Ethiopia Embassy Nairobi — Address and Location
Embassy of Ethiopia Address: State House Avenue Postal address: P.O. Box 45198 GPO, Nairobi Phone: +254 20 273 2052 | +254 722 207 025 Email: nairobi.embassy@mfa.gov.et Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–12:30 PM & 2:00 PM–5:30 PM
Ethiopia's embassy in Nairobi has operated since June 1964, making it one of the longest-continuously-running foreign missions in the city and a reflection of just how close and longstanding the relationship between the two countries has been — Kenya and Ethiopia share a border, extensive cross-border trade, and increasingly integrated transport infrastructure through projects like the LAPSSET corridor.
Kenyan citizens currently do not need a tourist visa to enter Ethiopia, which considerably simplifies travel between the two countries compared to many of the other bilateral relationships covered here. For longer stays, work, or business purposes, the embassy's consular section handles the relevant visa categories, and the mission additionally represents Ethiopian interests in Seychelles.
The embassy's location on State House Avenue places it centrally rather than in one of the outer diplomatic enclaves common to newer missions, a legacy of its long tenure in the city. Given the volume of cross-border movement between Kenya and Ethiopia — including significant trade, labor migration, and the presence of a large Ethiopian community in Nairobi — the embassy's consular section tends to handle a higher volume of routine services than many comparably sized missions, and appointment booking is recommended for anything beyond a brief enquiry.
Cross-border trade between Kenya and Ethiopia has expanded through both formal channels and long-established informal trading networks along the shared border, and infrastructure projects connecting the two countries — including transport corridors linking Ethiopian production centers to Kenyan ports — have added a further dimension to the relationship beyond traditional diplomatic and consular engagement. The embassy periodically supports trade delegations and business forums exploring these opportunities.
Given the large Ethiopian community resident in Nairobi, including business owners, students, and families with long-standing ties to the city, the embassy's day-to-day operations reflect a busier, higher-volume consular practice than many comparably sized missions handle. Anyone needing time-sensitive documentation — a passport renewal ahead of urgent travel, for instance — should factor in the possibility of queues or backlog during particularly busy periods, and confirming current wait times by phone before visiting in person can save an unnecessary trip.
