Ethiopian Tourist Visa Extension Report

G'day,

So I thought I'd post some info on my recent experience with getting a tourist visa extension.
(NOTE: It's a happy story!)

I'm on an Australian passport and due to conflicting information, I picked up a multi-entry 3 month tourist visa at the Ethiopian Consulate in Melbourne Australia (cost me US$60). I should of got it at the airport on arrival, where a 3 month visa costs US$20. The visa started the day it was put in my passport, unfortunately by the time I arrived in Ethiopia this meant that 5 or 6 weeks had been wasted on the visa before I arrived. It also meant I needed an extension after my tour of the north.

So with three days left on my tourist visa, I took myself off to the Immigration Building (Churchill Road, near Black Lion Hospital, you can get there from Piazza by walking down the Churchill Road hill, about a 10 minute walk) first thing in the morning. I arrived at about 825am and got myself the required photocopies of current visa and passport for a birr each within the compound. At 830am I was sitting reading my book in room 3 (Foreigners reception) and near the back of the line (ie. second last position in a queue formed by 3 rows of chairs) and waiting for things to kick off. I was nervous as people had said it could be impossible to get an extension and that I might need to flee to Somalialand and come back in on a new visa. I moved up the line quicker than I thought when the woman in charge kicked all the kids out of the room. 20 places became avaliable! I was soon given a visa renewal form and when I'd filled this out and had it signed, I was sent to a room to get my photo taken. I told this lady taking my photo my story, about wasted visa time and how much I was enjoying Ethiopia and that I still wanted to spend Xmas and New Years in Addis and then visit Lailibela and then head south and that I loved the country and would really like another 3 months. She said 3 more wouldn't be possible, but an extension should be fine.

She sent me back to the first room. I sat in that room for over an hour, waiting for the 'Big Lady' to sign off on my thing. It became apparent to the woman running the room that the person we were waiting for wasn't going to come, so she sent me back to the room I'd been in. In there, another woman told me that I could have 60 days extension and that I should take the papers and her note to another room and provide payment.

I paid my US$20 and was told to come back the following day at 3pm.

So, 2.5 hours of messing about and sitting around in the immigration compound, US$20 and an overnight processing and I had a 60 day visa extension. Great!!

Hope this helps.

PEACE