Date of publication:
08/21/2025
Ethiopia
Do domestic laws and policies provide for family reunification for forcibly displaced and stateless persons?
Assessment by population
Analysis
Domestic laws and policies in Ethiopia entitle recognized refugees and asylum-seekers the right to request and seek reunification with their family members within the country. According to article 14(5) of the Refugees Proclamation, the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) is tasked with facilitating reunification when requests are made by recognized refugees or asylum-seekers to reunify with their family members within Ethiopia.
In addition, the Directive to Determine Conditions for Movement and Residence of Refugees Outside of Camps, Directive No. 1/2019, that is issued to regulate freedom of movement of refugees, states, under article 10(1), that a refugee who is a family member of a refugee who has been granted a permit for regular out of camp residency can apply and live together with the refugee who has a permit.
Related provisions of domestic law or policy
Refugees Proclamation No.1110/2019
- Year: 2019
- Type: Domestic law
- Rights Category: Asylum, Freedom of movement, Liberty & security of person, Nationality & facilitated naturalization, Social protection, Family life, Documentation
- Link to external source: https://www.refworld.org/legal/decreees/natlegbod/2019/en/30352
Legal provision
Article 2(9) - Definitions
"The Family Members" means a) any spouse of the recognized refugee or asylum-seeker; b) any unmarried child of the recognized refugee or asylum-seeker under the age of eighteen years; or c) any person the Agency may consider, upon assessment, as member of a family taking into account the meaning of family in the laws of their country of origin and existence of dependency among them.