Ethiopia is an African country with several exciting places to visit. Although the COVID-19 pandemic affected the tourism industry in Ethiopian territory, the numbers have increased a lot since 2020. In 2021, there were more than 100,000 tourists in the country. Many of them were able to enter Ethiopia with an electronic visa.
Ethiopia launched the electronic visa system on June 2017. Since then, all countries (except Pakistan and Syria) can use the system to obtain an Ethiopian visa for tourism or business purposes.
International visitors interested in visiting Ethiopia must have completed an online visa application form before they can obtain their e-visa. It is a relatively quick process, as you can obtain your Ethiopian e-vis within one week of making your request.
Learn what you need to obtain an Ethiopian e-visa and other useful information for your trip to this African country.
What is an Ethiopian e-visa?
An Ethiopia e-visa is a digital document that is issued to travelers from eligible countries that fulfill all the requirements and fill out an online application form. As of now, any country can apply for an Ethiopian e-visa. In the past, Pakistan and Syria were excluded from the list, but now citizens from these countries can apply for an online visa for Ethiopia.
Although the Ethiopian government has made e-visas available for everyone, visas on arrival are still available for 93 countries, including certain nationalities within Europe.
Visas on arrival may also be granted at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport for travelers who attend meetings, seminars, or similar events by the African Union.
Ethiopia e-visa requirements
As usual, you must provide a few documents and fill out an online application form to obtain your Ethiopia e-visa. The good news is that the process is relatively quick, and you will be able to get your e-visa within one week after submitting your application, maybe a bit less time.
If you want to apply for an Ethiopian visa, ensure you have the following documents before you start filling out the application form:
Valid passport: Make sure to upload digital copies of the information pages of your current passport. It should be the same passport you show when you arrive in Ethiopia. It should also have at least two blank pages.
Recent passport-size photograph: Please, provide a passport-type photograph. It should not be older than six months and should have a white background, along with the right measurements (2x2 inches).
Email: Please provide a valid email address, as it will be used to notify you of the approval of your Ethiopia e-visa.
Means of Payment: You must pay for the visa fees. The system is compatible with several credit and debit cards.
It is relatively easy to reunite all the requirements for an Ethiopian e-visa. Once you have obtained all the documents listed above, you will be able to start your application form. You can expect your visa to be issued within the next 3-5 business days, but you can be sure that you will be able to carry your visa with you in less than one week.
Ethiopian e-visa: Additional information
The Ethiopian government has made the whole visa process easier for everyone. Suppose you are a citizen of any African country and are unable to pay for the visa online. In that case, you will be able to submit your application and pay for your visa once you arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Payments must be made in cash, though.
It is also recommended to thoroughly read every instruction the application form contains to prevent errors. If there is something wrong with your application, you may be required to provide more information or perhaps restart the process due to your request being rejected. The last scenario is unlikely to happen, as tourist visas are easily obtained in Ethiopia.
Upon submitting all the requirements and the completed visa application form, you will be able to use your Ethiopian visa to visit all the different places you have included in your itinerary.
An entry visa for Ethiopia is relatively easy to obtain, but there are several other types of visas you can obtain, such as a business visa or a journalist visa. Ethiopia accepts visa applications at any time through its official website. You can find more information on the visas that Ethiopia is issuing at the moment at VisaHQ.
Obtain an Ethiopian visa today
The process of obtaining an Ethiopian visa is relatively easy. Ethiopia is currently accepting online applications. You do not have to mail any of these requirements to the Ethiopian offices, as you are only required to submit digital copies of each document.
Your visa application can be completed in less than one hour. Then, all you have to do is wait for about five days until your visa is approved and you are able to walk into Ethiopian territory sooner than you expect.