Patient Guide · Ethiopia
Indian Medical Visa for Ethiopian Patients: Requirements, Fees and How to Apply in 2026
Ethiopia doesn’t have access to India’s online e-Medical Visa — every application goes through the Embassy of India in Addis Ababa in person. Here’s what it costs, the two vaccinations you’ll need before you travel, and exactly how to apply.
Which visa do you need?
Patients travelling from Ethiopia for treatment in India need a Medical Visa, not a tourist visa — a tourist visa doesn’t permit hospital admission or ongoing treatment.
Ethiopia is not on India’s eligible-country list for the e-Medical Visa — so unlike some other markets, there is only one route: the regular (paper) Medical Visa, applied for online and then submitted in person at the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa. If a page tells you Ethiopia has an “e-Medical Visa portal” option, that’s wrong as of today — it doesn’t exist for this market.
Both the patient’s visa and any attendant’s visa need a genuine hospital invitation letter — that’s the one document the process doesn’t let you skip.
Source: Visa policy of India (e-Visa eligible-country list) · Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — checked 22 October 2026
What it costs
The Medical and Medical Attendant Visa fee for Ethiopian nationals, per the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa’s consular fee schedule (effective 1 December 2025):
- Up to 6 months, single or multiple entry: US$80
- More than 6 months up to 1 year, multiple entry: US$120
- Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) fee: US$3 — added to every visa application
Payment is in cash only, at the Embassy counter — the Embassy’s own guidance states consular fees are payable in USD by cash only, though a separate Ethiopian-national tariff shows the same fee converted to Ethiopian Birr (ETB) if you’re paying locally. Bring exact change and confirm the current ETB conversion close to your payment date, since it moves with the exchange rate. Fees are non-refundable once submitted.
Source: Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — Consular Fee Schedule · Visa Fee for Ethiopian Nationals — checked 22 October 2026
Documents you'll need
This is the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa’s own checklist for the Medical Visa and Medical Attendant Visa:
- Signed, printed copy of the online visa application form
- One recent photograph, 51mm × 51mm, white background
- Original passport, valid for more than six months
- Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) card — copy and original
- Yellow Fever vaccination certificate — copy and original
- Medical invitation letter from an Indian hospital, generated through the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal
- Local hospital letter or medical report from Ethiopia
- Bank statement showing sufficient funds, plus a bank letter in the applicant's name — or, if someone else is sponsoring the trip, the sponsor's passport/ID copy and a notarised supporting document
- Signed undertaking letter for a Medical or Medical Attendant Visa, in the Embassy's prescribed format
That invitation letter is generated by your hospital, not by you — the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal is a Ministry of Home Affairs system for registered Indian hospitals to issue invitation letters, not something a patient logs into or registers on themselves. Your job is simply to make sure the hospital you’re booked with actually uses it.
Source: Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — Visa Services and Requirements — checked 22 October 2026
Two vaccinations, not one — the detail competitor guides miss
Travelling from Ethiopia to India, you need both of the following — several guides online only mention one of them:
- Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) — given at least 4 weeks before travel. The Embassy specifically directs applicants to Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa for this certificate. Valid for 1 year.
- Yellow Fever vaccination — given at least 10 days before travel. Valid for 10 years.
Both certificates (copy and original) have to be presented at the Embassy’s visa counter and again at Indian airports on arrival — so keep the originals with your travel documents, not packed away. This dual requirement is specific to Ethiopia; it isn’t the same combination every market faces on this site, so don’t assume what applied elsewhere applies here.
Source: Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — General Requirements for Visas — checked 22 October 2026
How to apply, step by step
Since there’s no e-Medical Visa for Ethiopia, every application follows the same paper route:
- Get your hospital invitation letter first. Send your medical reports to the Indian hospital and have them issue the invitation letter through the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal.
- Apply online at indianvisaonline.gov.in using the regular (paper) visa application, then print the completed form.
- Book an appointment at the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa via its online appointment system.
- Attend in person with the full document checklist above, including both vaccination certificates.
- Pay the visa fee in cash at the Embassy counter.
Source: Indian Visa Online — Instructions for Regular Visa Application · Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — checked 22 October 2026
Medical Attendant Visa
Indian missions worldwide apply the same rule: “maximum two attendants are permitted with a patient.” An attendant’s application needs proof of their relationship to the patient and follows the same paper route as the patient’s own visa, with the same signed undertaking letter.
An attendant visa is only ever valid alongside a genuine, approved Medical Visa — it can’t be applied for on its own.
Source: Government of India — Medical and Medical Attendant Visa (official mission guidance) — checked 22 October 2026
Air ambulance from Ethiopia to India
For patients who need to travel in a medical emergency rather than a planned admission, air ambulance transfer from Ethiopia to India can be arranged — but it’s quoted case by case against the patient’s condition, aircraft availability and route, so there isn’t a fixed price we can honestly publish here. The patient still needs a valid Medical Visa before the transfer can proceed, so if timing is tight, start the visa paperwork and the medical arrangements at the same time rather than one after the other.
If this applies to you, tell us the patient’s current condition and location and we’ll get you a same-day response.
Where to apply
- Embassy of India, Addis Ababa — 224, Kebele 13/14, Woreda 07, Arada Sub-City, Near Bel Air Hotel, Aware, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- General working hours: 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM, Monday to Friday, excluding holidays — confirm current visa-counter hours before you travel to submit
- Appointments are required — book via the Embassy's online appointment system before visiting
- Apply online first at indianvisaonline.gov.in; the printed form is what you bring to your appointment
Source: Embassy of India, Addis Ababa · Schedule Your Appointment — checked 22 October 2026
How Geo Healthcare helps
The hospital invitation letter is the document every other step depends on — it has to be generated through the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal and name the right patient, illness, treatment duration and estimated cost. We coordinate this directly with your hospital in India so the letter is right and portal-issued the first time, then hand you a clean, ready-to-submit document checklist covering both vaccination certificates.
One thing worth being upfront about: the Embassy requires you (or your attendant) to attend your own appointment in person — we can’t submit the application on your behalf, but we make sure everything you bring is correct before you go.
Frequently asked questions
No — Ethiopia is not on India's eligible-country list for the e-Medical Visa. You fill out the application online at indianvisaonline.gov.in, then submit the printed form and documents in person at the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa.
The Embassy of India, Addis Ababa lists US$80 for up to 6 months, or US$120 for 6 months to 1 year (effective 1 December 2025), plus a US$3 ICWF fee. Payment is in cash only, at the Embassy counter.
Yes, given at least 10 days before travel, valid for 10 years. You also need an Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) certificate, given at least 4 weeks before travel at Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa — both are required, not just one.
Your application form, a photograph, your passport, both vaccination certificates, a hospital invitation letter generated through the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal, a local medical report, proof of funds, and a signed undertaking letter. The full checklist is above.
No — it's a system Indian hospitals use to issue your invitation letter. You don't register on it yourself; just confirm your hospital uses it when they send your invitation letter.
Yes — up to two attendants per patient, each needing proof of their relationship to you. An attendant visa is only valid alongside your own approved Medical Visa.
This page explains the Indian government’s own visa process and is not immigration or legal advice — visa rules, fees and document requirements can change without notice. Always confirm current requirements with the Embassy of India, Addis Ababa before you apply.
Written by the Geo Healthcare Consultancy patient support team · Last reviewed 22 October 2026