Business and investing

Coming for meetings, a conference or to set up a business? Here's which office does what, with its official website, the visa you need, and how work permits work. Rules and fees change often, so check the official site before you apply, and never pay anyone who isn't the office itself.

• Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC)

  Investment permits, registering your capital, tax holidays and duty-free incentives, investment visa support, and work permits for companies with an investment permit. A one-stop shop for investors.

  AL FISH Building, next to the Development Bank of Ethiopia, Tito Street, Kazanchis, Addis Ababa

  investethiopia.gov.eteInvest portal (apply online) +251 11 551 0033 [email protected]

• Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS)

  Visas, visa extensions and residence permits (the residence ID card), which every foreign worker needs after the work permit.

  ics.gov.etOfficial e-visa site

• Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS)

  Work permits for foreigners employed by companies, NGOs and other employers that don't come under the Investment Commission. Your employer applies.

  mols.gov.et

• Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI)

  Trade name, commercial registration and business licences, applied for and renewed online on its e-Trade portal. Foreign-owned companies get their investment permit from the EIC first.

  etrade.gov.et

• National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE)

  Foreign-exchange rules: bringing in capital, loans from abroad and sending profits home.

  nbe.gov.et

1. 1Check the sector is open to foreign investors and the minimum capital: the EIC lists USD 200,000 for a wholly foreign-owned project and USD 150,000 in a joint venture with an Ethiopian partner (lower in some sectors).
2. 2Come on an investment or business visa, with the EIC's support letter if you need one.
3. 3Apply for an investment permit on the EIC's eInvest portal. The EIC lists USD 50 each for the company name, commercial registration and the permit.
4. 4Register the capital you bring in within a year with the EIC. It's what lets you send profits and capital home later.
5. 5Get your tax number (TIN), business licence and VAT registration. Renew the investment permit every year until the project starts operating.
6. 6Use a local lawyer or accountant for company documents: the EIC asks for notarised articles, minutes and powers of attorney.

1. 1Your employer applies for the work permit: at the Investment Commission if the company has an investment permit, otherwise at the Ministry of Labor and Skills.
2. 2The job must need you: employers show it couldn't be filled locally and name an Ethiopian who will be trained to take it over (a replacement plan).
3. 3With the work permit, get your residence permit (residence ID) from the Immigration and Citizenship Service, and renew both before they run out.
4. 4Renew every year: the EIC asks for your passport, residence permit, contract and a progress report on training your replacement.

What you'll need

• Passport and your business, investment or work visa
• Degree and work-experience letters, authenticated in your home country and by the Ethiopian embassy there
• Signed employment contract
• The plan for training an Ethiopian replacement
• Proof the company pays its Ethiopian staff's salary, pension and tax
• Board minutes, for a CEO, general manager or deputy
• A certificate of competence, for health and education jobs

At the Investment Commission a new work permit costs USD 100 and a renewal USD 80 (more in free trade zones). The Ministry of Labor and Skills sets its own fees.

Golden visa: in 2026 Ethiopia added a 10-year residence permit for large foreign investors. Ask the Investment Commission or the Immigration and Citizenship Service whether you qualify. ENA

须知

• Government offices and banks close on public holidays, and Ethiopia uses its own calendar and clock: see Ethiopian time and date before you book meetings.
• Bring several printed copies of every document, and spare passport photos.
• Have documents from abroad authenticated before you travel; it is much slower to do from Addis.
• Use only the official sites above. Agents who promise a faster permit for a fee are a common scam.
• Carry business cards and dress smartly for meetings with officials; titles (Ato, Weizero, Dr.) are used.