Last updated
Ethiopia sells visas on arrival at Addis Ababa Bole airport, but only to eligible nationalities and only for tourism. The airline guideline tells passengers to get the e-visa approved before they fly. We file the e-visa for UAE residents, check the passport and travel purpose first, and give you one total price before you pay. A payment receipt does not count as a visa.
What the airline guideline says
Ethiopian Airlines publishes a guideline for travellers to Addis Ababa. We read it on . These are the points that matter from Dubai:
- A visa on arrival, for tourism only, is granted to eligible countries. The list is on the Ethiopian e-visa site.
- The e-visa can be obtained before departure and passengers must have it approved before they leave. We read that as a warning, not a tip.
- An e-visa payment receipt alone is not approval.
- If the online application was not secured beforehand, you repay the fee on arrival.
- Without an online application, the visa on arrival fee is paid in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD only. Cards are also accepted.
The practical result: someone who pays online, gets stuck in a queue for an approval and then flies, can end up paying again at Bole. Booking the approval first avoids that.
Fees
The official e-visa portal loads its fee table with scripts that we could not read, and the fee list on the Ethiopian embassy page we saw belongs to the embassy in the United States. We therefore do not quote a fee. The airline guideline confirms only the currencies accepted on arrival. Your adviser reads the current fee off the portal and tells you the exact amount before you pay anything.
Source: Ethiopian Airlines guideline for visa on arrival to Addis Ababa, checked . Official portal: evisa.gov.et.
Who can use visa on arrival
The guideline sends you to the e-visa site for the list of eligible countries, so check your passport there. Do not assume your UAE residence helps. Whether you hold an Indian, Filipino, Egyptian, Nigerian or any other passport, the rule is set by nationality. If your passport is not on the list, you need the visa before you fly.
Documents and conditions
- Passport valid for at least six months from your arrival date.
- A passport that is not damaged or altered. The guideline refuses fake or damaged travel documents for both the e-visa and the visa on arrival.
- An e-visa that is within its validity period. A premature or modified e-visa is not accepted.
- Proof of purpose if you are not a tourist. Work, meetings, NGO activity, media work and investment need approval from the Immigration and Citizenship Service before you travel.
Your airline in Dubai checks these before it lets you board, so a problem is usually found at the check-in desk, when it is hardest to fix.
Travel advice
The UK FCDO updated its Ethiopia travel advice on . It advises against all travel to Tigray, Amhara and Gambela, to various border areas with Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Eritrea, and to specific zones in Oromia and Somali. It advises against all but essential travel to parts of Afar, Oromia, Somali and Benishangul-Gumuz. Other governments differ, so read the advice from the country that issued your passport. We do not file a visa for a trip into a region your government advises against, and we will say so.
Common reasons for trouble
- Passport under six months valid.
- Flying with only the payment receipt.
- Using a tourist route for a business meeting.
- Name on the e-visa that differs from the passport.
- An e-visa used outside its validity dates.
How it works with us
Send your passport copy, dates and reason for travel on WhatsApp or through the form on this page. An adviser checks whether you qualify for visa on arrival or should file the e-visa, and tells you the total before you pay. The team completes the application, uploads the documents and follows it to approval, then sends it to you for printing. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service, and Ethiopian authorities decide every visa.
If a visa is refused, Ethiopia does not return its fee. Before you pay, your adviser tells you in writing which part of our total, if any, comes back in that case.
Official sources
- Ethiopian e-visa portal: application and the list of eligible countries (fees and lists need JavaScript, not readable when we checked).
- Ethiopian Airlines visa on arrival guideline: payment, passport validity and approval rules.
- UK FCDO travel advice for Ethiopia: regional warnings.
More trips from the UAE are in visas from Dubai and visa on arrival for UAE residents. Heading on to East Africa? Read the Kenya visa for UAE residents page, or Mauritius visa for UAE residents. Ethiopian family coming the other way should see Dubai visa for Ethiopians.
