Immigration
A national entry regime with EAC membership obligations
Entry and residence are governed by the 2017 immigration law. Burundi is an EAC member and the Common Market Protocol applies in principle, though implementation of free movement has lagged behind Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Police de l'Air, des Frontières et des Étrangers controls entry and status.
- Deadline — Residence permit: applied for after arrival
- Deadline — Asylum claim: lodged with the national eligibility body
Governing law
- Loi n° 1/32 du 13 novembre 2008 sur l'asile et la protection des réfugiés
- Loi portant régime de l'immigration et de l'émigration
- EAC Common Market Protocol
In practice
Burundi is simultaneously a country of origin for large refugee flows to Tanzania and Rwanda and a host for Congolese refugees, so the 2008 asylum statute rather than the general permit regime is the operative instrument in most immigration matters.