Almost certainly yes. Nearly every visitor needs a visa for Ethiopia, and the easiest and safest option is the official e-visa, sorted online before you fly. Here's who needs one, what it costs, how to apply and the mistakes that cause trouble at Bole.

Once your visa is approved, the next step is getting from the airport to your hotel. At Ethiopia Driver we meet visitors in the Bole arrivals hall and drive them to their hotel; just send us your flight number.

Who needs a visa for Ethiopia?

Nearly everyone. Citizens of every country can apply for a tourist visa, and only two nationalities can enter with just a valid passport: Kenya and Djibouti.

There is also an exception for people with an existing status in Ethiopia. You don't need a visa if you hold an Ethiopian Origin ID (the "Yellow Card" many diaspora members carry), an Ethiopian temporary residence permit or an Ethiopian diplomatic ID.

Everyone else should plan on a visa. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive, with at least one blank page.

How does the Ethiopian e-visa work?

The e-visa is an electronic visa issued by Ethiopia's Immigration and Citizenship Service. You apply online, pay by card, and download an approval to show at check-in and at passport control in Addis Ababa.

1. Go to the official site. Use evisa.gov.et only. Lookalike websites exist, and applications or payments made through them are not accepted.
2. Pick the right visa type. Holiday travel and family visits use the Tourist Visa. Business meetings, conferences, NGO work, journalism and employment each have their own categories and usually need an invitation or support letter.
3. Upload two images. You need a scanned colour copy of your passport and a colour passport-sized photo, as JPEG, JPG or PNG files.
4. Enter your arrival date carefully. Validity counts from the arrival date you type in, not from the day the visa is issued. The portal won't issue an e-visa if you apply more than three months before that date.
5. Pay and wait for approval. Normal processing time for a tourist visa is 3 days, so apply at least 3 days before arrival, and earlier if you can. Application fees are not refundable.
6. Print the approval. A payment receipt on its own is not a visa. Travel with the approved e-visa, ideally on paper and on your phone.

How much does an Ethiopian tourist visa cost?

These are the official fees on the tourist visa page of evisa.gov.et as of September 2026. They are government fees paid directly to the portal.

• Tourist visa, single entry, 30 days: US$62
• Tourist visa, single entry, 90 days: US$152 is still shown in the fee table, but 90-day tourist e-visas may no longer be issued, so check whether it is offered for your dates when you apply
• Extension of a tourist visa: US$102 for 30 days and US$302 for 90 days

The 30-day tourist e-visa used to cost US$82, so older blog posts may quote the higher figure. Treat anything much higher than the portal's price as a sign you are on a middleman's website rather than the official one. Other visa types, such as business or conference visas, have their own fees on the same portal.

Is visa on arrival still available at Bole airport?

On paper, yes, for some nationalities. There is a tourist visa-on-arrival list that includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, every EU member state, China, India and many African states. It is tourist-only, paid on arrival in US dollars, euros, pounds or Canadian dollars, or by card.

In practice, get the e-visa before you fly. Airlines may ask to see an approved e-visa at check-in, travellers coming for work, meetings, NGO activity, media work or investment must get approval in advance, and some governments tell their citizens not to travel to Ethiopia without an approved e-visa. It also saves you a queue after a long flight. Visa on arrival is a backup, not a plan.

Can you extend an Ethiopian visa, and what happens if you overstay?

You can ask for an extension before your visa expires. Short extensions of 1 to 15 days can be requested online; longer ones mean going in person to the Immigration and Citizenship Service head office in Addis Ababa.

Don't overstay. The penalty is around US$30 per day, and you won't be allowed to leave until it is paid in full. Fines rise each day and can come with arrest or detention, and unpaid immigration fines can lead to exit bans.

What about diaspora travellers and dual nationals?

Ethiopia does not recognise dual citizenship. If you have become a citizen of another country, you normally travel on that passport with either a visa or an Ethiopian Origin ID. Dual nationals who entered on an Ethiopian passport have been heavily fined after the authorities found they also held a US passport.

On the e-visa form, choose the nationality of the passport you will actually travel on.

What mistakes cause problems at the border?

• Using an unofficial visa website that charges extra or never delivers a valid visa.
• Typing the wrong arrival date, so the visa isn't valid yet when you land.
• Relying on a payment receipt instead of the approval document.
• A passport with less than six months left from your arrival date.
• Working or volunteering on a tourist visa, which can lead to heavy fines, detention or prison.
• Choosing the tourist visa for a business trip: the tourist visa is for tourism and other non-business purposes only.

Officials at the port of entry can refuse entry even to someone with an approved e-visa, without giving a reason, so carry your hotel booking and onward ticket in case you are asked.

That's another reason to arrive with things arranged. If we've booked your hotel and you're being met at arrivals, you have the booking to show and someone waiting for you outside, instead of negotiating a taxi after a long flight.