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Why do foreigners visit Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has many tourist spots, including archaeological sites dating back three million years. It's a scenic country with mountains, deserts, national parks, and rivers. Ethiopian cuisine, culture, and festivals are unique experiences. A visa is required to travel, but the process has been reformed, allowing visitors to apply online.
What is an Electronic Visa for Ethiopia?
The e visa is an official visa that is issued by the main department for immigration and Nationality Affairs. This visa is issued electronically by officials of Ethiopia. It is a permit that is being issued to foreign citizens and non-local people for a definite period. To facilitate tourists and attract more people to Ethiopia, this policy has been introduced in 2017.
According to this policy, citizens of more than 130 countries of the world can visit Ethiopia at any time.
E Visa: To save time and the hassle of queuing and the cumbersome process of getting a visa on arrival, the government of Ethiopia launched an e-visa back in 2017. Citizens of more than 130 countries are eligible for e-visa. It can be obtained by simply applying online, the steps required for an e-visa will be discussed later in this article.
There is no need to visit an embassy or consulate for this visa unlike a visa on arrival. It takes hardly 24 hours to be processed. The applicant will receive a visa via email. Travelers can present their visas along with their passports at the Ethiopian border to gain entry.
Advantages of E visa:
The electronic visa has several advantages over the visa on arrival:
User friendly: The online visa system for Ethiopia is user-friendly and can be done from home with reasonable internet. The form has only three requirements: personal information, mandatory documents, and accepting terms and conditions. Assistance is available on the website, including customer care support.
Quick online application: It takes hardly a few minutes to fill out.
No need to wait in line: After landing in Ethiopia, visitors do not wait for a visa in line.
Choice and flexibility: there are 30- and 90-day options.
Quick processing: We strive for quick processing.
Availability: in 2018 the government decided to make this e-visa available to almost all nationalities with a few exceptions such as nationals of Pakistan and Syria.
Ethiopia Visa Fee structure
The visa fee structure varies on the type of visit and duration time of the visit:
Service E Visa Fee
The Ethiopian government offers three options to process applications based on time and budget.
Standard Processing Time: This option takes (...) and No additional cost. It is a perfect choice for those whose arrival date is at least a few days in the future.
Rush Processing Time: This option is relatively faster than the standard one. The user will receive it within (...). However, it costs more. The standard charges for this visa are ....
Super Rush Processing Time: This is the fastest option among all. If the user needs his document urgently before traveling, he/she can use this option. It takes (...) for the charges of ....
The total fee for a service consists of two parts: The government fee and the service fee. If rush or super rush processing is required, an additional fee may be charged. In addition, there may be currency conversion and credit/debit card processing fees.
Sticker visa Fee Structure
Ethiopia Business Visa Fee:
- for a single entry, the cost of this visa can range from $32 to $52 depending on the inviting company.30 days are the validity period of this visa.
Working in a government institution for short period of time, there are three options:
- for a single entry, it takes $22 and validity is 30 days.
- for a multiple entry, it costs $82 for 90 days
- for a multiple entry, it takes $122 for 180 days.
Ethiopia Investment Visa Fee:
There is four possible options for this visa depending on duration and charges
- For a single entry, it takes $32 that is valid for 30 days.
- For a multiple entry, it takes $42 that is valid for 90 days.
- For a multiple entry, it takes $62 that is valid for 180 days.
- For a multiple entry, it takes $122 that is valid for 365 days.
The visitor can pay the fee online via debit/credit card or cash.
Penalty for overstay in Ethiopia:
There are several punishments for overstaying in Ethiopia that include physical as well as financial ones.
Physical consequences:
- being deported from the country.
- being arrested
- Ban on returning to the country in the future.
Financial Consequences:
In case of overstaying up to 15 days, the applicant has to pay a fine of $50 and an additional fine of $5 per day. For instance if a traveler has to stay for additional 5 days, he has to pay $75. If one stays for more than 15 days, one has to pay $10 per day addition to $50 visa fee.
How to apply for an e-visa to Ethiopia?
The online application form is simple. There are a few steps that need to be filled out. The blanks having red stars should be filled at any cost. Other blanks are also necessary. Be careful about the wrong filling of data, otherwise, you will face errors.
The following steps are required for applying for e visa:
- Provide basic information such as username, passport information, address, phone number, email, etc. Also at this stage, a user is required to select the processing time of his/her Ethiopia e visa application form.
- The second step, upload the required documents. Once the user has done that, he/she can hit the submit button and wait for his/her Ethiopia visa to arrive via mail in the time frame that one has selected in step 1.
- Finally step is a revision of the process that a user has filled out so far and making the payment. The user can use a debit or credit card to pay for the visa and service fees.
Requirements for Ethiopia e visa
Applicants must provide the document of the following:
- Applicant must provide recent passport-size of their picture
- Applicants must carry a valid past passport that is valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering Ethiopia.
- Applicants must provide an official letter that is written by the organization and should be addressed to the immigration And Citizenship Service of Ethiopia.
If the traveler is going for business purposes, additional documents will be required:
- Applicants must provide an official letter that is written by the organization and should be addressed to the immigration And Citizenship Service of Ethiopia.
- The applicant must provide the license of the company or business that invite them.
- Applicant must also provide the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)’s certificate
- The applicant must also provide the contractual agreement between the company that invited the applicant and the applicant that was invited.
- For journalist who intends to visit Ethiopia, they will have to provide a support letter from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Government Communications office
Types of Ethiopia visas?
There are two types of visas that the Ethiopia government issues:
Ethiopia Tourist Visa:- This is issued to foreign nationals traveling to Ethiopia for tourism and other business-related purposes. They can either be issued at an embassy or consulate of Ethiopia, online, or on arrival depending on the nationality of the applicant.
