Are you into traveling faraway places? If your answer is yes, then this article might come in handy for you. Burundi is an East African landlocked country. It shares borders with Tanzania in the south and east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, and Rwanda in the north. This far-off country is home to many well-known tourist destinations. The country receives millions of tourists every year even though it is relatively difficult to reach and situated unstable region. Despite all the limitations, people seem not to refrain from visiting the country. In this small country you will marvel at the exquisite beauty of nature continuing existence with human settlement in harmony. The country is famous for Tanganyika lake which is the longest freshwater lake and a second deepest freshwater lake. You will so much enjoy fishing, Snorkeling and other tourist activities in this lake. On the shores of this giant lake, stretches many extraordinary beaches where you can enjoy the view and water. What distinguishes these beaches are the nature and wildlife. Here you can see hippos swimming alongside people. Not far away from Tanganyika lake, you will find Rusizi National Park. The Rusizi River is one of the rivers which discharge into Tanganyika Lake. It protects some of the rarest living things, creatures like Nile crocodiles. Furthermore, the country is blessed with thermal water resources. There are 10 thermal water sights spread all over the country. Not only they are tourist sights but are also used as therapeutic places. This healing water can be a remedy for many diseases. Burundi’s cultural richness is another reason to visit the country. Here you will find a wide range of foods, dances, celebrations, etc. It is advised to taste traditional foods and drinks such as traditional beer. During festivals and holidays, they perform drums which these performances are UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage. Another fascinating thing about the country is its agriculture. I am sure that you were not aware that the coffee you consume mostly come from Burundi. Now you can imagine how tasty the local coffee here must be. You might want to consider bringing some coffee from the country with you. Many other reasons you will find to visit Burundi. A decisive factor in this regard is the nature of your travel. Because depending on your reasons Burundi visa requirements, conditions, length of your travel may vary. Luckily, we will focus on these differences. We will guide you to find an answer to the question of how to apply for a visa to Burundi. To understand these differences, we need to have a look at Burundi visa policy first.
Burundi Visa Policy
The Visa policy of Burundi indicates that depending on your nationality you might need a visa to travel to Burundi. You are either from one of the Burundi visa free countries or visa-required countries. However, I am sure most people who read this article most likely need a visa. To give you better clue, I will note Burundi visa free countries below on the list: DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda To start the comparison of a short and long-term visas, we will first look at them individually.
Burundi Short Term Visas
Short-term visas for Burundi are comprised of tourism, business, and transit visas. These visas are granted for short-term purposes and for a short period. General Burundi visa requirements are: • Burundi visa application form duly completed by the applicant. • The passport of the applicant should have a minimum validity of 6 months and it should be issued in the last 10 years. In the passport, there should be your signature and five blank pages. • Two photos of you are needed. They should be taken in the last 6 months. Your face should take up 70-80% of the photo. The background for the photo should be white or light-colored. The sizes of the photos should be equal to 2x2 cm. • A copy of the National ID card. • In the case that you apply from a country that you are not a citizen of, then a residence permit or visa is needed. • Copies of your passport’s main pages, previous visas (if any). • Yellow fever certificate showing that the applicant is vaccinated against yellow fever. • If you travel the country for tourism purposes, accomodation such as hotel booking. • If your travel reason is personal and you are invited by someone, then an invitation letter provided by inviting person. Copies of passport, main pages of passpport of the inviting person are needed. To travel to Burundi, you might need to present some additional documents. As for Burundi visa cost for short-term visas is around 40-90 USD. Costs can vary depending on entry type, visa type, and nationality. For 1 month-long visa with a single entry, the cost will be 70 USD. If it is multiple entries then it will rise to 90 USD. “How long will be the processing of Burundi visa application?” you might ask. Generally, it does not exceed 10-15 days.
How to Apply for a Visa to Burundi?
How can I apply for a short-term visa to Burundi? Can I apply for Burundi visa on arrival? You might have more questions in mind and these are some of them. Up untill 2015, it was possible to get a visa on arrival to travel to Burundi. But in april 2015, government stopped issuing visa on arrival. Only few rare situations, visa on arrival can be granted. However, Burundi visa policy now dictates that anyone holding an ordinary passport should apply for a visa before traveling to the country. Therefore unless you are granted special exemption, there is no other way to enter the country. The same also applies to people who wonder about the existence of Burundi e visa. To complete your Burundi visa application properly, first thing you need to do is to find a local embassy of Burundi. If you do not have any in your country, then you can contact the nearest embassy of Burundi. There you will make an appointmet, to start your application. When it is time, you present your required documents, and pay the fee. In some cases you send your documents via courier or mail. It depends on the embassy. They will decide the procedure. Wait for some time till your application is processed. If your application is successful then you will need to attend the embassy to get your visa.
Burundi Long Term Visas
What you should know about long-term visas to Burundi, they do not actually exist as visas, but as permits. To be more explicit, you need to apply for a short-term visa to enter the country. To stay more, you will need solid reasons such as taking employment. After getting a work permit, you can apply for a residence permit later. What are the requirements for that? You will need the following documents: • Burundi visa application form filled out, signed and dated by the applicant. • A passport that should remain valid for a minimum of 6 months is needed. • Two photos of you are needed. They should be taken in the last 6 months. Your face should take up 70-80% of the photo. The background for the photo should be white or light-colored. The sizes of the photos should be equal to 2x2 cm. • The cover letter provided by the company. • Invitation letter verified by the immigration authorities. • Travel itinerary alongside proof of accomodation and financial sufficency. As you can see the procedure is slightly different. Bear in mind that there is a good chance that some additional documents might be asked.
How to get a Work Permit?
To clarify the information you gathered, it is always a good idea to contact the local embassy or the nearest one. You can ask the embassy if any specific document is needed for the employer. Again there is no other way such as Burundi visa on arrival to finialize your application. You need to follow the same guide as short-term visa. Bear in mind that the application for residence permit will be issued at local authorities, not by an embassy of Burundi. To wrap up things a little, we can say Burundi might be an interesting country to visit. It is actually a visa friendly country therefore it accepts many tourists every year. You will get a visa in most cases if your application is complete. Better check latest information before trying to plan your travel. If you are looking for a better way or easier way to acquire a visa to Burundi, then Pickvisa is your guy. Handle all your visa work flow to Pickvisa and let it take care of the procedure.
