The local currency in Ethiopia is the Birr (ETB).
It comes in noted denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. There’s also a range of coins.
ETB can’t be bought outside Ethiopia, so must be obtained either by exchanging USD at local banks or by using local ATM machines.
When you arrive at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, you’ll find several Bureau de Change offices and also ATM’s both before and after passport control.
Just remember to keep any exchange receipts, you’ll need to present these when exiting the country.
You are not allowed to take more than 200 Birr out of Ethiopia when you leave.
ATM’s are plentiful across cities in Ethiopia and easy to use with instructions in English.
They generally accept both Visa and Mastercard.