The Ethiopian government has scrapped visas-on-arrival for Nigerians with immediate effect.
In a statement, the government said travellers would need to obtain their visas at its embassy in Abuja before embarking on any trip to the country.
The embassy did not say what prompted the decision to cancel visa-on-arrival for the Nigerians.
It, however, said the new policy did not affect passengers transiting overnight in Addis Ababa.
“Please, be informed that effective immediately, no more visas on arrival for Nigerian citizens,” the email reads in part.
“Passengers having a layover in Addis to travel the next morning to Zanzibar, Seychelles, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Cape Town, etc., are not affected by the ban and do not need a transit visa for their trips,” it added.
Ethiopia also mandated Nigerians entering its country and 42 other African countries to produce their yellow fever vaccination cards at any of its borders.
The countries include Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania and Niger.
Others are Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
Senait Ataklet, Ethiopian Airlines’ traffic and sales manager, said the Ethiopian government did not ban Nigerians from entering but only introduced an online visa application.
Ataklet said with the new policy, Nigerians will now be required to fill a visa-on-arrival requisition form prior to departure.
