Ethiopia
Warnings and insurance
Areas where FCDO advises against travel
Border areas
FCDO advises against all travel to within:
- 20km of the border with Sudan
- 10km of the border with South Sudan
- 100km of the Ethiopian border with Somalia and Kenya in Ethiopia’s Somali region, and within 30km of the Ethiopian border with Somalia in Fafan zone, except the border town and crossing at Wajale, and the principal road between Jijiga and Wajale
- 10km of the border with Kenya, except for principal roads and towns
- 10km of the border with Eritrea
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:
- areas between 10-15km from the border with Eritrea
Tigray region
FCDO advises against all travel to:
- the parts of Tigray region west of the Tekeze river
- within 10km of the internal border with Amhara region
- Tahtay Adiyabo woreda (district)
- Irob woreda (district)
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:
- within 5 km of Tahtay Adiyabo and Irob woreda (districts) east of the Tekeze river
Amhara region
FCDO advises against all travel to Amhara region.
Afar region
FCDO advises against all travel to the parts of Afar region within 10km of the border with Eritrea.
Gambela region
FCDO advises against all travel to Gambela region.
Oromia region
FCDO advises against all travel to:
- within 10km of the border with Kenya, except for principal roads and towns
- north of (but not including) the A4 road in West Shewa zone
- south and west of the A3 road in North Shewa zone
- West Wollega zone (including the main Addis Ababa to Gambela road), East Wollega zone, Kellem Wollega and Horo Gudru Wollega
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:
- all of East Shewa zone except the Addis Ababa to Adama Expressway and 10km either side of the expressway between Addis Ababa and Bishoftu.
- the A4 road between Addis Ababa and Cheliya, except for the section in the Finfine special zone.
- all of North Shewa zone (including the section of the A3 road there)
- West Guji and Guji zones
Somali region
FCDO advises against all travel to within:
- 30km of the Ethiopia-Somalia border in Fafan zone, except the border town and crossing at Wajale, and the principal road between Jijiga and Wajale
- 100km of the Ethiopian border with Somalia and Kenya in the rest of the region
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:
- the Siti zone
- the Nogob (previously Fik)
- Jarar (previously Degehabur)
- Shabelle (previously Gode)
- Korahe and Dollo (previously Warder)
- areas of Liben and Afder zones more than 100km from the Somalia and Kenya borders
Central, Southern, Sidama and South West regions (formerly SNNPR)
FCDO advises against all travel to within 10km of the borders with South Sudan and Kenya
Benishangul-Gumuz region
FCDO advises against all travel to:
- within 20km of the border with Sudan
- the Metekel zone
- the Maokomo special zone
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Benishangul-Gumuz region.
Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel to these regions.
Earthquakes and volcanic activity
On 4 January the Ethiopian authorities began evacuating people from around Mount Dofan in Awash national park, due to increased volcanic activity. Earthquakes have affected the Afar and Amhara regions, and tremors have been felt in the surrounding area, including in Addis Ababa. Please see the Safety and Security pages - Extreme weather and natural disasters - Earthquakes for further advice.
Support from FCDO
Staff at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa cannot offer support in person in areas of Ethiopia where FCDO advises against travel.
If you need urgent help from the UK government, for example if you’ve been arrested or you’re concerned about forced marriage, contact the British Embassy in Addis Ababa.
If you’re in the UK and are concerned about a British national in Ethiopia, call FCDO on 020 7008 5000.
Before you travel
No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide. You may also find it helpful to:
- see general advice for women travellers
- read our guide on disability and travel abroad
- see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
- read about safety for solo and independent travel
- see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad
Travel insurance
If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.
About FCDO travel advice
FCDO provides advice about risks of travel to help you make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.
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Update history
2025-03-14 23:54
FCDO now advise against all but essential travel to all areas of Tigray region which lie east of the Tekeze river, except for within 10km of the border with Eritrea where we continue to advise against all travel. (‘Warnings and insurance,’ ‘Safety & Security’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages)
2025-03-11 20:55
Updated to reflect tensions in Tigray Region (‘Safety & Security’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages)
2025-01-20 15:52
FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to all of North Shewa zone including the section of the A3 road (‘Warnings and insurance’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages)
2025-01-04 15:02
Updated information on earthquakes and volcanic activity affecting the Afar and Amhara regions in particular. (‘Warning and Insurance ‘ page).
2024-11-28 14:38
Updated information on mpox screening when arriving in country (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2024-11-15 15:29
FCDO now advises against all and all but essential travel for Tigray region (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
2024-09-24 16:59
Information added about Mpox screening (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2024-09-05 13:59
Updated Information about planned transportation and market blockades in Oromia, affecting all roads in and out of the region, due to begin on 6 September (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2024-07-16 15:11
Information about irregular armed clashes between ethnic groups in Afar Region and Somali Regional State, in particular along the main Addis Ababa to Djibouti road (A1) and the surrounding areas (‘Regional risks’ page).
2024-07-11 13:58
Removal of information on the temporary suspension of in person consular services (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
2024-05-31 15:16
Updated information on kidnap (‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-05-27 13:28
Temporary suspension of in-person consular services, due to ongoing construction work outside the British Embassy Addis Ababa. If you are in need of urgent consular assistance, you should call +251 (0)11 617 0100. (Warnings and insurance)
2024-04-26 15:00
Information that a security exercise in Addis Ababa involving house searches is ongoing. Check credentials of officials and comply with any search request (‘Regional risks’ page).
