Almost everyone needs a visa to enter Burundi, and there are two ways to get one: apply online before you travel, or get one on arrival at the airport. Both work. The online route is the calmer of the two.
One caveat before any of the detail: fees and procedures here change without announcement, and the figures below are indicative rather than official. Confirm on Burundi's own immigration portal or with the nearest Burundian embassy before you fly, and treat anything you read elsewhere — including this page — as a starting point.
The online route
Burundi runs an online application through its immigration service. You submit your passport details and supporting documents, pay, and receive an approval to print and carry.
What you will typically be asked for:
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival, with blank pages.
- A passport photo.
- Your flight booking.
- A hotel reservation or an invitation letter with the address where you are staying.
- A yellow fever certificate, where it applies to you.
Allow several working days for processing, and apply a couple of weeks ahead rather than the night before. Print two copies of the approval — one for entry, one to keep for your departure.
On arrival
Visas are also issued at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Bujumbura and at land borders. You fill in the form at immigration, present your documents, and pay in cash.
Bring clean, undamaged US dollars in reasonable denominations. This is not a counter where a card will save you, and worn or torn notes may be refused — the same rule that applies to money everywhere in Burundi.
Expect to be asked where you are staying, so have the hotel name and address written down.
What it costs
Expect something in the region of 40 US dollars for a short single-entry visa and around 90 dollars for a longer or multiple-entry one. Those are the figures commonly quoted, and they are the right order of magnitude for budgeting — but they are not an official tariff and should be confirmed before you travel.
Yellow fever
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country where yellow fever is present — which includes a good number of African routings, and transiting counts. Many travellers to this region are vaccinated anyway.
Carry the physical certificate with your passport, not a photo of it on your phone.
Where to ask
The reliable sources are Burundi's immigration service and the Burundian embassy or consulate covering your country. If you are booking through a local operator or a hotel in Bujumbura, they deal with this constantly and will tell you what the position actually is this month — which is often more useful than any website.
Be wary of the commercial "visa services" that dominate search results. They charge a substantial fee to fill in a form you can complete yourself, and their published requirements are frequently out of date.
Once you are in
- Carry a copy of your passport and visa at all times; leave the originals in the hotel safe.
- Check the length of stay stamped in your passport — it is not always what you assumed.
- If you need to extend, go to the immigration office in Bujumbura well before the expiry date. Overstaying means fines and an uncomfortable conversation at departure.
- Keep that second copy of your online approval for the way out.
In short
Apply online a fortnight ahead, print it twice, carry crisp dollars as a backup, bring your yellow fever certificate, and check the official position shortly before you fly. The process is bureaucratic rather than difficult.