Ethiopian 1 month/3 month visa: Bole vs Addis Immigration

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Helpful Ethiopia visa information:

One month visas can be obtained with no problem at Bole airport. Bole takes USD and Euro, if you are using Euro try to have correct change as they do not make change. The immigration office in Addis only takes USD.

If you need a lengthier visa, you’ll either need to get it beforehand or go to the immigration office in Addis off of Zambia St. and Churchill St. Head North on Gambia St, which will turn into Churchill. You will pass the Derg Monument which has a large red star on top of it. Turn onto the next street, Zambia, and the steps leading up to the Immigration office should be visible. There will be a lot of taxis and people standing around as well as Ethiopians waiting for visas or greencards, I don’t know.

If you want your passport back by the next day you should arrive at immigration in the morning or at least before lunch; if you arrive after lunch, the process will probably take an extra day. You will need a copy of your passport, a copy of the Ethiopian visa you got at Bole and USD, again, the immigration office does not take Euro or even Birr, only USD.

Go up the steps, and pass through security. If you are parallel with the gates and looking square at the grounds and fountain, turn left. You should see building B2 (I think) and to the left of it, a small building with lots of windows, go into that small building. There should be people sitting around and one guy at a desk. Don’t sit down. Wait at the desk and the guy will give you your application and tell you to fill it out or come back tomorrow.

Fill out the application and have your copies of passport and visa. Give them to that same guy in the small room. He’ll check them, write “checked” and send you to room 77 in building B2, it is on the right hand side after you enter the building. If there is a guy at the door show him your papers and he’ll get you in quickly. If no one is there just act dumb and go in. They will then send you to room 80 and then back to room 77. When you’re back at room 77 make sure people see all the new scribbles on your application and you’ll be let in right away. Get your picture taken, pay in room 80 (only USD). They’ll tell you when you can pick up your visa (the next day) in room 92.

Try to arrive a little ahead of time as not as many people are around in the morning, and your visa is probably ready when the office opens the next day.

Begin story version of above information…

When I arrived in Addis I asked immigration for a 3 month visa, everything I found on the internet made it seem like a 3 month visa at Bole was no problem. Well they only gave me a one month visa, as they did with my companion. We thought we could just pay a fee at immigration when we leave and everything would be ok. I started to worry and investigated more on the internet. One website said you could pay retroactively, one person on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree said they were delayed 2 days, had to go to court, and paid a several hundred dollar fine because they tried to leave on an expired visa. I emailed the embassy and they told me visa extensions aren’t available at departure and overstaying visas does have repercussions. Damnit, we would need to go to the Addis immigration office and get an extension, a 24 hour process. The trip to Addis would be a 6 hour bus ride that leaves at 5 am; with any luck we could drop off our passports on Monday, pick them up on Tuesday, and take the bus back on Wendsday.

The bus ride went from okay, to torture. We got a snack and a drink, but they put on music videos of native songs and the volume was entirely too loud. Both of us put our iPods on the highest volume possible. The scenery was pleasant. I didn’t realize we were at such a high elevation; we travelled down several mountain switchbacks. At times it looked like we were in a rain forest, then the mountains were behind us, and finally we were in a more arid plain that was dotted with trees, just how you envision Africa. Occasionally the driver would slam on the brakes when a goat or cow got on the road or didn’t get off the road quick enough. After some scary turns, close calls with other vehicles, narrow bridges, and aforementioned livestock, I said that’s it, I am not watching the road anymore. After making some seemingly pointless stops and picking up a couple personal friends we arrived in Addis.

We tried to get tickets for Wednesday’s bus. No bus (we later learned they were sold out). Damn, this will take until Thursday. We went to the immigration office, passed through security, and went to the building on the left that seemed like the right building, it was B2 I think. People were sitting around and we didn’t know what to do. We asked a white person what was up, he told us we needed to go to the small room right outside the building and get our application. More people were sitting in the room and no authority figure was there. We sat next to some white people and asked what’s going on. They were on lunch break but would be back in a couple minutes. The guy came back from lunch and organized those waiting into a line of people with papers and without. We were given our application, he wrote something on it and told us to come back tomorrow at 9:30 am, with the application filled out, a copy of our passport, and a copy of our Ethiopian visa. Well we weren’t going to leave by Wednesday anyways, so whatever.

The next day we came back to the side room with our application and proper copies; he checked them and wrote “checked” on the application. We then were told to go to building B2 room 77. This time there was a door man for the room, we waited a little and went in. The person in room 77 asked a couple questions, “You still have 2 weeks left on your visa.” Yes. I know that. I need 2 more months and I am not staying in Addis, just process the damn visa. He scribbled something. Go to room 80. We went to room 80 and she scribbled something on our application. Go back to room 77. He re-checked the papers, took our picture and told us to go to room 78. We paid $20 in room 78 for a single entry 2 month extension and were told to come to room 92 at 10am tomorrow to pick up our visa. The whole process took maybe an hour, and we picked up our visas the next day around 9:30 am.

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Comments

[deleted_142315]

Are you all actually malnoursihed or something?

[ethiopiadave]

yes
yes and no. we eat a lot less here. we always ask each other, "so, you hungry?" "not really. you?" "not really"

[mom]

I hope your not malnourshised !! Now, I'll be worrying... Please eat !!!