2024-04-15 14:36
Information on a market strike and transportation blockade in Oromia, including on the roads leading to Addis Ababa, that began on 13 April. There may be disruption to travel and operation of businesses and services in the Oromia region (‘Safety and security’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).
2024-03-08 10:41
The FCDO now advises against all travel, or all but essential travel to a number of additional areas in Ethiopia, and have also lifted some advice against all but essential travel. Changes made affect the following regions: Afar, Oromia, Central, Southern, Sidama and South West regions (formerly SNNPR) and Tigray (‘Warnings and insurance’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).
2024-01-26 16:40
Information about potential travel disruption and disrupted markets in Oromia (‘Regional risks’ page).
2024-01-26 11:31
Updated assessment that terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Ethiopia. (see ‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-12-14 09:45
Removal of information on possible demonstrations in Addis Ababa on 10 December (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-12-06 12:14
Information on possible demonstrations in Addis Ababa on 10 December (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-11-20 10:43
Information about kidnaps in Oromia (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-11-01 17:19
This travel advice has been rewritten to make it easier to read and understand.
2023-09-06 15:58
Information on protests in Mekelle (‘Summary’ page).
2023-08-16 16:43
Information on same sex relationships in Ethiopia (‘Local Laws and Customs’ pages).
2023-08-11 12:02
Curfew announced in Amhara cities (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and Security’ pages).
2023-08-04 18:33
FCDO advises against all travel to Amhara Regional State (see ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and Security’ pages)
2023-08-01 19:14
Addition of places where FCDO advises against all travel to in Amhara Regional State (see ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and Security’ pages)
2023-06-22 10:57
Information about the global terrorism risks to British nationals abroad on all FCDO travel advice pages.
2023-06-20 13:22
New information on the security situation in Amhara (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2023-06-12 12:54
New information on the security situation in Tigray, Afar and Oromia regions (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2023-06-09 14:38
New information on the security presence in Addis Ababa (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-04-25 11:52
New information on altitude sickness (‘Health’ page).
2023-04-12 11:23
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Amhara regional state (‘Summary’ and ‘ Safety and security’ pages), other than the areas within 30km of the border with Tigray regional state and within 20km of the border with Sudan, to which it advises against all travel.
2023-02-09 14:53
Addition of information on road closures and travel disruption because of nationwide demonstrations of Sunday 12 February (‘Summary’ page).
2023-01-18 10:37
Updated information on the peace agreement to cease hostilities in Tigray, the security situation and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions (‘Summary’, ‘Coronavirus’, ‘Safety and security’, ‘Terrorism’ and ‘Entry requirements’ pages).
2022-11-03 15:49
Upgrading Travel Advice for parts of West and North Shewa, Oromia due to the risk of airstrikes. Downgrading Travel Advice for areas within Amhara, Afar, Konso town in Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), and Bale Mountains in Oromia. (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2022-10-28 12:35
Information on reports of airstrikes in late October against armed groups in the West Shewa zone of Oromia
2022-10-28 10:16
Addition of information on reports that during late October the Ethiopian government used air strikes against armed groups in the West Shewa area. (‘Summary’ and ‘Entry requirements’ pages).
2022-09-08 11:11
Updated information on the laws for entering and exiting Ethiopia with local or foreign currency (‘Local laws and customs’ page).
2022-09-01 15:06
Updated information on e-visas (‘Entry requirements’ page.)
2022-08-29 15:40
Updated to reflect fighting resuming on the border between Tigray and Amhara, and the possibility of further fighting in parts of Amhara.
2022-08-26 20:39
Updated information on fighting resuming along the border between Tigray region and Amhara and afar regions; including the D31 road connecting Tigray to Lalibela, as well as Lalibela town (‘Summary’ page)
2022-08-25 14:57
Updated information on fighting resuming along the border between Tigray region and Amhara and afar regions. (‘Summary’ page).
2022-08-19 14:09
The FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to the Bale Mountains area in the Oromia regional state
2022-08-02 16:52
Updated information on the risk of terrorist activity across the Ethiopia-Somalia border, including kidnapping (‘Terrorism’ page)
2022-08-01 12:53
Updated information on attacks by Al-Shabaab on the towns of Aato, Yeed and Washaaqo, near to the border between Somalia and Ethiopia (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2022-07-12 14:20
The FCDO now advises against all travel to areas within 30km of the border with Tigray regional state and within 30kms of the Sudanese border. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to all areas north of the A3, B22 and A2 roads, except for Lalibela and the road to Lalibela from the B22; all areas east of the A2 road and north of the B11 (northeast of Dessie) (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2022-06-17 13:35
Changes to FCDO advice against travel. Advice against all travel to Gambella region and against all travel to the Konso Special Woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). Changes to advice for Afar, and Somali Regional State (SRS) – (See ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ for detail).
2022-05-06 13:58
Increased violence in Oromia region and parts of Amhara region (See ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’).
2022-04-07 16:06
Update on the easing of entry restrictions; travellers can now show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery on entry. (See ‘Entry requirements’ page)
2022-03-24 13:12
New advice against travel to western parts of the Afar regional state and much of Benishangul Gamuz regional state. Advice against all but essential travel to the West Guji and Guji zones, in the Oromia regional state (see ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2022-02-28 15:34
New information on reports on 28 February of armed actors operating on the B31 road between Bahir Dar in the Amhara region and Gohatsion; British Embassy staff have postponed travel plans and British nationals are also advised to avoid this area (see ‘Safety and security’ page)