What you need to enter Somalia with an Ethiopian passport
Ethiopian citizens need a visa for Somalia, but they can get it on arrival at the border.
- Visa-on-arrival fee
- 60 SOS
- Minimum passport validity
- 6 months from entry
Why is this passport validity required? →
Last verified: 6 October 2026
Verified practical details
You can get your visa on arrival in Somalia, but it's worth preparing the paperwork ahead of time:
Authorisation system
Visa on arrival or from an embassy
It is single-entry, valid for one month and costs 60 dollars in cash. The UK Government says instead that an eVisa must be obtained before flying to Mogadishu, and warns of a data breach in that system. In Somaliland, the federal eVisa is not valid for entry at Hargeisa, where a visa is bought on arrival.
Visa, e-Visa, or electronic authorisation? What's the difference →
Fee
60 SOS
Single-entry, one-month visa, paid in cash. Spain's Foreign Ministry recommends having the exact amount.
Required documents
- Passport valid for at least six months from entry.
- A letter of invitation explaining the purpose and length of the trip, from whoever organises it.
- 60 dollars in cash for the visa.
Transit rules
The land border with Kenya is closed. Spain's Foreign Ministry asks travellers to give the Embassy in Nairobi their dates, exact location, security arrangements and contact numbers.
More Somalia rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Somalia page:
Official portal: . Destination data verified on 6 October 2026. Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Somalia, updated 28 May 2026: advice against travel, visa, fee, letter of invitation, vaccinations, risk areas, Embassy in Nairobi); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/somalia (UK Government: eVisa for Mogadishu, data breach, visa in Hargeisa). All checked on 6 October 2026.
This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Somalia can get a visa on arrival in Ethiopia. See the Somalia → Ethiopia page.
Of the 17 passports from Eastern Africa that VisaRadar tracks, for travel to Somalia 1 enter visa-free and 16 need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival. Same result as Ethiopia: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya and Madagascar.
With a passport from Ethiopia, in the rest of Eastern Africa you can enter Kenya, Rwanda and Seychelles visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A passport from Ethiopia ranks 183 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 40 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Ethiopian citizens need a visa for Somalia?
Yes, but you can obtain it directly upon arrival at Somalia's entry point.
What minimum passport validity is required?
Passport valid for at least six months from entry.
What currency is used in Somalia?
Somali Shilling (SOS).
What do Ethiopian passport holders need for the countries near Somalia?
With a passport from Ethiopia, in the rest of Eastern Africa you can enter Kenya, Rwanda and Seychelles visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Related pages
See Somalia requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.