Marriage in Ethiopia and Ethiopian Citizenship Residency

Welcome on the forum Addisveryfaraway,

I hope that you will receive some useful replies in regards to your above questions.

Wish you good luck & congratulations for your weddings.

Regards
Armand

Addisveryfaraway wrote:

I am an USA citizen, and my fiancee is an Ethiopian citizen.

Our relationship begun 2 years ago, and we been planning for marriage since half year ago.

After very many very serious discussions between me and her and our families, including her many visits to the Immigration Office, all aggreed that the plan is I will come to Ethiopia as soon as possible, we will marry there very soon after, and I will stay in Ethiopia as Ethiopian citizen/resident.

But I worry about if we have correct information about the laws and process for marriage between different citizenships, and how to become Ethiopian citizen/resident.

She has talked with Immigration Office many times, and she says that the office told her same answer every time, the process is...

...Foreigner comes to Ethiopia with any types of visa.
...Get marriage certificate at city office.
...Foreigner stays in Ethiopia for 1 year, renewing visa each month, then Ethiopian government gives foreigner an Ethiopian passport.

Though that would be both an easy and wonderful immigration process, I still doubt it, because I not able to find any information online (and no person I know) that describes this process.

My questions are these...

1...I will apply for a visa to the Ethiopian Embassy, but do I need to request for marriage/immigration visa or do I still request for tourist/family vist visa?

2...Is the process what the Immigration Office told her, correct?

3...Is there any details (more process, more laws) that we need to know about for me to be able to stay in Ethiopia after start of marriage?

My suggestion is you can come as visitor and renew your passport. What the authorities told your wife is what suppose to be done. I do not think it would be hard thing. I do not think either it would be complicated. Just when you come bring documents-like offical documents that you never been married or if u r married before and divorced you should bring that too. Also join   visajourney.com there are ethiopians going the same process but the other way round. Those going to State. You never know you might get help at that forum also. Best of Luck

It is true that your Ethiopian wife can apply for your resident permit after 1 year, but as far as I know you can only get a tourist visa for 3 months at your Ethiopian embassy, or a tourist visa for 1 month at Bole airport, which you can extend 2 times for 1 month. Then you have to leave the country, for example to Kenya, Rwanda, or your home country.

NO, if u are an American, you should apply for a business visa and you will get two years business visa before you travel to Ethiopia. After marriage she can apply family reunion if you want to take up a job. If not you business visa allows you to stay in the country for  2 years and then your wife can apply for a  yellow card as an Ethiopian born citizen (which is very much different from citizenship) which is valid for 5 years. Every five years you can get it renewed with less hassle and no complicated process. If this message is not clear for you, you can email me [email protected]
Good luck!

Did you ever get it worked out for your marriage to the Ethiopian woman? Not sure what all the hassle with immigration was about. You come here. *Quickly* get married. It's almost too easy. I'm curious. Anyway, you may wish to read my recent -3/21/2012- comments on a foreigner marrying an Ethiopian women. Perhaps with your real-world marital experience now in Ethiopia, you can correct, add to, or clarify. Born in the USA!

