Rules for overlanding in Ethiopia

To drive you must hold a driving document issued by the Ethiopian authorities, and the International Driving Permit does not appear to be recognised. The route is: have your Italian licence recognised and translated at the consular office (about 900 ETB), get that translation authenticated at the Ethiopian foreign ministry (about 300 ETB), then take all the papers to the central licensing office at Kaliti, on the southern edge of Addis Ababa. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

The ministry advises absolutely against visitors driving a vehicle in Ethiopia, and says to leave the wheel to a local driver in every circumstance. The reasons are the strict Ethiopian law on road accidents, which carries heavy prison sentences, and the wide arrest powers the police use even on mere suspicion of fault.

Unless you fear for your own safety, wait for the police to arrive. They investigate on the spot and take the occupants of the vehicles involved to the nearest station to collect statements and write a report.

The road network covers about 40,000 km, much of it dirt track, and maintenance is poor. Some places outside the capital can only be reached by 4x4. The country's first stretch of toll motorway, Addis Ababa to Adama/Nazareth, opened in 2014.

Traffic is disorderly everywhere and the rate of accidents, including fatal ones, is high. Roads outside the capital are more dangerous because people and animals cross them constantly. Daytime journeys are generally not a problem; driving at night is discouraged.

Between June and September take maximum care on the move, particularly outside Addis Ababa: roads are subject to sudden flooding.

Use qualified tour operators, local or international, able to judge the real security situation and to supply staff with experience and knowledge of the local languages. Contact your own embassy whenever you want to visit places off the usual routes offered by travel agencies.

In Addis Ababa the advice is to keep off public transport, with shared minibuses specifically discouraged. Intercity coach services run from Meskel Square, where the companies have their offices.

Avoid photographing people or things without consent, which can be taken as a serious offence. Also avoid photographing the airport, institutional buildings, military installations and other sensitive infrastructure. Professional photographers and videomakers are advised to follow scrupulously the procedure set by Ethiopian law: a journalism visa from the Ethiopian embassy, then a special permit from the communications ministry once in Addis Ababa. Using professional equipment on a tourist visa is strongly discouraged.

Avoid carrying ivory, bracelets or necklaces included, when arriving at, leaving or transiting Addis Ababa airport: goods have been seized and tourists detained and fined, even in transit to other African destinations. Exporting objects considered of historical interest is prohibited, and because border staff are generally unprepared to recognise such objects, entirely ordinary items bought in normal markets have been confiscated, so always keep the purchase receipts. Problems have also arisen over exporting agricultural products (fruit and coffee), even for personal use, and local craft objects.

Foreign currency above 3,000 dollars must be declared on entry, and black-market exchange must be avoided: on the way out you may be asked for bank receipts proving your exchanges were regular. You may not hold more than 200 birr when leaving the country. Credit cards work only in the main shops and main towns, while cash machines are widespread in the main cities.

Every handset's IMEI is tied to its Ethiopian SIM in a database used to block phones that were stolen or imported irregularly. A phone bought abroad has to be registered at a dedicated office of the state telecom operator before it can be used, which can leave arriving travellers unable to use their own phone.

A visa is required and the passport must be valid for at least 6 months. Apply in advance on the government platform, www.evisa.gov.et: a visa on arrival is possible at Bole airport in Addis Ababa, but the ministry advises against it, so that administrative problems or missing requirements do not end in a refusal of entry. A tourist visa does not allow you to take up work, volunteering included, or to get a work residence permit.

To extend your stay, go in person to the Immigration Office in the days just before the first visa expires, with your passport, a passport photo and 100 dollars. Later renewals cost much more (150 dollars for the second, 200 for the third), and staying beyond the expiry date brings a penalty of 30 USD for every extra day; the authorities will let you leave only once it is paid.

Dealings with the police and border authorities can be difficult, partly because of language misunderstandings, and under current rules you can be held in custody even for minor infractions. If you run into trouble with the police, consular assistance may be extremely hard to provide, not least because Ethiopia has not joined the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations: if you are detained or arrested, tell your embassy immediately.

The official COMESA Digital Yellow Card site describes the Yellow Card as a regional third-party insurance system and lists Ethiopia among the countries where the COMESA Yellow Card is recognized. (COMESA Digital Yellow Card — The Regional Third Party Insurance System)

The national park pages of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority carry a short Important Notice list. The Omo National Park page lists "Travel with guide required" (together with "Remote location" and "Limited facilities"), and the Awash National Park page lists "Stay inside designated areas". (Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority — Omo National Park page (the Awash National Park page, https://ewca.gov.et/awash-national-park/, carries the other notice))

Ethiopia's Communications Authority (ECA) lists satellite mobile phones among the radiocommunications and telecommunications equipment requiring its prior approval. Its services page states that it is prohibited to manufacture, assemble, import, distribute, use or hold such equipment without obtaining a permit from the Authority. (Ethiopian Communications Authority — Services (Type approval of equipment))