Fee Rates Payable for Services Provided by the Ethiopian Immigration and Nationality Service, under Council of Ministers Regulation No. 550/2024

Benyam Tafesse and Bezawit Yirga

On July 7, 2024, the Council of Ministers issued a new regulation, the Fee Rates Payable for Services provided by the Immigration and Nationality Service, under Council of Ministers Regulation No. 550/2024 (the “Regulation”). This new Regulation repeals the previous Regulation, Regulation No. 38/2022, and introduces significant fee increases for various services provided by the Immigration and Nationality Service, including passport issuance, visa application fees, and fees for obtaining temporary residence permit.

The Regulation imposes a 150% increase in the issuance fee for new passports, which has now become ETB 5,000. Moreover, the fee for replacing lost passports has been raised to Ethiopian Birr (“ETB’) 13,000. Individuals can obtain urgent passports within two days and five days for fees of ETB 25,000 and ETB 20,000, respectively.

Additionally, the Regulation revises service fees payable for obtaining visas and residence permits and introduces new types of visas namely visa for medical treatment and religious purposes. The fee for a private work visa has increased to USD 400 for a 30-day single-entry visa and USD 1,000 for a 90-day multiple-entry visa. The residence permit fee for expatriate employees has increased from USD 150 to USD 1,500. Expatriates can apply for and obtain a temporary residence permit on an expedited basis (i.e., within two days) for a fee of USD 3,000. The Regulation also allows investment owners and managers to receive multiple-entry visas valid for 3 and 5 years for fees of USD 1,000 and USD 3,000, respectively.

One of the new developments under the Regulation is the introduction of a door-to-door passport distribution and a special service delivery service. An individual can request his/her passport to be delivered to his/her house for an additional fee. In addition, the Regulation also introduces a special service delivery for individuals who are not able to appear in person for a health condition or who cannot afford the special service delivery fee which ranges from ETB 35,000 to USD 1,000 USD.

Some of the fees quoted in USD under the Regulation may be paid to the Immigration and Citizenship Services in ETB at the equivalent exchange rate.

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