Living in Burundi as a French National: Visa, Bujumbura, School, Safety and Healthcare

Burundi is a small Great Lakes country bordered by Lake Tanganyika, whose economic capital, Bujumbura, is home to the French embassy and the French school. French nationals find a human-scale living environment, a French-speaking community and a school that follows the French curriculum up to the final year. Civil-status documents and diplomas are prepared before departure, with the legalisations that the authorities require.

The points of caution concern safety, health and logistics. France Diplomatie describes rising ordinary crime, dangerous roads, fuel shortages that sometimes last several days and inadequate medical infrastructure. The World Bank also measures one of the lowest GDP per capita in the world for about 14 million inhabitants: the range of services remains limited outside the capital. Serious preparation before arrival covers the visa, guarded housing and health cover. See also the guide to the Burundian healthcare system.

Bujumbura is home to the embassy (60 boulevard de l’Uprona), the French school and the country’s few emergency services: France Diplomatie specifies that no emergency rescue can be provided outside the capital. It recommends avoiding on foot, after nightfall, the districts of Bwiza, Kanyosha, Musaga, Kamenge, Cibitoke, Ngagara, Rohero 2-INSS and the outskirts, staying vigilant in bars and restaurants and avoiding crowded places, including the coach station.

According to the France Diplomatie map, the whole border with the DRC, the Uvira road (RN4) beyond the Rusizi nature reserve, the northern part of the Kibira park and the western border with Rwanda north of the RN10 are formally advised against. The central part of the Kibira, north of Mount Teza, and the border area with Rwanda are advised against except for compelling reasons; the rest of the country is under heightened vigilance. In the provinces, do not drive at night and sleep in a properly guarded hotel.

According to France Diplomatie, a visa is mandatory to enter Burundi. The authorities now grant entry authorisations on arrival: the application is made online on the immigration authorities’ website (migration.gov.bi), with the form and documents in the required format, and the single-entry visa is issued at the airport for USD 90. Its maximum duration is one month, and an extension may be requested on the spot. A certificate is generated and sent by email after each validation; printing it is strongly recommended.

• Border with the DRC: closed, except for the Gatumba post, open in daytime only.
• Border with Rwanda: the land border may be closed, its status should be checked before any trip; air transport is not affected.
• Yellow fever: vaccination is mandatory, at an approved centre, preferably at least ten days before departure.
• Residence permit: the France Diplomatie page does not describe the conditions; the General Migration Commission (avenue de l’OUA, Kigobe, Bujumbura) issues visas and travel documents and should be contacted before any residence project.

For employment, see the page on working in Burundi. Registering on the register of French nationals living abroad and with the Ariane system makes it possible to receive alerts.

The ‘Economic indicators’ block above presents inflation and the Burundian franc exchange rate. The DG Trésor (the French Treasury’s economic directorate) notes that the existence of a dual exchange rate feeds shortages of foreign currency and fuel. The official pages consulted do not publish a rent scale: amounts should be requested from local agents and the employer, and checked in writing before signing a lease.

France Diplomatie indicates that credit cards are generally not accepted, that you should carry cash covering the whole stay and that money transfers and currency exchange are possible in Bujumbura and in the large urban centres. It recommends not displaying signs of wealth, not carrying large sums and being very vigilant when withdrawing money from banks. For a family: expat family insurance.

The French school of Bujumbura Nelson-Mandela, located on boulevard de l’Uprona, takes 597 pupils across 16 levels, from the youngest nursery class to the final year; fifteen levels are accredited, only the youngest nursery class is not, and no level is followed through the CNED (the French distance-learning service). It follows the ‘Northern’ calendar (record of the AEFE, the Agency for French Education Abroad) and has the partner-school status within the network. Enrolment, tuition fees and grants should be requested directly from the school and from the consular section of the embassy.

For children, the choice of insurance includes paediatrics and vaccinations: yellow fever is mandatory, the French schedule must be up to date, and malaria is prevented all year round. The page on healthcare reimbursement in Burundi compares the cover options.

• do not travel at night: after 6 p.m., roads are generally no longer policed; maximum speed of 50 km/h in towns, seat belt compulsory, doors locked;
• check fuel supply before any journey: shortages are recurrent and sometimes last several days;
• avoid minibuses, shared taxis and motorbike taxis; national road 1 (Bujumbura-Kayanza) is reported as particularly dangerous;
• in the event of an accident, stay calm, wait for the traffic police (118) before moving the vehicle, then notify the embassy and the insurer;
• 9 p.m. closing time for drinking establishments; avoid international flights arriving at or leaving Bujumbura after 9 p.m.;
• leave the passport and tickets in a safe place and carry only photocopies; recreational drones prohibited without written authorisation;
• swimming not recommended on the shores of Lake Tanganyika near Bujumbura (crocodiles, hippopotamuses).

France Diplomatie also reports a series of grenade attacks in Bujumbura in April and May 2024 and indicates that a risk of attack cannot be ruled out in the capital; it recommends avoiding crowded places. In the event of an assault, do not resist. France Diplomatie also states that relations between people of the same sex are illegal in Burundi, and that drug use or trafficking is severely punished.

France Diplomatie describes medical and hospital infrastructure as inadequate: no prolonged hospitalisation or surgery is possible, except in a life-threatening emergency, home medical rescue is almost non-existent in the provinces and no local hospital is recommended for a lengthy hospital stay. The embassy keeps a list of doctors of recognised standing available, with a 24-hour duty telephone line (+257 22 20 30 01). An assistance contract covering medical costs and medical repatriation is essential.

Malaria circulates all year round, with higher transmission from December to May; the rainy season, from October to May, brings violent downpours that damage the roads. See also repatriation and assistance.