Ethiopia passenger data record

The data protection law

The Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024 appears in the Federal Negarit Gazette, 30th Year, No. 35, dated 24 July 2024 ¹. Parliament adopted it on 4 April 2024 and it entered into force on 24 July 2024, according to the Digital Policy Alert database ⁹. The Ethiopian Communications Authority publishes the text on its resources page ².

The Proclamation covers federal and regional public and private institutions, including the Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations (Article 3(3)) ¹. It applies to controllers and processors established in Ethiopia, and to those abroad that use equipment in Ethiopia and have a representative there (Article 3(2)) ¹.

Article 3(4) lists exemptions ¹. One covers information exchange between government agencies on a need-to-know basis ¹. Another covers data from abroad that only transits Ethiopia on its way to a third country ¹. Article 7(2)(e) permits processing needed for the functions of a public authority, within the limits of a law ¹.

Biometric data and the regulator

Article 2(5)(b) lists genetic or biometric data as sensitive personal data ¹. Article 2(6) defines biometric data as facial images, fingerprints, iris scans or similar data used for unique identification ¹. Article 9(1) bars processing of sensitive data as a general rule, and Article 9(2) lists exceptions, including written consent and the lawful non-commercial objectives of public organisations ¹.

Article 2(36) names the Ethiopian Communications Authority as the Authority ¹. Its powers in Article 5 include investigations, enforcement notices and administrative fines ¹. Article 5(12) requires it to keep a register of data controllers and processors ¹. Article 5(10) lets it decide whether a foreign jurisdiction gives an appropriate level of protection for data transfers ¹. The Ministry of Innovation and Technology sets data protection policy and strategy (Article 4) ¹.

API and PNR status

On 18 July 2024 the ICAO AFI SECFAL Plan Secretariat listed six African states with API in force and three with PNR in force ⁶. Ethiopia was on neither list ⁶. It was one of 19 African states listed as developing a legal basis for API or expecting to do so soon ⁶. Ethiopia was not among the 10 states listed as developing a legal basis for PNR ⁶.

This page found no published Ethiopian law, directive or official notice that requires airlines to send API or PNR data, and no named receiving agency ^3,6. The ICS website does not mention API or PNR ³.

Immigration, passports and e-visa

The Immigration and Citizenship Service handles passports, residence permits, Ethiopian Origin ID, business and student visas and NGO work permits ³. Its Director General's message says the agency serves travellers through air and land border control points ³.

Ethiopia runs an official e-visa website at evisa.gov.et ⁸. The page this site opened did not show fees, data fields or a privacy notice, so they are not listed here ⁸.

On 7 October 2026 the ICS reported that its Director General and the head of the National ID Program (Fayda) reviewed work to connect their two systems ⁵. The ICS said the link would let citizens use passport and other services without giving biometric data again each time ⁵. The two leaders directed that the integration be finished in a short period ⁵.

Bole airport e-gates

The Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels reported on 28 January 2019 that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the expanded terminal at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on 27 January 2019 ⁷. It listed automated bag drop, e-gates, self-check-in kiosks and baggage handling among the terminal's systems ⁷. The embassy did not say whether the e-gates check passports or capture biometrics, or which agency runs them ⁷. This page found no official ICS record on e-gate use at Bole ³.

Suppliers and official findings

On 13 October 2026 the ICS reported a meeting between its Director General and the global president of TOPPAN Security on contract implementation ⁴. The ICS said TOPPAN Security was set up in Ethiopia as a 49 percent and 51 percent partnership with the state-owned Ethiopian Investment Holdings to print passports and secure cards and documents ⁴. The ICS statement gives no contract value, term or data holding terms ⁴.

This page found no supplier named in an official record for an API, PNR, e-gate or border data system in Ethiopia ^3,4. It found no audit office, court or parliamentary finding on Ethiopian border or passenger data systems ³.