Ethiopia Business Visa:- It is issued for business-related purposes. It is further sub-categorized into the following categories:
- Ethiopia Conference visa (CV): It is issued to foreigners traveling to Ethiopia to attend an international conference, workshop, or seminar which is organized by a Ministry, Government authority, private organization, or an educational institution.
- Ethiopia Foreign Business Firm Employment Visa (WV): It is issued to foreigners who will be employed in Ethiopia by a foreign-operated company.
- Ethiopia Government Employment Visa (GV): It is issued to those who will work in Ethiopian institutions or ministries.
- Ethiopia private Business Firm work Visa (PE): It is issued to those who will work short-term in an Ethiopian private business.
- Ethiopia International Organizations/Embassies work visa (RI): It is issued to foreigners who have an invitation by an international organization or Embassy in Ethiopia.
- Ethiopia Government institutions short task Visa (GIV): It is issued to foreign nationals who will work in a government institution in Ethiopia for a short period.
- Ethiopia Non-governmental organizations Visa (NGO): It is issued to foreign nationals who enter Ethiopia with an invitation by an existing NGO for employment or short-term assignment.
- Ethiopia Investment Visa (IV): it is issued to foreigners who intend to invest in Ethiopia or who are already engaged in investment.
- Ethiopia Journalist Visa: It is issued to a foreign journalist, media professionals, or filmmakers traveling to Ethiopia for a task related to their assignment
Transit Visa:
It is a type of visa that is required in some countries when the visitors have to pass through any country’s airport. However, in the case of Ethiopia, it is not mandatory to have a transit visa. Anyone who wishes to travel to another country via Ethiopia does not require any transit visa.
Required documents for visa
Following is the required document for an online visa:
- Applicant photo
- Personal details on passport
- Last page of passport if applicable
- Hotel booking
- Air ticket booking
- Debit/Credit card for payment online
Important instruction
- The validity of an e visa starts from the date one intends to enter Ethiopia, not from the date of issue.
- One needs to have an ordinary passport with at least 6 months of validity from the date one intends to enter Ethiopia.
- Travelers who apply for a tourist visa must have their passport /residence permit for at least 6 months from the planned date of entry.
- Applicants who claim to have permanent residence permits must upload valid residence permit documents.
Visa of Children
Every visitor who wants to enter Ethiopia with children can also avail of this opportunity. For that, the user is required to have the valid birth certificate or adoption certificate of the children. These requirements are valid for all children whether they are biological, adopted, or just traveling as a companion.
Process of extending visa:
The process of visa extension is smooth and easy. Travelers can extend their visa up to 30 days by visiting the office of the Main department for Immigration and Nationality Affairs in personal capacity. The office is situated in Addis Ababa.
The visa process takes a few hours; therefore the applicants should arrive at the office as early as possible. It takes normally 24 hours in visa extension.
Requirements for visa Extension.
The applicant should bring following documents for visa extension.
- a valid passport
- current Ethiopia tourist visa.
In case of expire visa; it is still possible to get extension. However, it takes a few more time and additional charges.
Validity of Ethiopia online visa
For the Ethiopia e visa to be valid, one can only enter the country at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The Ethiopian e visa is currently invalid at any other border posts.
- One can use this visa for a single entry. One can choose an e visa with a maximum stay period of 30 days or 90 days in total.
- Note, that one can only use this online visa to visit family or for tourism purposes.
Impact of COVID-19 on E-VISA
To ensure safety and well-being of the locals and visitors, the authorities of Ethiopia have taken some effective measures in response to COVID-19 The authorities have taken the following measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
- The PCR test should be performed 72 hours before embarkation
- A rapid antigen test should be taken at least 24 hours before departure Covid vaccination certificates or passports are not required to enter Ethiopia.
Restrictions for fully-vaccinated travellers
- A prearrival test is not required for fully vaccinated travellers and children under 12
- Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Moderna, and Pfizer are the approved vaccines. One is considered vaccinated if all doses of a vaccine against SARS-Cov-2 have been administered for at least two months before traveling.
- There are no quarantine requirements for Ethiopia.
Frequently asked questions
The Ethiopian e visa was launched by the Main Department for Immigration and Nationality Affairs in 2017. The main purpose of this visa was to facilitate the tourists and those who wanted to visit Ethiopia for business purposes. This visa is available for everyone who meets the online visa requirements. There is no distinction based on colour, nationality, or gender for the citizens of more than 130 countries in the world.
The applicants are required to answer a series of basic questions in the application form. Travelers need to enter a wide range of information such as their name, date of birth, address, email address, travel plans, and health status.
Yes, there are also some security-related questions. When the application is submitted, the applicants are screened by the Ethiopian authorities using security databases. It is necessary to pay a fee using a credit or debit card to complete the application,
The visa form is easy and simple. It just takes a few personal details such as passport data, and travel information. However, applications take roughly 2 days for approval. Many applications are approved in 24 hours. The e-visa can be requested just a few days before departure.
There are 3 types of visas for Ethiopia depending on the nationality and timing, they all have different costs and stay timing.
- Business e visa. Valid for 30 days for a single entry. It cost USD 200 per applicant.
- e visa. It is also valid for 30 days for a single entry. However, its charges are more than the business e visa, its total expenses are USD 500. 3: e visa. This is valid for 90 days for a single entry. Its charges are USD 1000 per applicant.
All international visitors can apply for this e-visa. Passport holders of 130 countries can visit Ethiopia with this visa for short trips. With this visa, people can visit Ethiopia on holidays, for business meetings, and for family tours.
The Paper visa process is cumbersome. It takes a lot of time and documents for the whole process. On the other hand, e visa is the most simple and easy method via which a visa can be obtained in 2 business days. The cost for both visas is different though.
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