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Burundi

Visa Burundi

Afrique · Afrique de l’Est

In Burundi, entry and stay fall to the Commissariat général des migrations (general commission for migration), attached to the national police. The pages read on 2026-09-18 publish the categories and their rates in dollars: transit at 40 USD, single and multiple entry at 90 USD, stay in bands from 10 to 210 USD, establishment at 500 USD and permanent resident at 1,200 USD. The application is filed online on the Commission's site, which details the form fields and the documents to upload. No processing time is published.

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.

Machine-assisted draft, reviewed by a person on 23 September 2026. Only the authority cited is authoritative.

Published on 23 September 2026 · Reviewed by vg_admin on 23 September 2026 · Sources consulted on 18 September 2026

At a glance

Authority
Commissariat général des migrations (CGM) — national police of Burundi
Submission channel
Online application on the site of the Commissariat général des migrations; depending on the category, issuance at the Commission, at the airport, at points of entry or in embassies; reception at Avenue de l'OUA, Kigobe, Bujumbura
Electronic visa
The site presents an online visa application form and application tracking; the term "electronic visa" does not appear as such on the pages read
Currency of the fees
United States dollar for visas; Burundian franc (5,000 FBU, receipt from the Burundi Revenue Authority) for the safe conduct and the travel document
Opening hours of the service
Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Avenue de l'OUA, Kigobe, Bujumbura
Format of the documents
Each uploaded document is limited to 200 KB, in PNG, JPG, JPEG or PDF format
Processing time
Not stated on the portal consulted: none of the pages read states a processing time
Portal language
French, with an English version

Do you need a visa?

Choose a nationality to see the recorded entry rule. No answer is shown until reviewed data exists.

Documented visa types

Transit visa
Fee of 40 USD, validity of 3 days. The form states that it is issued at all points of entry. Official page (new tab)
Single-entry visa
Fee of 90 USD, validity of one month. The form states that it is issued online, at the airport and in embassies. Official page (new tab)
Multiple-entry visa
Fee of 90 USD for a validity of one month, renewable twice at most according to the form. The services page publishes a schedule of 90 USD (1 month), 180 USD (2 months) and 270 USD (3 months). Official page (new tab)
Stay visa
Priced in bands: 10 USD for 5 days, up to 210 USD for 3 months according to the services page. The form states 10 USD per 5-day band up to 25 days, then 70 USD per month. Issued at the Commissariat général des migrations. Official page (new tab)
Establishment visa
Fee of 500 USD for two years, subject to at least six months' residence in Burundi and a bank guarantee. The courtesy (two years) and diplomatic (three years) variants are free of charge. Official page (new tab)
Permanent resident visa
Fee of 1,200 USD, validity of 99 years, issued at the Commissariat général des migrations. It assumes an authorization from the ministry of the interior and, as the case may be, a title deed or earlier establishment visas. Official page (new tab)

Where and how to apply

The Commissariat général des migrations is one of the general commissions of the national police of Burundi. Its published duties include applying government policy on migration, controlling the movements of foreign nationals, monitoring entries and exits by land, lake and air, issuing travel documents and visas, and implementing border agreements.

The service is organized into a central administration, comprising four central commissions, and a decentralized administration present at the airport, at the port and at border posts. The reception desk is at Avenue de l'OUA, Kigobe, in Bujumbura, Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The application is filed on the site's online visa application form. The places of issuance vary by category: all points of entry for transit; the online application, the airport and embassies for entry visas; the Commissariat général des migrations for stay, study, establishment and permanent resident visas.

Some categories are reserved for nationals of member States of regional communities or of a neighboring State. These conditions depend on nationality: they are not reproduced here and are shown with the nationality selector on this page.

Steps in the procedure

  1. Choose the category on the site of the Commissariat général des migrations: transit, single entry, multiple entry, stay, study, establishment, permanent resident or safe conduct.
  2. Open the online visa application form corresponding to the category.
  3. Enter the civil status details, marital status, occupation, institution, contact details and information about the parents, as required by the form.
  4. Enter the travel document: type, number, place and date of issue, date of expiry.
  5. State the purpose of travel — business, study, official mission, health, seminar, tourism, vacation or family visit — as well as the dates of arrival and departure.
  6. Declare the accommodation — hotel, private residence, guesthouse or home — with the full address, the province, the commune, the zone, the hill and a contact person.
  7. Upload the documents required for the category, each limited to 200 KB, in PNG, JPG, JPEG or PDF format.
  8. Send the application, then track its status in the tracking section of the site.