please please, be very careful aboput marriages with ethiopian women and men!!!!!i am talking about my own experience i only want to open your eyes and to let you be aware about reality:
i was living and working in ethiopia during 2 years, where i met my ethiopian husband.
we were working togheter, he was very friendly, helped me a lot, seamed to be different and not behind my passport. he even helped me doing houshold, cooking and so on, which is not common or men in ethiopia.
after 2 years we decided to marry and he came to switzerland.
as soon as he was married, he totally changed his behaviour: he stopped helping me anything at home, he always phoned to a women in ethiopia, after 2 months i heared from his boss there, that he already had wife and 2 children in ethiopia. its not that i am stupid and was never thinking about that before. i wasked him and his friends several times about his familiar live in ethiopia, we were living one year togheter, without seeing anything from this children or wife. they were all togheter lyeing me!!its just to much easy to hide things in ethiopia!moreover he started to be agressiv against me. i was working the whole day, he was sitting at home, doing nothing, not even cleaning or buying food. ( what he did in ethiopia). when i checked my computer, i was realising that he was the whole day searching other girls per internet, searching sex contacts and so on...whenever i asked him to tell him the truth, he was hitting me badly, to make me silent.
he was clever enough to be very friendly in front of other people, to deny everthing,what he did and he turned it in a way, that i seamed to be psychological sick. he didnt find a job, but he was not really interested in learning our language or searching jobs. otherwise he wouldnt sit at home and searching girls the whole day.anyway, he turned it in a way, that it was me, to not let him work, to made him dependend on me and so on. it was just hell!!!when i asked him to separate, he still sayed, that he loved me, and denied everything what he did.i was paying everything for him, when i gave him money for food or clothes, he was saving it and sending to his wife in ethiopia. i know that families there can make a lot of pressure, expecting somebody abroad to m rich from him, which was not possible
i was payying everything for him, he was even saving the mopney what i gave him for eating and sending it to his wife in ethiopia. i know that family can make a big pressure on them, expecting that if they re abroad, they ll make them rich.it seamed very much, as if she was sending him even to find a european women, to get money and after 5 years he d divorce from me to bring her here.
he s back in ethiopia, i am fighting for divorcion, but he dont agree,as he s still thinking of coming back.the lawyers in ethiopia are as corrupt as everything there and it s impossible to find his 2nd marriage certificate, eventhough i know, that he s already married there, as he was several times talking about his wife in amharic, and i understand amharic.no lawyer no ambasssador is helping me upt o know.
anyway,
i dont want to sound like a frustrated abused women, i am happy again and living now with another ethiopian man, who was living here during many years  who is absolutly opposite of this,who is friendly, tender, helping me a lot,listening me, accepting me. they re not all like that, but unfortunately i heared many stories like that. and it all began with a big love with friendlyness and turned into hell after. i just want to tell you, be aware, open your eyes, even if you think its a big love, control everything before, visit first her or his family, and not only once, see where they re living, if it s not arranged just for one visit and so on.

Hello mary79 -> Thank you for sharing your experience. Just to note that this thread is about Ethiopian Citizenship Residency.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi all, just joined. Some good advice in this forum but I am still confused. I am a UK citizen and my Ethiopian fiancée along with baby son live in Ethiopia. My intention is to join them and live there but we have been given so much conflicting information on rules and permits.

Once married, am I ever entitled to work in Ethiopia? The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs says no. The Ethiopian Embassy do not know and neither it seems does Immigration, which now won't even allow my partner through the gate.

Can I get a yellow card? I've read elsewhere that this allows me residency and to work for my partner only, which would be better than nothing. Also, is there a blue card which then lets me work as normal?

This is a nightmare. The UK has pretty much blocked immigration but I am struggling to find any way to live and support my family in Ethiopia instead, despite having a background in development work and a qualified ESOL teacher.

Has anyone here been through this process and as a foreigner been able to work (USA might be different)? It would be such a great help if anyone can give concrete recommendations.

am guy from Kenya and also i want to be Ethiopia citizen but before that i want to know if the is a temporary passport from kenya if the is let me know

What is you are not a citizen of ethiopia and you don't want to marry a citizen of ethiopia how can youu get your citizenship still?

From what I have read: if you have a Kenyan passport you can enter Ethiopia without a visa, for up to one year.

As for my original post, it looks like there is no way I can gain a work permit through being married to an Ethiopian. With a work permit by other means I am entitled to residency, but not the other way around.

Taking Ethiopian nationality is risky too because I must renounce my British citizenship.

i enjoy by your service

Hello abebemuluneh ----> An introduction may be? To whom are you replying?

Thanks

Karen.

[moderated: Expat.com is not a DATING website.]

I join Mary. Do not marry ethiopian ever.

Use common sense and judgement, there will always be money-grabbers and they will be most visible. But as in any country there are a great many decent, honest and sincere people.

Back to the topic: to get married I will need legalised copies of a Certificate of No Impediment and Divorce paper. These were legalised in the UK and the British Embassy will then authenticate them. After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will (hopefully) authenticate them so the marriage admin will accept them. I will need 3 (I think) witnesses on the day.

As far as I can tell, marriage will never allow me to work in Ethiopia. For that I still need a work permit. It only allows residency after 1 year (if 40 000 Birr is in the bank).

That is how I understand it at present, and will find out for sure next month when I get married.

All readers,

I must concur with above that you should be very careful before committing.

I have just appeared in court and been convicted of Domestic Assault on my wife, an Ethiopian National.  This offense I most definitely did not commit.  This was however the second time she had made such an allegation but the first time no charges were referred.

Unfortunately the judge believed her version of events and convicted me although there were no witnesses or injuries, because it didn't happen.  Not only did she blatantly lie in court, she took the oath with her left hand, wrongly confirmed her age and that of one of the children, and denied being under prescribed medication.  But the judge believed her, probably as she wept in court.  Incidentally, I am nearly 30 years exemplary Military Service, no previous convictions and not even a penalty point on my driving license.

