Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Passport Problem

Country forums / Africa / Ethiopia

I am currently in West Africa and I will leave in two days for Kenya. I am planning a trip to East Africa. I have a Greek passport, but there is this problem: I only have 4 empty pages left in my passport, but I would like to visit more countries.
Is there ANY way I can travel without having space left?
I will visit the following:
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Rep.Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt

Any advice or suggestions would be highly appreciated!

That's a lot of travelling... I'm exhausted just from reading the list!

Well, as for the advice you ask... you cannot expect to cross so many borders with only 4 pages, that's just common sense. I wouldn't like to discuss the legality of a fully stamped passport with a border "officer" in Kivu or Moyale (Ethiopia), it will be an "expense" talk to say the least.

good luck

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Go to your nearest Greek representation (embassy) and apply for a new one. (maybe in Nairobi?)
I had to do the same (belgian passport) in Buenos Aires and it took me exactly a day.

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Thank you for replying.
So you think that we can pay our way through there at Moyale?

If we changed our itinerary and instead of going to Sudan-Egypt, we went to Somaliland, do you think the same would be true there (paying to pass through)?

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Dear Olive, is this true also for the new type passports??

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I was trying to make the opposite point. You know, I first heard in Ethiopia of an old Muslim saying that goes "Trust in God but Tie Your Camel".
I think the hassle of a new passport is far less than the problems a full passport would give you. Also Somaliland will NOT let you in through their border just with "paying", you need a visa from Addis Ababa (their office is by Embassy of Madagascar and Mozambique on Bole Road). They issue visas on the day but apparently like their paperwork. Common sense does no harm.

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Thank you for all the information gwaan

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Concerning Somaliland you need one full page for visa - then I get big stemps - each on 1/2 of page on arival and deparature.
While in Hargeshia I meat one lady that is going to Somaliland few times a year (she is from Norway) and she mentioned that once she bribed the way through the border for some 120 USD, but then it cost her another money to arange visa in Hargeshia.
In Somaliland you have each 20 km checkpoint and where they check passports and visa.
So do not count on possibility to do it without visa.

Aply for new passport .

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