The Council of the European Union confirmed on 19 May 2026 that it is lifting the ‘restrictive visa measures’ that had been applied to Ethiopia since 2024. The original measures—longer processing times, higher fees and tighter documentary requirements—were triggered by concerns in several member-states, including Italy, that Addis Ababa was not cooperating on the readmission of Ethiopian nationals found to be staying irregularly in the EU. Brussels now says Ethiopia has “substantially improved” cooperation on identification, emergency-travel documents and the organisation of charter return flights. For Italian businesses the decision is more than a diplomatic footnote. Ethiopia is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and a priority market for the “Piano Mattei” programme. Companies in construction, agritech and fashion sourcing have complained that the 2024 visa surcharge and longer appointment queues were delaying project kick-offs by weeks. The return to standard Schengen processing—€80 fee, 15-day target decision, fewer supporting documents—should shorten mobilisation timelines for Italian project managers and technical teams travelling to Addis Ababa.
![EU drops restrictive visa measures on Ethiopia, easing Schengen access for Italian firms]()
Italian travellers and mobility managers looking to navigate these refreshed requirements quickly can turn to VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/). The platform offers current checklists, digital form completion, submission logistics and status tracking for both Schengen and Ethiopian visas, streamlining compliance and saving administrative time just as the lighter rules come into force.
The decision enters into force once the Council’s implementing decision is notified to member-states. Consulates must then update their public information and software parameters; the Italian MFA’s visa-management platform (Prenot@Mi) is expected to apply the changes automatically within 48 hours. Employers should still plan for some backlog as outsourcers VFS Global and TLScontact clear applications already filed under the old regime. Travellers holding appointments this week are being advised to bring proof of urgency—such as work contracts or G7 accreditation letters—to benefit from the lighter document list. In parallel, the European Commission reminded member-states that visa leverage remains part of a broader migration toolbox. If cooperation deteriorates again, restrictive clauses can be re-activated rapidly. Italian mobility managers should therefore continue to monitor political developments in the Horn of Africa and ensure that posted staff comply strictly with work-permit and residence-registration rules once in Ethiopia. From a risk-management perspective, companies should update their travel-approval workflows: delete the 2024 surcharge lines in cost estimates, cut projected lead-times and re-issue travel policies that had classed Ethiopia as a ‘Category C—delayed visa’ destination. Shorter lead-times also mean that last-minute project bids—including those linked to the EU-funded Green Growth Facility—become more feasible for Italian bidders.
Italian travellers and mobility managers looking to navigate these refreshed requirements quickly can turn to VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/). The platform offers current checklists, digital form completion, submission logistics and status tracking for both Schengen and Ethiopian visas, streamlining compliance and saving administrative time just as the lighter rules come into force.
The decision enters into force once the Council’s implementing decision is notified to member-states. Consulates must then update their public information and software parameters; the Italian MFA’s visa-management platform (Prenot@Mi) is expected to apply the changes automatically within 48 hours. Employers should still plan for some backlog as outsourcers VFS Global and TLScontact clear applications already filed under the old regime. Travellers holding appointments this week are being advised to bring proof of urgency—such as work contracts or G7 accreditation letters—to benefit from the lighter document list. In parallel, the European Commission reminded member-states that visa leverage remains part of a broader migration toolbox. If cooperation deteriorates again, restrictive clauses can be re-activated rapidly. Italian mobility managers should therefore continue to monitor political developments in the Horn of Africa and ensure that posted staff comply strictly with work-permit and residence-registration rules once in Ethiopia. From a risk-management perspective, companies should update their travel-approval workflows: delete the 2024 surcharge lines in cost estimates, cut projected lead-times and re-issue travel policies that had classed Ethiopia as a ‘Category C—delayed visa’ destination. Shorter lead-times also mean that last-minute project bids—including those linked to the EU-funded Green Growth Facility—become more feasible for Italian bidders.
