Ethiopia visa requirements for Lesothos

Travel and visa requirements

Ethiopian Visa is not required for Lesothos

Stay Duration: 90 days

Entry Requirements

  • Lesotho citizens travelling to Ethiopia are granted visas on arrival and given the option to apply for an electronic visa for a duration of stay up to 90 days.
  • Visitors are required to present a copy of a filled visa application form at the point of entry.
  • Passports of citizens entering Ethiopia must be valid at least for 6 months.
  • The passport photograph of each visitor is required to be a recent photograph with a size of 37mmX37mm.
  • Departure tax would be levied on visitors staying beyond the duration of stay and leaving the country.
  • Standard travel documents like passport or a national ID card will generally be required from visitors to visit Ethiopia.
  • For Ethiopia, there are two associated plug types, types C and F. The country operates on a 220V supply voltage and 50Hz.
  • Ethiopia's time zone is East Africa Time (GMT+3) therefore, Ethiopia is 1 hour ahead of Lesotho.
  • Lesotho citizens aged from one year and above are required to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination.
  • Visitors are only allowed to hold one litre of alcoholic drinks, two bottles or half a litre of perfume, half a pound of tobacco, 100 cigarettes or 50 cigars for adults only and souvenirs up to a value of ETP 10 on entry.
  • Visitors are allowed hold goods bought in Ethiopia up to a value of ETP 500 at departure. 
  • Visitors are allowed to hold animal hides and skins and any type of antiques such as swords, bibles etc provided they have a certificate of export for such goods.
  • Cats and dogs must be accompanied by a certificate of good health issued by a veterinarian in the home country.
  • The estimated flight time from Maseru, Lesotho to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is 5 hours, 59 minutes.
  • Visitors are allowed to hold local currency up to ETP 100 per person but there are no restrictions on importing foreign currencies provided the imported sums are declared to the customs on arrival. 
  • Foreign currency may be exchanged only through authorized banks and organizations within the country.
  • Ethiopia is known to be the most populous landlocked country in the world and also the second-most populous nation in Africa.
  • The nation is full of natural contrasting lands with its western region known for its vast forests, numerous rivers not excluding the world's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. 
  • Ethiopia uses the ancient Ge’ez script, one of the oldest alphabets still in existence.
  • The Ethiopian calendar is known to be approximately seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar.
  • Ethiopia is a multilingual nation with around 80 ethnolinguistic groups with Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans as the largest.
  • The skull of the hominid (ancestors of the homo Erectus) is said to have been discovered in Ethiopia by Tim D. White. The most well known hominid discovery is Australopithecus afarensis.
  • The predominant climate type is tropical monsoon with a wide topographic-induced variation in its other regions.
  • Ethiopia is a global centre of avian diversity with a population of more than 856 bird species twenty of which can not found anywhere else in the world.
  • English and Italian is the most widely spoken foreign language and is the medium of instruction in schools but most Ethiopians speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches.
  • The Ethiopian is one of the first countries in the world to officially adopt Christianity as its national religion.
  • The best known Ethiopian cuisine consists of various types of thick meat stews known as wat in Ethiopian culture and vegetable side dishes served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour.
  • Ethiopians popularly eat from the same dish with a group of people and it is widely culturally acceptable for each person in a group to feed others with their own hands.
  • Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no pork or shellfish of any kind as they are forbidden in the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths practised in the country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to travel to Ethiopia?

Ethiopia is remarkably safe most of the time. Serious or violent crime against travellers is extremely rare and outside the capital, the level of crime drops even further.

What is the legal driving age in Ethiopia?

To drive in Ethiopia, a person needs to be 18 years or older. The speed limit for cars and motorcycles in towns and villages is 30-50 km/h and outside towns 100 km/h. Drivers are not permitted to use their mobile phones whilst driving and motorcyclists must wear crash helmets.

Can I drink alcohol in Ethiopia?

There are no rules guiding against drinking alcohol in Ethiopia provided you are aged 18 and above. In fact, Ethiopians widely entertain indigenous or foreign alcoholic beverages to the best of their capacity. 

Are there mosquitoes in Ethiopia?

The influx of mosquitoes and the highest levels of malaria transmission are observed in the north, west and eastern lowland of Ethiopia. Visitors are advised to purchase mosquito nets and repellents before visiting the country.