Immigration law in Burkina Faso

Lawful entry generally requires a valid passport, laissez-passer, refugee travel document or another accepted community document. Depending on nationality and purpose, the traveller also needs a visa, visa approval, residence permit or an applicable exemption, as well as a health certificate, information form and, where required, a return ticket or deposit. Entry must take place through an official border post. A person refused entry may be taken to a waiting area and returned by the carrier that transported them. Since September 2025, nationals of African states do not pay the visa fee, but the visa requirement itself remains in force where no exemption applies. Applications can be made through the eVisa system, a Burkinabè embassy or a migration service. The eVisa is primarily intended for stays shorter than 90 days, and the embassy process is described as taking about 72 hours through the relevant portal. Payment may be made in cash or by electronic money. A visa does not guarantee admission at the border. Published visa tariffs include 38,000 FCFA for transit visas of up to five days, 66,000 FCFA for short-stay tourism visas, 99,000 FCFA for a single-entry business visa and 132,500 FCFA for a multiple-entry business visa. Short-stay study, training and family visas are listed at 66,000 or 82,500 FCFA, depending on the category. Long-stay visas are listed at 231,000 FCFA for business, 126,500 FCFA for study, training or family purposes, 110,000 FCFA for a family visit and 137,500 FCFA for cooperation. Express processing is listed at 247,500 FCFA. Portal tariffs and implementation practice can change, so the current amount should be checked before payment. A stay exceeding 90 days generally requires a long-stay visa or a residence permit or title. A short-stay visa does not itself authorize employment; prior authorization from the Ministry of Labour and separate permission to enter and stay are required. A non-national employment contract must be submitted to or registered with the labour inspectorate. The employer must generally file the application within 30 days after work begins. Under the researched rule, no decision within 15 days means the visa is treated as granted, while a missing or refused visa makes the contract void and leaves repatriation costs with the employer. Both permanent and fixed-term contracts are covered. Renewal of a visa requires a physical procedure, and the portal instructs applicants to begin at least seven days before expiry. A change of address must be reported to the police at least 72 hours in advance and followed by a receipt. Diplomats and international staff, together with their families, use residence titles issued through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Regional movement is affected by the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS, effective 29 January 2025. ECOWAS announced that visa-free movement, residence and establishment for nationals of those three states would continue until further notice. Burkina Faso’s portal describes ECOWAS nationals as exempt from a residence permit but requires a valid consular identity card. AES passports have been issued since 29 January 2025, while ECOWAS passports remain valid until their expiry. Because the transition between ECOWAS and AES documents is not uniform, travellers should obtain case-specific confirmation before departure. Refugee protection is governed by Loi n°042-2008/AN of 23 October 2008 and Décret n°2011-119. The SP-CONAREF and CONAREF handle the procedure. An application is personal and free and can be made in Ouagadougou, Dori, Djibo, Ouahigouya or Bobo-Dioulasso, sometimes after online pre-registration. Burkina Faso uses individual and collective procedures; the collective procedure applies to Malian nationals in the documented framework. Registration is followed by a detailed interview and review by the eligibility committee. UNHCR reports approximately 60 days after the second interview as a reference point, not a guaranteed deadline. An applicant may submit identity, civil-status, education or other evidence and explain why documents are missing. Interpreters, breaks and transcript review are available. A refusal can be challenged within 60 days before CONAREF or the appeal committee, and MBDHP provides free legal assistance. The protection framework prohibits refoulement at the border. A person who fled directly may avoid criminal liability for irregular entry or stay if they report without delay. Deportation should not take place before a CONAREF decision, except for documented security, public-order or lawful-decision grounds. Recognized refugees receive a refugee identity card and a 1951 Convention travel document and may work, live, study, access justice, move, own property and receive public assistance under the applicable framework. Expulsion is limited to national-security or public-order grounds and requires notification to UNHCR. Permanent resident status was introduced through the Code des personnes et de la famille, Loi n°012-2025/ALT of 1 September 2025, promulgated through Décret n°2025-1232/PF on 25 September 2025. Décret n°2025-1393 requires at least five years of regular and effective residence, good physical and mental health, good character and no unexpunged intentional common-law conviction exceeding one year. The file may include a stamped application to the Prosecutor of Faso, a valid permit or visa, birth certificate, criminal-record certificate issued within three months, municipal residence certificate, five years of tax clearance, medical certificate and, where relevant, investment evidence. The prosecutor’s office conducts a police inquiry before the Ministry of Justice decides. The National Identification Office issues the permanent-residence card. The new system is still developing, and reliable public figures for fees and processing times were not established. Permanent residence is relevant to nationality but does not create nationality automatically. The Code provides routes based on descent, birth in Burkina Faso under special conditions, marriage to a Burkinabè national after five years, declaration, naturalization and reinstatement. Naturalization is granted by decree, and the applicant must reside in Burkina Faso when the decree is signed. The ordinary naturalization rule requires ten years of permanent residence before application, subject to statutory exceptions. An electronic certificate process exists through the Ministry of Justice, while a certificate of nationality is issued by the president of the competent tribunal of first instance or a delegated judge. Illegal entry or illegal stay can lead to six to twelve months of imprisonment, a fine of 300,000 to 600,000 FCFA and transfer to the border. False information on the information form can lead to 24 to 60 months of imprisonment, a fine of 900,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA and a residence prohibition of at least one year. A general published remedy for visa or border refusal was not clearly established in the available research; the competent migration or justice authority and the administrative court should therefore be checked for the current case. The refugee appeal deadline of 60 days is a separate procedure. There is no general separate integration-test system for residence established in the researched sources.