If you’re looking for information about getting a Djibouti visa in Addis Ababa, then you’re in the right place.
Follow these practical steps to apply for a Djibouti visa in Addis Ababa too.
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Getting a Djibouti Visa in Addis Ababa
Our travels in the horn of Africa included a few countries that require a visa so we have decided to put together some practical information for other travellers who are travelling to Addis Ababa and are planning to visit Djibouti and Somaliland.
Find all the information here on how you can get a Djibouti visa in Addis Ababa.
NOTE: Visa on Arrival is ONLY available at Djibouti Airport
You can obtain your visa on arrival at the international airport in Djibouti, however, you need to pre-arrange a letter of invitation from a sponsor or a hotel.
There are currently two options for visa on arrival: 3 days for 55 euro and 30 Day visa for 80 euro.
As we were travelling overland, we had to apply for one beforehand.
What you need:
- Completed application form supplied by the embassy
- Copy of your Yellow Fever Certificate
- 2 Passport Photos
- Copy of your hotel reservation (you can usually book a refundable hotel at Booking.com or Expedia, then cancel it or keep it once you get your visa)
- Copy of your flight out of Djibouti (if you travelling overland, then make a reservation online for a flight that you can cancel or visit the Ethiopian Airlines office in Addis to make a reservation)
- Original Passport
- Photocopy of your passport page
- 85 euros or 90 USD for 30 Day visa. Cash only, but you can also pay in local Ethiopian Birr.
Details of the Embassy:
Opening Hours: You can apply for a visa from 8 am to 12 pm. Pick up is after 3.30 pm.
Address: The location of the embassy is correct on Google maps and there is a sign for the embassy on the main street as well.
Other tips:
If you need to print or copy any documents we recommend using the below hotel located nearest to the embassy.
- Azzeman Hotel is located on Namibia St (near Tomoca Coffee, where we often enjoy coffee).
Have your documents on a USB stick as you can easily print them out as well as on email if they prefer to print it for you from their email.
Bring USD and Euros in cash for your visas as most embassies accept both currencies.
DANESH Bank accepts all international cards and you can withdraw your daily limit (300 USD). When selecting the account, choose ‘Credit Card’ instead of ‘Savings/ Current’, it will then work for you.
Please Note: There is a working DANESH ATM machine and bank located just next to Tomoca coffee on Namibia St. We frequently withdrew cash from this reliable machine during our stay in Addis Ababa.
Join a Food Tour in Addis Ababa
If you have some spare time in Addis Ababa, we highly recommend a food tour of this delicious city. Find out more in our blog post – The Best Food in Addis Ababa – A Delicious Food Walk
If you’re travelling in Ethiopia, check out our post on how to spend an ideal two days in Lalibela – Everything you need to know. We’ve also taken a day trip to Simien Mountains and meeting the Galata monkeys was a highlight for sure!
Our guide was wonderful in the Simien Mountains, and we’ve included his contact information in this blog.
Recommended Tours in Djibouti
Djibouti isn’t the easiest country to navigate around for visitors and tours are expensive whether you’re a solo traveller or travelling with someone else.
This 3-Day Djibouti Tour is a good option as it covers the country’s main highlights. You can visit the Moucha Islands, Arta Beach, Whale Sharks, Sables Blancs, and Tadjourah region on this tour.
If you need more comfort on a tour and want it to be slightly longer in duration, I recommend this 5-day/4-night tour in Djibouti.
Travel Tips for Africa
We have many travel guides and tips for Africa – what a massive continent!
Have you ever wondered how many countries in Africa there are? 54 or 55? We cover them in depth in our ultimate Africa bucket list.
There is some delicious cuisine to be enjoyed across Africa, and these ten best African countries for food will inspire your food journey.
Check out how many of these 15 most popular foods you can taste.
If you’re wondering what they eat for breakfast in Africa, check out these 20 popular breakfast foods.
For food lovers, our Food Map of AFRICA lists the quintessential dish you need to eat in every nation!
It’s worth reading these 17 ESSENTIAL Things to know before travelling to West Africa, and our packing list for Africa may be helpful to you.
Don’t miss our recap of our travels across West Africa for even more helpful tips, and try these popular West African dishes; they’re fantastic!
You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Africa. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries in Africa, or consider a regional eSIM for Africa (which covers 36 countries)
If your travels in Africa are part of a much larger global adventure, then a Global eSIM may be the answer. It connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text Global eSIM. This eSIM has been a game-changer for us, and we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.
If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour. Check out our Group Tours first for any upcoming departures in Africa, or view Tourradar for deals on group tours in Africa.
Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.
Travel Planning Resources
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation. We use Vrbo to book apartments and long-term stays.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 15% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: We now offer Group Trips; view them here! Alternatively, we recommend searching the Tourradar website. For Europe, Expat Explore is a good choice. *Get 5% off when you quote code VERYHUNGRYNOMADS to your Expat reservations agent. (*Valid for new clients only).
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🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
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✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
5 Comments. Leave new
Addis..I think you ,ran Dashen Bank not danesh…
Thank you Marty for your feedback on getting a visa for Djibouti in Addis. I followed your directions which were quite helpful.
A few updates post covid, or at least as of June 17, 2022 as I write this… the morning hours are 8.30a – 1130a to drop off passport and from 2.30p to pick up. I showed up the first time at 11.40a and was told of the new visa office hours. Also, a confirmed (purchased) flight itinerary (not reservation) is now required along with a negative covid test. I simply did a PCR the day before I went to request a visa. I think the non PCR (antigen) test may do, as they just want to know one is not positive at the time of application, and not necessarily for travel. There was no request for proof of yellow fever vaccine or hotel reservation but I submitted one and it was taken. I was asked for a copy of passport page and one passport photo and of course a completed application. After submitting required documents, the applicant is called for fingerprinting and picture taking. The visa now includes a picture taken on site. I picked up my passport in the afternoon. The fee was $35 payable in USD not Birr because I have a US Passport. It was really an effortless process. Spent about 40 minutes at embassy in the morning and less than 2 minutes in the afternoon picking up the passport. Djibouti will be my 49th country from where I plan to drive overland into Somaliland my 50th country.
BTW, I also got a Somaliland visa in Addis. Only thing asked was completed application, copy of passport page, one passport picture and $100 plus an interview by the deputy ambassador. Total time, under one hour.
Cheers to all world travelers, stay safe, stay blessed.
So, Nik, you have purchased two way ticket and then crossed the border overland from Djibouti to Somaliland?
Then, your ticket out of Djibouti was wasted?
Hi Marty. Thank you so much for you information although I am very confused now . Because I thought there is not visa on arrival but e-visa to Djibouti . And on the official site of this e-visa says you can enter with it both by plane or by land borders . Do you know something about it ?
Hello Yuliia, you are correct.
You can either obtain visa beforehand at the embassy or consulate of Djibuti or you obtain an electronic visa for Djibouti. The website is https://www.evisa.gouv.dj.
Before the e-visa was launched in 2019 there was also the option to get visa on arrival, but as many travellers visit Ethiopia too it was easy to pick up visa at the embassy in Addis Ababa. Hope this helps. I will try to update this blog.