The whole sorry mess is that I am now awaiting sentence with bail conditions for something I did not do.  She in the meantime is in my house getting everything paid for.  I now have a mountain of debt due to her trips to Ethiopia, continuous use of the telephone, and the costs of a lawyer for my defense in court.  Now I also face the possibility of my employment being terminated.  During her trips she would also take clothes, jewellery, kids clothes and shoes, mobile phones and electrical goods but not return with them.  All in all a mess!

Following the first police incident I did advise them of my concerns, and also spoke to health visitors, GP, midwife and family and friends.  Unfortunately she was only prescribed anti-depressants which she didn't take and now the saga continues.

I have now cancelled the house telephone until I can return.

During repeated provocation, she has repeatedly told me that I am not the children's father and I will never see them again.  Now of course I will have to initiate DNA tests to confirm this.  I do believe I am the father of the youngest child but her actions put everything in doubt.

She has made no attempt to learn English and her visa will expire next year.

I have however written to the Home Office to denounce sponsorship.

Yes I know, the warning signs were there but I genuinely believed it would get better.  I should have heeded the warning signs.  Ironically none of her family or friends reply to my SMS or emails.

Anyway, please be very careful before committing.  The penalties can be extremely severe and don't think that the law will protect you.  It is not infallible and there are many innocent people found guilty.

To that end, I must also add there are many genuine people in the world.   Having seen the conditions of poverty, it is really not surprising the extremes people will go to to escape this.

Firstly Ethiopia does not allow joint citizenship - if you want to become Ethiopian you must 'in theory' give up you American Citizenship - this also applies for you as an American - if they found out you have an Ethiopian passport they could revoke your US citizenship. So be careful.

But here are the facts - a stupid as is sounds Ethiopian Law only allows you to become Ethiopian after having a residents card for over 15 years - even if you are married to an Ethiopian - I even wrote to the Ethiopian Ambassador in London to complain about this policy and never got a response. You can get a business visa - but you will need to prove you are employed by a company in Ethiopia.

If you plan to live in Ethiopia you will need a tourist visa as described by other people - after a year your wife can get you a residency card that you can renew each year (it is a bit of a complicated process to start with) but once you have it it is easy to renew. Do not let your tourist visa expire - over stayers have been arrested at Bole airport when trying to leave. I do not live in Ethiopia - every year my wife and I return to see her family - we time the visit so I can renew my residency card each year.

On a good note I have been married to a beautiful Ethiopian women for over 7 years - I love going to Ethiopia - the only thing about me that is not Ethiopian is the colour of my skin - my wife and I have a house in Addis that we rent out and I cannot wait the retire there in 10 years time. Will I ever apply for an Ethiopian Passport? Yes , one day, but I am lucky - as a UK citizen I can have joint nationality.

But do listen to the other people - an Ethiopian will do anything to marry a 'westerner' - I hope it works out for you.

Hope this helps.

greeting,sir u are in the wrong track u have misinformed.

Hi ADEMASU,

Welcome to Expat-Blog

Can you please explain a little more ?

Thank you

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

2011 I was travelling to Mombasa for a holiday  transit at bole airport at   Addis Ababa,i I went to get a coofee at the London café terminal 2,a very friendly Ethiopian waitress asked if I would like a coffee.i ordered and gave her 20 dollar tip,cut long story short,11/10/2011 we where married the family only took 2 days to get the wedding on.may 2012 done our spouse visa process 2200usd it cost,as soon as we got it posted my Ethiopian wife attitude changed a bit,sex came to stand still...our 12 month wedding anniversary comes up 11/1012, so I fly her to Bangkok froom addis ababa and my self from Darwin Australia. I pay all the expenses motel's, flight's,spending money about 8,000aus dollars 4 days and nights,...On the last day/night no more sex she has the wrong time of the month,catching flights home she seem's to care about her familt in addis than me her husband,a kiss on the check and see you my husband, April-May my wife and I get out visa approved through Nairobi Kenya Australia embassy,my wife loses her passport and needs another one, tell's me she will need an other one and the cost will be 500usd,i refuse to give her the money,a few I los you's and I give her the money.the passport process is done illeagally.by this time I am that stressed about knowning my wife commited  passport fraud against her own country as well as Australia my country,,,,i pay for her flight to Darwin nt as soon as she get's off the plane she start's on about ,I have right's.,,the rest is history,glad I am single again......did not know that this whole prcess would cost me about 30,000 dollar's,i am very unfinacial at the moment but I will survive, one cup of coffee?????????

