Burundi visa :Tourist or Business

Types : A one month visa , single-entry visa, a multiple-entry.

A transit visa is not required for passengers continuing their journey to a third country if staying up to 24 hours, provided holding valid onward documentation and not leaving the airport. If staying up to 72 hours, a visa is required.

Passengers arriving at Bujumbura airport from countries where Burundi does not have diplomatic representation can obtain visa on arrival providing they have previously informed their travel agency of their passport number, identity and flight details.

Some of Burundi Embassies are located in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, and USA. Those who are continuing onto a third country within 72 hours may also obtain a visa upon arrival. It is better to obtain a visa in advance from the nearest Burundi embassy.

However, where possible it is advisable to obtain a visa before travel.

Language

The official languages are French and Kirundi which is a local language. Swahili and English are also spoken.

Banking hours

Monday-Friday : 0730-1200 and 1400-1730. Banks close between 12:00-14:00 for lunch break .But some of them offer a non-stop service at some places like markets.

Credit cards

Visa & MasterCard are accepted ; there is limited use in some major hotels. You can always draw cash in the bank with your credit cards.

Currency information

Burundi Franc (BIF) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of BIF10, 000 ; 5,000 ; 2,000 ; 1,000 ; 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of BIF10, 5 and 1 but unavailable on market. Foreign currencies used are US Dollar & Euro.

Burundi business etiquette

Etiquette

Lightweight suits are necessary. April to October and December to January are the best times to visit.

Office hours

Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1400-1730.

Main exports

Coffee, tea, sugar, cotton and hides.

Main imports

Capital goods, petroleum products and foodstuffs.

Internet

Available in most of the hotels, many Internet cafes in Bujumbura, but few outside Bujumbura in other country provinces. Internet provider companies : Ucom, Onamob,Spidernet

Mobile telephone

Totally covered, some of the mobile phones companies : Leo, Africell, Econet Wireless, Onamob,Smart mobile. There is one landline companies Onatel which has a mobile branch Onamob (Onatel mobile)

Transport & Hotel

 Airport transfers can be booked with your accommodation thru our agency.

 Car hire with French/English speaking driver is necessary during your stay to avoid some unexpected costs since there is no fixed cost for taxi, and most of them don’t speak French or English .This might be helpful either for your tourist visit or business one .

You will learn a lot with the driver since he will be driving and being your guide at same time without an extra cost.

Hotel Booking can be made thru our travel company for free. We get in touch with you and book a hotel according to your needs because we have a list of hotels to recommend !

We understand that traveler satisfaction is general country satisfaction and our dream is to help you travel and discover the beauty of Burundi .

This page will be regularly updated to enable you find accurate information with your travel plan .

For more information or suggestion, contact Burundi Acces.