Ethiopia visa photos and the Immigration and Citizenship Service
Ethiopia’s visa photo rules are set by the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) and published through the official e-Visa portal at evisa.gov.et. The portal is the primary intake channel for tourist, business, conference, journalist, student, work, NGO, and residence visas, and the same photo standard applies across every category. Walk-in and mail-in submissions at Ethiopian embassies follow the same ICS standard, with one regional variant used by the embassy in Washington D.C.
ICS requires a recent color photograph showing a neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera, and the head squarely facing forward with both ears visible. Photos must reflect the applicant’s current appearance and have been taken within the last six months. Heavy retouching, beautification, and feature-altered images are explicitly rejected.
Because Ethiopia does not use a VFS or BLS intake partner, every applicant supplies their own photo, whether uploading to the e-Visa portal or handing prints to a consular officer. A photo that fails the ICS check delays the visa decision and, in walk-in cases, sends the applicant away to resubmit. Getting the photo right the first time is the difference between approval and a return trip.
Ethiopia visa photo requirements at a glance
The Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service applies the same subject rules to every visa class. The points below are the ones an applicant has to get right in front of the camera.
Expression & pose
- Neutral expressionThe applicant must not smile. The mouth stays closed and teeth must not be visible.
- Eyes open and visibleBoth eyes must be open, looking straight at the camera, and free of red-eye. Hair or eyeglass frames must not cross the eyes.
- Square to the cameraThe head is held straight with no tilt or rotation. Both cheeks and both ears should be equally visible.
Eyewear & lenses
- EyeglassesEthiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service recommends removing glasses. If they must be worn for medical reasons, the frames cannot cover any part of the eyes and the lenses must show no glare or reflection.
- Tinted lensesSunglasses and tinted or coloured lenses are prohibited.
Hair & ears
- Hair off the faceHair must not fall across the eyes or obscure the outline of the face. Fringes and bangs that cover the forehead are not accepted.
- Ears visibleBoth ears should be visible in the frame. Long hair should be tucked behind the ears where possible.
Headwear
- General ruleHats and head coverings are not allowed.
- Religious or medical exceptionHead coverings worn daily for religious or documented medical reasons are permitted, provided the full face from the bottom of the chin to above the eyebrows remains visible and casts no shadow on the face.
Jewelry & cosmetics
- JewelrySmall, everyday jewelry is acceptable. Large or distracting pieces that draw attention away from the face should be removed.
- CosmeticsMakeup is allowed only to the extent that it does not alter the natural appearance of the applicant’s features or skin tone.
Clothing
- Everyday clothingNormal street clothes are expected. Uniforms are not accepted unless they are religious attire worn daily.
- Colour and patternVery light or white tops blend into the required white background and should be avoided. Heavy patterns and deep necklines are also discouraged.
Photo quality
- Current appearanceThe photograph must have been taken within the last six months and must reflect the applicant’s current appearance.
- No digital alterationBeautifying filters, feature-altering edits, and other cosmetic retouching of the subject are rejected by Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service reviewers.
Dimensions, resolution & background.
Head position & camera distance.
- Head height, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must be between 33 mm and 36 mm (roughly 73–81% of the photo height).
- Eyes must sit between 21 mm and 25 mm from the bottom of the photo.
- The head must be centered horizontally in the frame with a small symmetrical margin on each side.
- Both shoulders must be square to the camera and visible. Three-quarter angles or rotated torsos are not accepted.
- The full face from chin to crown must be inside the frame with proper top margin.
Ethiopia accepts more than one size — we generate them all.
Ethiopia publishes more than one acceptable format depending on where you submit your application — domestic passport offices, the official online portal, and regional consulates abroad can each call for a different print or pixel size. We render every variant below from the same source photo, so the head sits at the same physical position across files, and each one arrives in your order email with a clear filename indicating which submission channel it's for.
Ethiopia Visa 35×45 mm — e-Visa
Primary · Print + DigitalEthiopia's official format — the same file works for both printed in-person submissions and the online portal upload.
Ethiopia Visa 30×40 mm
Consular printAlternate accepted size — printable for in-person submissions.
How recent the photo must be.
Your visa photo must have been taken within the last six months. A new photo is required sooner whenever your appearance has changed in a way that makes the old photo no longer recognizable.
You need a new photo if you’ve had…
- Facial surgery or a major change to facial structure
- A significant gain or loss of weight that visibly changes your face
- Large facial tattoos or piercings added or removed
- A gender transition that has changed your appearance
You do not need a new photo just because of…
- A new hair color
- Growing or removing a beard or moustache
- Ordinary, minor aging
- A new hairstyle that still leaves the face fully visible
Photos for infants and young children.
Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service does not publish a formal child override on the e-Visa portal, but consular practice consistently relaxes a few rules for the youngest applicants.
Infants (under 12 months)
The neutral-expression and eyes-open rules are eased for babies, but the subject-isolation rule is enforced strictly.
- Eyes may be closedInfants under one year are not required to have their eyes open or to look directly at the camera.
- Expression is not assessedA neutral expression is preferred but not required. The mouth may be open.
- Child alone in frameNo other person may appear in the photograph. Supporting hands, arms, and clothing belonging to a parent or carer must not be visible.
- No toys or accessoriesPacifiers, toys, blankets, and other props must be kept out of the shot.
- Lying-down capture allowedAn infant may be photographed lying on a plain white sheet with the camera held directly above, provided the face is square to the lens.
Other things to know.
A couple of channel-specific quirks catch Ethiopian visa applicants out more often than the subject rules do.
E-Visa is the default channel
Almost every applicant files through evisa.gov.et and uploads a digital photo there. Ethiopia does not use VFS Global, BLS, or any other visa application centre, so there is no in-person capture service to fall back on.
Washington D.C. size variant
The Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C. asks for a 51 by 51 mm (2 by 2 inch) square print instead of the 35 by 45 mm format used by the e-Visa portal and other missions. Applicants filing through that embassy should select the US embassy output when preparing prints.
Six-month recency rule
The photograph must have been taken within the previous six months. Reviewers will reject an older image even when the applicant still looks the same.
Visa-on-Arrival is being phased out
Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service now directs eligible nationalities to apply online before travel. A printed photo is occasionally requested at Bole International Airport, but relying on the on-arrival channel is no longer the recommended path.
Take your Ethiopia visa photo at home in three steps.
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Print-quality requirements for in-person submissions.
When you submit a printed photo at a visa application centre, the paper, finish, and ink all matter. The points below cover the standards most consular missions accept.
- Print on photographic-quality paper at 600 DPI minimum.
- Use a matte or semi-gloss finish; high-gloss can produce reflections that confuse biometric scanners.
- Do not retouch, crop, or alter the photo after printing.
- Bring at least two identical prints when the submission channel calls for paper photos.