OF THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA 6th Year No. 30 ADDIS ABABA - 28th March , 2000 CONTENTS Council of Ministers Regulations No. 66/2000 Film Shooting Permit Council of Ministers Regulations Page 1284 COUNCIL OF MINISTERS REGULATIONS NO . 66/2000 COUNCIL OF MINISTERS REGULATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMIT TO FOREIGNERS FOR SHOOTING FILMS IN ETHIOPIA A te.com These Regulations are issued by the Council of Minis ters Pursuant to Article 5 of the Definition of Powers and Duties of the Executive Organs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Proclamation No. 4/1995 . Short Title These Regulations may be cited as “ Film shooting permit Council of Ministers Regulations . No. 66/2000 . ” 2. Definitions In these Regulations : 1 ) “ Ministry ” means the Ministry of Information and Culture ; 2 ) “ Film ” means a mobile picture recorded by cellulose or magnetic tape ; 3 ) “ Feature Film ” means a fictional film in which film actors participate ; 4 ) “ Documentary Film ” means a film recorded with the objective of broadcasting or disseminating natural , historical , cultural , political , economical , social con ditions and other factual materials through television , cinema or other electronic screen trans missions ; Unit Price The African Law Archive No. 30 28 March , 2000 - Page 1285 5 ) " Film Shooting Permit ” means a permit issued under these Regulations by the Ministry to foreigners who come only to shoot a particular feature or documen tary film within specific period of time and place . 3. Scope of Application The provisions of these Regulations shall apply : on foreigners who come to shoot films either for profit or non profit purpose , with the exception of film establsihments which are permanently es tablished and licenced in Ethiopia ; 2 ) in all Regions of Ethiopia . 4. Purpose The purposes of these Regulations are : 1 ) To create conducive environment for the film shooting , with the understanding of its preminent role in publicizing the history , culture , natural beauty , resources , political , economic , social and other activities of the country to the world ; 2 ) To ensure that the rights and benefits of the country's nationals and organizations are protected during the film shooting ; 3 ) To ensure that the culture and laws of the country are respected . 5. Requirement of permit A foreigner wishing to shoot a feature or documentary film in Ethiopia shall obtain a permit from the Ministry . 6. Application for shooting films 1 ) A foreigner wishing to shoot films in Ethiopia shall submit his application to the Ministry not later than ten ( 10 ) days prior to the day on which he is due to commence filming . 2 ) The application shall contain , among other things , the purpose and title of the film , duration of the shooting and the exact location where it takes place - and the total production cost of the film as well as the portion that will be used within Ethiopia . 3 ) The applicant shall submit together with his ap plication the following : ( a ) A copy of the film script along with its synopsis for feature films or synopsis for documentary films ; ( b ) In case an Ethiopian personality is portrayed in the film as a character , a copy of a document of no objection from such person or his heirs , certified by an organ legally empowered to approve contrats and documents ; ( c ) In case of a co - production by an Ethiopian and a foreigner , an agreement indicating the respon sibilities and liabilities of each party ; ( d ) The nationality of the filming crew , the passport number , the country issuing the passport , their permanent and temporary addresses as well as other information as may be required by the Ministry . Issuance of permit 1 ) The Ministry shall , upon ascertaining the fulfilment of the requirement laid down under Article 6 of these Regulations and payment of the permit fees deter mined under Article 12 of these Regulations , issue a permit to the applicant within 3 days . The African Law Archive No. 30 28 March , 2000– Page 1286 2 ) Where there are locations prohibited for filming among areas which are indicated in the permit issued in accordance with Sub Article ( 1 ) of this Article , the power of the concerned institution to prohibit fil ming is reserved . 1 ) Where an applicant wishes to use an aircraft for shooting a film , he shall obtain a flight permit from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority . 2 ) An application for a flight permit may be made through the Ministry upon the request of the applicant . 3 ) Where the application to use an aircraft for the film shooting is found acceptable , the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority shall issue the flight permit within 10 days from the date of submission of application . Where the Authority rejects the ap plication , it shall notify the applicant or the Ministry , in writing , its decision thereof . The Applicant shall have the following obligations : 1 ) To submit to the Ministry two English VHS Video cassette copies of the film produced ; 2 ) To appear in person and sign an undertaking to adhere to the conditions of permit and respect the laws of the country . 10. Revocation of permit A permit may be revoked by the Ministry if the undertaking signed by the permit holder in accordance with Article 9 ( 2 ) of these Regulations has not been observed . 11. Exemptions 1 ) The applicant shall submit to the Ministry a list of equipment necessary for shooting film before his arrival . 2 ) Such equipment shall then be imported duty - free on the undertaking that same will be re - exported on departure . 12. Permit Fee 1 ) A foreigner applying for shooting film in Ethiopia shall pay to the Ministry a permit fee as follows : ( a ) Birr , 1,000.00 ( one thousand birr ) for the first Birr , 100,000.00 ( one hundred thousand birr ) of the production cost ; and ( b ) 0.2 % on the additional cost of production over and above Bir , 100,000.00 . 2 ) . Where Filming takes place in location where filming fees are charged , the applicant shall pay the rquired fee to the relevant body . Issuance of Directives The Ministry may issue directives necessary for the proper implementation of these Regulations . 14. Delegation The Ministry may delegate the concerned Federal and Regional Government institutions to conduct follow - up and inspection work in order to ensure the observance of the conditions to which the film shooting permit is given . The African Law Archive No. 30 28 March , 2000Page 1287 15. Penality Whosoever violates the provisions of these Regulations shall be punishable in accordance with the relevant provisions of the penal code . 16. Effective date These Regulations shall enter into force as of their Done at Addis Ababa , this 28th day of March , 2000 . REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA The African Law Archive