The Ethiopian Tourist Visa for your Holiday or Visiting a Family
Applying for an Ethiopian Tourist visa is necessary if you are travelling on vacation trip or to visit a relative residing in Ethiopia.
Generally, you should be able to apply for the required Ethiopian tourist visa online/ at the nearest Ethiopian consulate in the country where you live, for a stay in Ethiopia of up to 3 months.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Ethiopian Tourist Visa
Before applying for a tourist visa for Ethiopia, it is advised you check whether you can apply for the Ethiopian tourist visa.
A brief summary of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the tourist visa for Ethiopia:
- You do not intend to perform voluntary job that can otherwise be done by a paid staff in Ethiopia.
- You do not mean to participate in a work relationship in Ethiopia.
- You do not intend to give services to Ethiopian organisations (this is allowed with a Ethiopian work visa or business visa).
- You do not mean to give or market services or products to consumers in Ethiopia.
- You and your relative are not in debt to the Ethiopia Government.
- You do not present a risk to the health or safety of residents of Ethiopia.
- You have the ability to show that you have sufficient funds to finance your visit and return from Ethiopia.
Do you need an Ethiopian tourist visa?
It depends on your citizenship as well as the kind of travel document you are using to travel to Ethiopia.Please visit here to find out if you require an Ethiopian visa.
Who can obtain an Ethiopian tourist visa?
Anyone choosing to go on vacation to Ethiopia can request an Ethiopian tourist visa.
There are many kinds of visa for Ethiopia which you can use as a traveller to Ethiopia. If you are uncertain which sort of Ethiopian tourist visa you require to apply, please speak to the nearby Ethiopian visa office to obtain additional information as aim of this page is to provide you basic overview when making an application for Ethiopian tourist visa.
What type of Ethiopian visa do I need?
This depends on 3 aspects:
- The citizenship according to your passport – If the citizenship according to the passport is from a country that is on visa free travel to Ethiopia or eligible to get a visa on arrival in Ethiopia, then you may not need to obtain an Ethiopian tourist visa before departure from your home country. Please go here to check if you require an Ethiopian visa.
- The duration of your stay in Ethiopia – If you wish to remain in Ethiopia for a shorter period no more than 90 days, then you can get the Ethiopian tourist visa. If you wish to remain much longer, then speak to the nearest Ethiopian visa office to secure the appropriate visa for your trip.
- The activities you want to accomplish in Ethiopia – If your main purpose of travelling is for tourism, then you can make an application for all kinds of Ethiopian tourist visas talked about on this web page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Apply for Ethiopian Visitor Visa
- Tourist visa application for Ethiopia – Completed Ethiopian visa application form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport needs to be valid for at the very least six months prior to entering Ethiopia and 3 months after leaving Ethiopia. It must contain at least 2 spare visa web pages and can not be older than 10 years.
- Passport type photo – Photo must be no older than six months and must be 35 x 40mm in size.
- Previous passport – Supply a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Ethiopian visas details if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Ethiopia – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some instances the Ethiopian visa office might request for pre paid air travel tickets to Ethiopia.
- Travel insurance – Proof of travel insurance with a minimum cover set by the Ethiopian embassy provided with the Certificate of Insurance and the table of benefits. The travel insurance policy should cover the cost of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency must be issued by an insurer. If you are thinking of using your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Ethiopia, please get in touch with Ethiopian consular office to find out more and travel insurance requirements for the Ethiopian visa.
- Original financial institution statements – Original bank statements for the last 3 months showing sufficient funds to cover your trip in Ethiopia. If statements are printed online then it needs to be Verified (marked) by the financial institution representatives.
- Hotel Reservations in Ethiopia – Copy of confirmed hotel bookings including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, length of stay. In the majority of situations, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Employment letter – This letter needs to be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, confirming your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly income and annual leave. Likewise, please give your 3 most recent pay slips. If you are self-employed: give certified copies of business registration, tax return.
- For students. Please give the following:
- Proof of current student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, affirming ongoing enrolment, verifying the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming semester break.
- Insurance coverage from Organisation/University – Give a letter from the University specifying the purpose, duration of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance coverage for the whole trip together with the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
In general, visa applications for Ethiopian visa should be submitted for a maximum of 6 months, and no behind 15 days, before the journey.