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Ethiopia visa photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC for the Ethiopia visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Ethiopia visa photo?

Most visitors now get an e-Visa, so few embassies still issue visas themselves. Where they do, the photo depends on the mission: the Brussels embassy's visa form has a box for a recent 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) photograph, and Washington takes a JPEG photo of up to 2 MB uploaded with its online visa request, usually taken within the last six months. The e-Visa portal's visa-on-arrival page lists no photo.

Visas for Ethiopia come from three places: the online e-Visa run by the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), Ethiopian embassies and consulates abroad, and the visa on arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport for eligible nationalities. This page covers embassy visas and visa on arrival. Citizens of Kenya and Djibouti with a valid passport need no visa at all.

What an embassy does now varies widely. Brussels sends all visa applications except diplomatic ones to the e-Visa and keeps a paper form for diplomatic requests. Washington still issues tourist visas through its own online request system, after which you drop off or mail your passport. Paris accepts applications at its reception desk from residents of France, Spain, Portugal and the Holy See, or by tracked post.

Because each mission sets its own paperwork, photo rules are thin and differ. Only the Brussels form states a size; Washington's online form sets a file type and a file size; the Paris visa page gives no photo specification at all.

Ethiopia visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC:[1]

Print size3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) on the Brussels embassy visa form; other missions state no print size
Digital sizeWashington online request: photo uploaded as a file, no pixel size published
BackgroundNot stated by the embassies; Ethiopia's e-Visa photo guidance uses a white background
Photo ageWashington: usually taken within the last six months; Brussels form: recent
File sizeWashington online request: up to 2 MB
File formatWashington online request: JPG or JPEG
Pixels when printed354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
30 mm40 mm
30 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: not stated by the embassies.

Key requirements

  • Check that the embassy still issues your visa

    Brussels says all visa applications except diplomatic visas go through the e-Visa, and the Paris embassy also points visitors to the online e-Visa service. Read your mission's visa page before preparing photos, because a tourist application may simply be redirected online.

  • Brussels form: 3 x 4 cm

    The Brussels embassy's bilingual visa application form has a photo box labelled recent photograph, 3x4 cm. Attach one print of that size in the box. Brussels uses this form for diplomatic visa requests.

  • Washington: upload, then hand in the passport

    Washington's visa request starts on its consular website, where the form has a photo field accepting JPG or JPEG files and warns when a photo is more than 2 MB. If the request is approved, you drop off your passport at the consular section or mail it.

  • Washington: a recent photo

    The Washington tourist visa list asks for a valid passport with at least six months left and a recent passport-sized photo, usually taken within the last six months. Non-US citizens also need a US permanent residence permit.

  • Paris: two copies of the form

    In Paris the application form must be filled in twice, in capital letters, without crossings-out, and signed. Postal applications need a tracking number and a completed, prepaid return envelope.

  • Visa on arrival

    The e-Visa portal's visa-on-arrival page lists the eligible countries but names no photo. The Paris embassy says eligible nationals, including all African Union citizens, must first register their request on the e-Visa platform.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Confirm on your embassy's page which visa types it still issues.
  • Use a 3 x 4 cm print for the Brussels form.
  • Keep a Washington upload in JPG or JPEG, no larger than 2 MB.
  • Use a photo taken within the last six months.
  • Fill in the Paris form twice, in capital letters.
  • Include a tracked, prepaid return envelope with postal applications.

Don't

  • Do not send a tourist application to the Brussels embassy.
  • Do not upload a PNG or PDF to Washington's photo field.
  • Do not post your passport to Washington before the request is approved.
  • Do not cross out entries on the Paris form.
  • Do not use an old photo from a previous visa.

Sample photos

How a Ethiopia visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

The Brussels form, Washington's online request and the Paris visa page set no rule on glasses. The Ethiopian missions that do mention glasses, such as Paris for passport and identity-card photos, ask for photos taken without them, so removing glasses keeps you consistent with the strictest published Ethiopian practice.

Brussels and Paris take paper applications, so the photo is a print: for Brussels, 3 x 4 cm in the box on the form. Washington is the reverse: the photo is uploaded as a JPG or JPEG file with the online request, and only the passport is handed in or posted afterwards.

One digital photo can serve both needs. It can be cropped to 3 x 4 cm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, or saved as a JPEG under 2 MB for an online form.

Where to submit the photo

Washington: submit the request online on the embassy's consular site; if approved, drop off your passport at the consular section on weekday mornings or mail it to the embassy. Fees are paid by money order only. Paris: hand the application to the embassy's reception desk or send it by post with tracking. Brussels: diplomatic visa requests only, through the embassy.

For visa on arrival, check the eligible countries on the e-Visa portal. Washington's page says visa on arrival is processed for passengers travelling from the US, and Paris says eligible nationals must register on the e-Visa platform before travelling.

How to get your Ethiopia visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Ethiopia visa: 30 × 40 mm print, not stated by the embassies background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: check that the embassy still issues your visa; brussels form: 3 x 4 cm; washington: upload, then hand in the passport; washington: a recent photo.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Brussels and Paris take paper applications, so the photo is a print: for Brussels, 3 x 4 cm in the box on the form.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Washington: submit the request online on the embassy's consular site; if approved, drop off your passport at the consular section on weekday mornings or mail it to the embassy. Fees are paid by money order only.

Make this photo online

Ethiopia visa photo FAQ

Only the Brussels embassy's form states a size: a recent photograph of 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm). Washington takes an uploaded JPG or JPEG of up to 2 MB, and the Paris visa page gives no photo size. Follow the form of the embassy you apply to.

No. The Brussels embassy says all visa applications except diplomatic visas should be sent to the Immigration agency through the e-Visa portal, and keeps its paper form for diplomatic visa requests. Tourists apply online instead.

A recent passport-sized photo, usually taken within the last six months, uploaded with the online visa request. The form's photo field accepts JPG and JPEG files and warns when the photo is more than 2 MB. No pixel size or background colour is published.

The e-Visa portal's visa-on-arrival page lists eligible countries but no photo requirement. The Paris embassy says eligible nationals must first register their request on the e-Visa platform; if you do, its application asks for a passport-size photo upload.

Citizens of Kenya and Djibouti with a valid passport can enter without a visa, according to the e-Visa portal and the Paris embassy. Washington adds that passengers connecting at Bole International Airport need no visa if they stay airside and do not pass the immigration desk.

The embassy forms do not say. Ethiopia's e-Visa guidance asks for a photo taken with a white background, and the Paris embassy asks for white on passport and identity-card photos, so a plain white background follows the published Ethiopian practice.

Related photo specifications

Other Ethiopia documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 30 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC. Service Details - Visa consular.ethiopianembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC. New Visa Request (online form) consular.ethiopianembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of Ethiopia, Brussels. Visa Services ethiopianembassy.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of Ethiopia, Brussels. Visa Application Form (PDF) ethiopianembassy.be. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of Ethiopia, Paris. Visas ambassade-ethiopie.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS). Tourist Visa On Arrival evisa.gov.et. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Ethiopia visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/ethiopia/visa-photo

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