On 19 May 2026 the Council of the European Union officially revoked the restrictive visa measures that had applied to Ethiopian nationals since 2024, citing “substantial” improvements in Addis Ababa’s cooperation on migrant readmission matters.
The 2024 sanctions had forced Belgian and other Schengen-area consulates to suspend priority processing, tighten documentation requirements and increase refusal rates for Ethiopian short-stay (C-class) visas.
The Council’s review found that Ethiopia is now reliably issuing emergency travel documents, organising regular charter returns and expediting identity checks for its citizens who overstay or are found to be irregularly present in the EU.
As a result, normal visa code provisions—including reduced decision times and the possibility of multi-year multiple-entry visas—will again apply as soon as the legal act is notified to Member States.
For Belgium, the change is immediately relevant to corporates that maintain engineering, logistics and NGO operations in Addis Ababa.
![EU Lifts Visa Restrictions on Ethiopia, Easing Schengen Processing for Belgian Consulates]()
Brussels-based employers will be able to resume fast-track Schengen applications for Ethiopian technicians attending training in Flanders, while event organisers—hit hard by the earlier slowdown—expect a rebound in conference attendance.
If companies or travellers need hands-on help navigating the revived Schengen procedures, VisaHQ offers an easy online gateway for Belgium-bound applications. Through its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), the service supplies real-time requirements, document checklists and courier options, smoothing the path for Ethiopian nationals and their Belgian sponsors now that the 2024 restrictions have been lifted.
Airlines flying the Brussels–Addis Ababa corridor also anticipate higher load factors this summer.
Immigration advisers nevertheless warn companies to check that travellers’ passports contain at least two blank pages and six months’ validity: visa facilitation does not override standard document rules.
They also note that the European Entry/Exit System (EES), due to go live across Belgian borders in October, will still register each Ethiopian national’s biometric data on first entry—meaning additional time at e-gates during the initial roll-out.
The 2024 sanctions had forced Belgian and other Schengen-area consulates to suspend priority processing, tighten documentation requirements and increase refusal rates for Ethiopian short-stay (C-class) visas.
The Council’s review found that Ethiopia is now reliably issuing emergency travel documents, organising regular charter returns and expediting identity checks for its citizens who overstay or are found to be irregularly present in the EU.
As a result, normal visa code provisions—including reduced decision times and the possibility of multi-year multiple-entry visas—will again apply as soon as the legal act is notified to Member States.
For Belgium, the change is immediately relevant to corporates that maintain engineering, logistics and NGO operations in Addis Ababa.
Brussels-based employers will be able to resume fast-track Schengen applications for Ethiopian technicians attending training in Flanders, while event organisers—hit hard by the earlier slowdown—expect a rebound in conference attendance.
If companies or travellers need hands-on help navigating the revived Schengen procedures, VisaHQ offers an easy online gateway for Belgium-bound applications. Through its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), the service supplies real-time requirements, document checklists and courier options, smoothing the path for Ethiopian nationals and their Belgian sponsors now that the 2024 restrictions have been lifted.
Airlines flying the Brussels–Addis Ababa corridor also anticipate higher load factors this summer.
Immigration advisers nevertheless warn companies to check that travellers’ passports contain at least two blank pages and six months’ validity: visa facilitation does not override standard document rules.
They also note that the European Entry/Exit System (EES), due to go live across Belgian borders in October, will still register each Ethiopian national’s biometric data on first entry—meaning additional time at e-gates during the initial roll-out.
