In order to apply for a visa, you need an appointment.

Application appointments at the German Embassy Addis Ababa can only be booked online.

We urgently recommend that you book your appointment yourself. If you use “agents”, “advisors”, or “service providers”, you are at risk of losing a lot of time and money.

In some categories you can register directly for a specific appointment. Please note that applicants of adult age may only register for an appointment in the same category and that, a separate appointment must be booked for each adult.

For families, please note:

• For Schengen visas, children under 18 years of age who are accompanying a parent do not require a separate appointment; they will be admitted together with the parent.
• For national visas, a group booking may be made for accompanying underage children. Here, only the number of visitors needs to be specified. If such a booking is made contrary to the above instruction, applicants will be rejected on the day of the appointment and a new appointment must be made.

For applicants in the national appointment category “Category 2: Registration for family reunion with holders of temporary residence permits (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) or permanent settlement permits (Niederlassungserlaubnis) as recognized refugee / asylum seeker / resettlement refugee according to § 22 Residence Act / individual being granted residence by the supreme Land authorities according to § 23 AufenthG (Landesaufnahmeprogramm) - not for reunifications with persons with subsidiary protection status”, a waiting list has been introduced due to the high demand. Should you wish to apply for such a visa, please register with your correct details on the respective waiting list. As soon as possible, you will be assigned an appointment for an interview. Please note that due to the high demand, there may be longer waiting times.

Please submit complete application documents with the correct number of copies to your appointment. A copy service is not available. Please arrive on time for your appointment, applicants who arrive late for their appointment cannot be accepted and will need to book a new appointment.

Mobile phones and bags are not allowed in the premises of the German Embassy.

Please cancel your appointment if you do not want to or are not able to keep it, so that other applicants can use this appointment again.

If you have any questions about booking an appointment, please read the instructions below.

Important information for making an appointment for family reunification with persons entitled to Protection (refugees recognised in Germany or persons entitled to Subsidiary Protection):

For applicants in the national appointment category “Category 2: Registration for family reunion with holders of temporary residence permits (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) or permanent settlement permits (Niederlassungserlaubnis) as recognized refugee / asylum seeker / resettlement refugee according to § 22 Residence Act / individual being granted residence by the supreme Land authorities according to § 23 AufenthG (Landesaufnahmeprogramm) - not for reunifications with persons with subsidiary protection status”, an appointment list has been made available due to high demand. To register in this category, both following requirements must be met:

1. Applicants are not Ethiopian nationals but are habitually residing in Ethiopia or Sudan (proven by refugee registration with RRS/UNHCR, rental agreement, utility bills, school reports, other Ethiopian identity documents, etc.) and
2. The reference person has been granted asylum or refugee status and holds a temporary residence permit or permanent settlement permit according to Section 22 of the Residence Act or, if residence was granted by the supreme Land authorities, Section 23 of the Residence Act.

Applicants and the Embassy are supported in the acceptance and preparation of applications by the Family Assistance Programme (FAP) of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). You will be contacted by IOM via the contact details provided during registration. The subsequent acceptance of the application will also take place at IOM/FAP.

You will be contacted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). IOM will then allocate dates for the submission of applications in the order of priority of registrations. IOM will help you prepare your application, inform you of the application acceptance date in due course, then accept the application at the appointment, inform you of any documents that are still missing and conduct an interview.

Please also note:

• If the reference person holds a residence title other than those mentioned above or is a German/EU national, an appointment in category 3 must be booked.
• Applicants for reunification with a family member being awarded subsidiary protection may not register on this waiting list/category 2 or in category 3. Instead, registration must be made on the waiting list for appointments to apply for a visa for family reunification with a person being awarded subsidiary protection of the Federal Foreign Office.

• According to the knowledge of the German Embassy, an exit authorisation, so-called “exit visa”, is required for departure from Ethiopia. This exit visa is issued by the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Services (ICS). However, adult Eritrean nationals living in Ethiopia currently only receive an exit permit if they are registered as refugees or have paid a fine for their irregular stay in Ethiopia. The German Embassy currently has no information on whether and when the Ethiopian government will resume the registration of refugees. Please contact the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS, https://rrs.et/contact-us/) for information on the current favourable departure regulations.

• A visa for entry to Germany alone does not allow you to leave Ethiopia and is generally only valid for three months. This means that the German Embassy can issue a visa if all requirements are met and a passport is presented. However, if you are unable to leave Ethiopia before the visa expires, you will have to make a new appointment or register on the waiting list again and apply for a new visa.

For questions beyond the detailed information provided on the website, please contact the visa section via the contact form.