Burundi establishment visa (residence)

The courtesy establishment visa is for staff of embassies and other institutions: the organisation sends a note verbale to the ministry in charge of foreign affairs, and the file includes a letter from the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security approved by the Commissioner General, a passport copy, a copy of the current visa or entry stamp and a photo. The diplomatic establishment visa follows the same route with a copy of the diplomatic passport.

The ordinary establishment visa is for foreigners who already live in Burundi: the CGM requires at least six months spent on Burundian soil. Employees of companies file an employment contract, a service certificate and a deed of commitment, and anyone carrying out a profit-making activity files a tax identification number and a trade register entry. The CGM notes that other documents may be required depending on the person’s status.

Submit an application letter addressed to the Commissioner General of Migration and approved, a photocopy of the passport, a photocopy of the current visa and a passport photo, together with the work or business documents above. Beneficiaries of the fee exemption add the framework agreement between their organisation and the Government of Burundi, or another document proving the exemption.

The ordinary establishment visa costs USD 500 and is valid for two years. The courtesy establishment visa is free and valid two years; the diplomatic establishment visa, reserved for holders of diplomatic passports, is free and valid three years. Transfers to a new passport and certified copies for children are also free.

Children of a courtesy establishment visa holder receive certified copies of the visa: a parent writes to the CGM and attaches the parent’s visa and passport copies, the child’s passport and current visa copies, the child’s birth certificate extract and a photo. When a passport expires or is lost, the establishment visa is transferred to the new passport on a letter to the CGM with copies of the new passport, the current establishment visa and the old passport.

The CGM is at Avenue de l’OUA, Kigobe, Bujumbura, open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 16:30, telephone +257 22 45 12 78, email contact@migration.gov.bi; technical support for the online platform is on +257 79 12 81 28. Appointments for visa files are booked through the visa appointment section of the same website.