Ethiopia entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): You need a visa to visit Ethiopia for tourism or business. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Ethiopia travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 16 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Ethiopia, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
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Do I need a visa for Ethiopia with a British passport?
In short: You need a visa to visit Ethiopia for tourism or business.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You must have a visa to visit Ethiopia for tourism or business.
You do not need a visa if you have a valid Ethiopian Diplomatic ID Card, Ethiopian Temporary Residents Permit or Ethiopian Origin ID (Yellow Cards).
Applying for a visa
We recommend UK nationals apply online for tourist and business visas before arrival.
You will need to provide a scanned colour copy of your passport and a colour passport sized photo. Get a 30-day single entry tourist visa from the official Ethiopian e-visa platform.
If you visit Ethiopia on a tourist visa, you cannot take employment, including voluntary employment. If you break the rules, you can get heavy fines or be imprisoned.
Check what type of visa you need for business, work, study or other reasons. Journalists will also need to obtain Media Arrival entry clearance via the Arrival Clearance Portal.
You can apply for an official extension of 30 or 90 more days before your visa expires. You need to go in person to the Head Office of the Immigration and Citizenship Service in Addis Ababa.
Leave the country before your visa or your extension expires. The penalty for overstaying is 30 US dollars a day. You will not be allowed to leave until you pay in full.
Official source: GOV.UK – Ethiopia travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 16 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
Your passport must be:
- valid for at least 6 months after the date you arrive in Ethiopia
- machine-readable
Official source: GOV.UK – Ethiopia travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 16 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Ethiopia
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 25 September 2026: “New information about health screening on arrival, updated information about conflict and violence and the removal of information about elections and Danakil desert ('Entry requirements', Safety and security’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).”
- 1 May 2026: “Updated information about applying for a visa and addition of information about a nationwide general election being held on 1 June ('Entry requirements' and 'Safety and security' page).”
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 10 September 2025: “Updated information about overstaying your visa (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 28 November 2024: “Updated information on mpox screening when arriving in country ('Entry requirements' page).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Ethiopia (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status