.

I am so sorry for you. But thank god this lady would mess you life. After all she is a waitres from bole air port...those ladies are shits.

aussiepeople wrote:

2011 I was travelling to Mombasa for a holiday  transit at bole airport at   Addis Ababa,i I went to get a coofee at the London café terminal 2,a very friendly Ethiopian waitress asked if I would like a coffee.i ordered and gave her 20 dollar tip,cut long story short,11/10/2011 we where married the family only took 2 days to get the wedding on.may 2012 done our spouse visa process 2200usd it cost,as soon as we got it posted my Ethiopian wife attitude changed a bit,sex came to stand still...our 12 month wedding anniversary comes up 11/1012, so I fly her to Bangkok froom addis ababa and my self from Darwin Australia. I pay all the expenses motel's, flight's,spending money about 8,000aus dollars 4 days and nights,...On the last day/night no more sex she has the wrong time of the month,catching flights home she seem's to care about her familt in addis than me her husband,a kiss on the check and see you my husband, April-May my wife and I get out visa approved through Nairobi Kenya Australia embassy,my wife loses her passport and needs another one, tell's me she will need an other one and the cost will be 500usd,i refuse to give her the money,a few I los you's and I give her the money.the passport process is done illeagally.by this time I am that stressed about knowning my wife commited  passport fraud against her own country as well as Australia my country,,,,i pay for her flight to Darwin nt as soon as she get's off the plane she start's on about ,I have right's.,,the rest is history,glad I am single again......did not know that this whole prcess would cost me about 30,000 dollar's,i am very unfinacial at the moment but I will survive, one cup of coffee?????????

.

I am realy sorry for you. There are always bad people wherever you travel... But believe me those ladies working in the airport(I mean not the airlines and the aviation employees, i am talking about those working in the cafterias and shops, works for private business) are not better than bar ladies. They are always after expats money and cetezenship. they do not have any remains of moral and ethics. I am not saying all but most of the girs around there does not look like ethiopians...they are lost.

surprisingly those ladies do not want to marry African men. not about colour coz they marry African americans, what is the difference? colour, apearance, it is America. I feel shame because I am ethiopian

well I hope she get's deported back to her own country, very soon???????  I have nothing against Ethiopian women I just met the wrong one ...??????Ethiopia is an interesting country though,,,,,,

Hi everybody

This is to remind you all that the initial subject of this thread here is : Marriage in Ethiopia and Ethiopian Citizenship Residency.

So i think that it will be nice if we can stick to the initial subject please and avoid generalised comments.

Thank you all for your cooperation.


Priscilla
Expat.com team

Hi everybody,

Please note that some off topic posts have been removed from this discussion.

Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

those post were from I think my ex- wife.......

this why never marry an Ethiopian,,,,,, this from my Ethiopian wife messages when she commited passport fraud and corruption to enter Australia,,,date 8th of april 2013....  JOHN K---police found your passport yet sweety lovejkxxxxxx ..   MARTA.K------hi my love are u?  steel [still ]now police not yet my passport,,, but today I was going immigration,,,, sweety it is my problem am veary sorry about lost my passport  ,they say before me to much people needs passport so with out money they bring me after 3 munthes but I pey    500usd they bring antil  April 25my passport   ,,,,,,it is corruption am veary sorry sweety about  extra money it is veary expensive but we[her family] don't have choice,i acnt weit 3munthes b/c my visa is field [ failed ] antil that so my love ,,,,,my dear I want to came fastly I cant weit another day am veary miss  u and your family  ,tell  me ur idea sweety ,,,,, cheers  ur  wife...............JOHN.K-----------come on marta  ,what is wrong with your country why is it so messed up 500usd that is not good we will  see what happens,,,,,go and see them again and take your father with  you okay they should not put it over him with bullshit like 500usd ,,,, I am not paying 500usd no way,,,,,,,,,,,,,,love jkxxxxxxxx Now I am accused of spouse abuse by my Ethiopian wife who is in austral now separated of couse,she has since taken up with a local lebonese drug dealer, her high orthodox Christianity gone out the window....cheers jk.....  ONE of the charges is economical abuse,,,,,hahaha she had no money at all in our relationship I supported her and her family that's why I am homeless now....??????