Burundi Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Burundi.
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Guide
Burundi splits its process by nationality more than most of its neighbors. Fellow East African Community citizens enter without a visa at all, while most other nationalities, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, EU Schengen countries, China, India, and South Africa among them, apply for an e-Visa through the official immigration.gov.bi portal, uploading a passport bio page, a yellow fever certificate, and an itinerary, with processing typically taking three working days and costing 40 US dollars single entry or 90 dollars multiple entry. US passport holders specifically also have a visa on arrival option at Bujumbura ports of entry, 90 dollars in cash for a single entry 30 day visa, with a return ticket and accommodation details required alongside the standard documents.
A passport valid for at least six months from arrival with at least one blank page is the baseline requirement across the board, and yellow fever certification is required of most visitors, checked alongside the visa at the airport.
Border crossings
- Bujumbura International Airport
The country's main gateway, and where the US-specific visa on arrival option operates alongside the standard e-Visa process for other nationalities.
- East African Community land borders
Fellow EAC members, a group that includes several of Burundi's immediate neighbors, cross without a visa, a genuinely simpler process than the e-Visa route.
Transit routes
- Apply through the official portal, not a reseller
immigration.gov.bi is the government's own site, worth using directly given the document upload requirements involved.
- US citizens can decide between the e-Visa and the visa on arrival
Both exist for this nationality specifically, worth comparing cost and convenience, 40 dollars processed in advance versus 90 dollars cash at the airport.
Entry point notes
- EAC citizenship is the simplest route
No visa needed at all, distinct from the e-Visa or visa on arrival processes that apply to most other nationalities.
- Bring cash if you are using the US visa on arrival option
It is specifically described as payable in cash at the port of entry, not by card.