Due to a lack of cooperation from the Ethiopian authorities on readmissions, the Schengen member states have decided to enact the provisions of Article 25 a of the Visa Code, waiving certain privileges that were until now granted to Ethiopian visa applicants.
As a result, Ethiopian citizens have to take into account the following points when planning a trip to the Schengen area:
- Visa applications must be accompanied by all documents required for the purpose of the stay, missing documents will result in a refusal;
- Visas can only be granted after 45 days from submission of the application, a travel date sooner than 45 days after submission will result in refusal;
- Only single-entry visas can be granted;
- Holders of diplomatic and service passport are no longer exempt from the visa fee.
This does not affect certain family members of EU, EEA, Swiss, and UK citizens living in another country than the one of their nationalities (under directive 2004/38 on the right for free movement) and obligations under international law, such as participation in international intergovernmental conferences.
The Schengen member states remain hopeful that Ethiopia will change its stance on repatriation of Ethiopian citizens without a right to stay in the Schengen area, allowing the Schengen member states to reinstate the privileges previously granted to Ethiopian citizens under the Visa Code.