa fee is 62USD.

Evisa Eligible countries

Almost all the countries’ citizens intending to travel to Ethiopia need to apply for an Ethiopian Visa. All international visitors can apply for an Evisa. All the countries listed below are eligible for an Ethiopian Evisa:

Apart from the 233 countries mentioned above, nationals from 2 specific countries are not required to apply for any kind of visa to enter the territory of Ethiopia. The Kenyans have the access to entry to Ethiopia visa-free, but the duration is valid for up to 1 year only. Again, the citizens of Djibouti can also enter Ethiopia visa-free, but in their cases, the duration lasts only 3 months.

Visa Not Needed - Cases

You will not need to apply for a separate visa if you are only transiting through Ethiopian territory. But, if you want to get outside of Addis Ababa, you will need to apply for a visa on arrival. And if you plan on going out beforehand, you can apply for an electronic visa before traveling.

If you go through the above Evisa process, you will be clarified on the requirements, visa types, visa payment methods, fees, and everything related to the Evisa processing. Make sure you provide all the valid, correct, and accurate information in your Evisa Application Form. Any hint of false or mismatched information will lead to the cancellation of your submission and it might take more time to process your visa. Make sure you review your application before submission and go through all the information once again before proceeding with the submission.

FAQ Regarding the application:

Yes, eVisa is available in Ethiopia. You can get a single-entry or multiple-entry visa based on your purpose of travel.

A single entry visa costs 32-52 USD, whereas a multiple entry visa costs 42-62 USD.

It takes 3 to 5 business days to get an Ethiopian Evisa.

You can apply through online visa websites and fill up the online form and submit your particulars and information accordingly through that form.

There has been a temporary suspension in the Ethiopian Evisa process by the authority of the Ethiopian Government. The suspension was issued on 29 September 2022.

You can check your application status through the email sent to you after you have submitted your application. You can track your status through the provided link.

Kenya, Mauritius, Iran, and Ghana are visa-free for Ethiopia.

You can renew your visa by visiting the Ethiopian Embassy while being in the immigration, or even through online visa application portals.

In case you have a transit to Addis Ababa for a long time and you wish to get outside of the immigration desk of the Addis Ababa airport, you will require an Ethiopian visa. But if you stay inside the immigration desk during your transit period, you will not need to apply for any additional Ethiopian Visa.

Evisa refers to electronic visa processing. Here you can easily apply for visas online, without physically visiting the embassy.

You will need to be vaccinated with the basic vaccines needed in the timeline you are applying for the visa. In the present situation, you will need to be completely vaccinated with all the Covid vaccine doses.

The state of Ethiopia now also requires a proper certificate for yellow fever vaccination if the traveler is from a country at risk of yellow fever transmission.

 
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