Documents mentioned by the authority

The form brings together the supporting documents for all categories; the exact list depends on the visa type applied for and only the official page is authoritative.

Stated fees and processing times

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the application form publishes 40 USD for the transit visa, valid for 3 days and issued at all points of entry, and 90 USD for the single-entry visa as well as for the multiple-entry visa, both valid for one month, the multiple one being renewable twice at most.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the services page publishes a schedule for the multiple-entry visa of 90 USD for one month, 180 USD for two months and 270 USD for three months.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the stay visa is priced in bands — 10 USD for 5 days, 20 USD for 10 days, 30 USD for 15 days, 40 USD for 20 days, 50 USD for 25 days, 70 USD for one month, 140 USD for two months and 210 USD for three months.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the ordinary establishment visa costs 500 USD for two years and assumes at least six months' residence in Burundi as well as a bank guarantee; the permanent resident visa costs 1,200 USD for a validity of 99 years. The courtesy and diplomatic variants are free of charge, for two and three years.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the safe conduct costs 5,000 FBU, paid by receipt from the Burundi Revenue Authority, for ten days; the travel document costs 5,000 FBU for five years. No processing time is stated on the pages read.

After the decision

The site offers a tracking section allowing the status of a visa application and of a travel document to be checked. What follows the decision is not described on the pages read.

The permanent resident visa is granted if the applicant meets one of the published criteria: at least ten years' residence together with investments, six months' residence, substantial investments creating jobs, marriage to a Burundian, or ownership of real property in Burundi.

The ordinary establishment visa covers two years and assumes at least six months' residence in Burundi and a bank guarantee; certified copies exist for minor children, as do transfers in the event of a change of passport.

The decision rests with the Commissariat général des migrations. The pages read describe neither the grounds for refusal nor the avenues of appeal; the site does, however, offer a complaint form by category.

Published procedures

No reviewed and published procedure for Burundi to date. We prefer an empty page to an invented requirement.

Explore procedures

Frequently asked questions

Is a visa required to travel to Burundi?

It depends on nationality and on the purpose of travel; the rule reviewed by VisaGuideline is shown with the nationality selector on this page. Several categories published by the Commission are, moreover, reserved for nationals of member States of regional communities. Always check with the authority.

Where is the application filed?

On the online visa application form of the site of the Commissariat général des migrations. Depending on the category, issuance takes place at all points of entry (transit), online, at the airport or in embassies (entry visas), or at the Commission itself (stay, study, establishment, permanent resident).

Which categories exist and how much do they cost?

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: transit 40 USD (3 days), single entry 90 USD (1 month), multiple entry 90 USD (1 month) and up to 270 USD for 3 months according to the services page, stay from 10 USD (5 days) to 210 USD (3 months), establishment 500 USD (2 years), permanent resident 1,200 USD (99 years).

Which documents must be uploaded?

Depending on the category: identity photograph, photocopy of the passport and of the visa or entry stamp, letter of application, criminal record extract, lease or title deed, employment contract or certificate of service, tax number and trade register, civil status certificates, receipt from the Burundi Revenue Authority. Each file is limited to 200 KB.

What processing time should be allowed for?

Not stated on the portal consulted: none of the pages read states a processing time. The site offers a tracking section allowing the status of the application to be checked.

Is there a visa issued on arrival?

The site has a section on the airport arrival visa and states that the transit visa is issued at all points of entry and entry visas at the airport. The exact conditions for issuance on arrival do not appear on the pages read.

Consulted sources

Official pages read to write this guide, with the date they were read. A page may have changed since: check it before taking any step.

What this guide does not know yet

Points the official source does not specify and which this guide therefore left blank. Ask the competent authority about them before filing an application.

Prepare my case

This method is the same for every destination. It does not list any document as an official requirement: only the authority’s source is authoritative.

  1. Describe your situation

    Nationality, residence, purpose and dates. The checker tells covered routes apart from situations that are still unknown.

  2. Check at the source

    Open the destination’s official source and compare it with your situation before starting a procedure.

  3. Track what is left to do

    Your space keeps your answers and your declared checklist. A complete checklist does not announce a favorable decision.

Check my route Open my case

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.