United Kingdom passport → Ethiopia

Ethiopia visa for British citizens

Visa on arrival

Visa on arrival · 90 days

British citizens need a visa for Ethiopia, but can get it on arrival, for stays of up to 90 days. Most visitors need a visa: the tourist e-visa (single entry, 30 or 90 days) is issued on evisa.gov.et in about 3 days. Apply only on the official portal; look-alike sites are not accepted.

Official details are shown in English.

Status
Visa on arrival
Max stay
90 days
Last checked
30 October 2026

What it means in practice

90 days is about three months. If you arrive on 1 November 2026, your last legal day is 29 January 2027, because the arrival day is day one. Use the stay calculator for your own dates.

How Ethiopia counts your stay: You may stay for the period of your visa (30 or 90 days), counted from the arrival date stated in the e-visa. Overstaying without an extension leads to fines and legal penalties.

For United Kingdom passports: On the visa-on-arrival list; e-visa also available (30 days USD 62 / 90 days USD 152).

Before you go

Official details are shown in English.

  • Tourist visa on arrival — Cost: Fee charged on arrival; Processing: Issued on arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Apply on the official site
  • Ethiopian tourist e-visa — At least 3 days before arrival; USD 62 (30 days) or USD 152 (90 days), single entry, non-refundable. Open to citizens of all countries. Upload a colour scan of the passport (valid at least 6 months from the intended entry date) and a colour passport-size photo. The visa is valid from the arrival date you enter in the application, not from the issue date. Dual nationals apply with the passport they will travel on. Card payments are not accepted from some countries (e.g. Cuba, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, Crimea). The government warns that applications through ethiopiaevisa.com, ethiopiaimmigration.org, ethiopiaonlinevisa.com, evisaforethiopia.com, ethiopian-visa.com, ethiopia-evisa.com, ethiopiavisas.net and similar sites are not valid. Official site
  • Yellow fever certificate (only when coming from a risk country) (optional) — Before travel; Cost of vaccination in your country. Required for travellers aged 9 months and over arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, including airport transits or layovers longer than 12 hours in such a country. Not required when flying in directly from countries without risk (e.g. from the United States). Ethiopia itself has yellow fever risk outside the Afar and Somali regions, so a certificate may be asked for at your next destination. Official site

At the border

Official details are shown in English.

  • Passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry
  • E-visa approval (printed or on your phone) or eligibility for visa on arrival
  • Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk country or after a transit of more than 12 hours there
  • Border officers may refuse entry even with a valid e-visa

How to avoid overstaying

  • Go by your stamp or visa. The date the officer gives you is the one that counts, even if it is shorter than the maximum.
  • Plan to leave a day or two early. With 90 days, book your exit before the last legal day so a cancelled flight doesn't push you over.
  • Extend before you run out. Apply before the visa expires. If it expires within 1–15 days, extend online on evisa.gov.et; otherwise in person at the Immigration and Citizenship Service head office in Addis Ababa. Fee USD 102 (30-day visa) or USD 302 (90-day visa).
  • What overstaying costs. Overstaying without an extension leads to fines and legal penalties.

Good to know

Official details are shown in English.

  • Business visas are not issued to under-18s: children travelling with parents on business visas apply for tourist visas.

Staying longer

Visa-free days are for visits. For months or years in Ethiopia, these are the long-stay routes in Bordr's guide (checked against official sources):

Official details are shown in English.

Costs, income thresholds and how to apply are in the Bordr guide.

Questions

Do British citizens need a visa for Ethiopia?

British citizens need a visa for Ethiopia, but can get it on arrival, for stays of up to 90 days.

How long can British citizens stay in Ethiopia?

Up to 90 days, according to Bordr's data. You may stay for the period of your visa (30 or 90 days), counted from the arrival date stated in the e-visa. Overstaying without an extension leads to fines and legal penalties.

Can I extend my stay in Ethiopia?

Apply before the visa expires. If it expires within 1–15 days, extend online on evisa.gov.et; otherwise in person at the Immigration and Citizenship Service head office in Addis Ababa. Fee USD 102 (30-day visa) or USD 302 (90-day visa).

What do I need at the border in Ethiopia?

Passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry; E-visa approval (printed or on your phone) or eligibility for visa on arrival; Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk country or after a transit of more than 12 hours there.

When was this checked?

Bordr last checked the entry rules for Ethiopia against official sources on 30 October 2026. Rules change: confirm with the official source before you travel.

Sources and last check

Entry rules for this destination were last checked against official sources on 30 October 2026. Visa-free days come from the passport matrix in the Bordr app, corrected where the official rules differ.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Entry rules change and border officers have the final say. Check the official government source for your destination before you travel.

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