Consumer protection in Burundi

The current Code de commerce, Law N°1/01 of 16 January 2015, requires commercial price information, invoices and clear tariff or cost information. Perishable goods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals require labels. The Ministry responsible for commerce monitors prices, combats commercial fraud and protects consumers in essential-goods markets. The Commission Indépendante de la Concurrence, known as the CIC, has operated since 25 April 2025 under Law N°1/06 of 25 March 2010. Any interested person can refer a matter to the CIC, the CIC can act on its own initiative, and the Ministry can refer cases. No central online form, general filing deadline or standard fee is publicly established. Older consumer-protection provisions from the 1993 commercial code are historical and should not be treated as current horizontal law. A general statutory cooling-off right or standard refund and guarantee procedure is not established in the reviewed current sources. Contract, defect and damages claims can instead require the commercial court or an ordinary court. Keep invoices, receipts, price lists, labels, contracts, messages, payment records and photographs because sector bodies and courts need evidence of the transaction and the problem. Banks, microfinance institutions, payment providers and other supervised financial institutions fall under BRB consumer-protection rules on transparency, fair treatment and fraud risks. For a lost, stolen or unauthorised payment transaction or a system failure, the provider must offer customer service, accept an oral or written complaint, process it within a maximum of three working days and provide the service free of charge; the incident is also registered and reported to the BRB. The BRB accepts complaints and grievances, but its published escalation material does not establish one general deadline or guaranteed compensation. Insurance complaints normally begin with the intermediary or insurer and can then go to ARCA. The Insurance Code requires fair treatment, sufficient information about products, rights and duties, and accessible complaint systems. ARCA investigates complaints and can impose regulatory sanctions; court or arbitration referral may also be possible. The 2024 ARCA report recorded 68 complaints received, 44 closed and 24 pending, but a standard individual form, fee and processing time are not clearly published. Telecom complaints can be submitted through an operator agency suggestion box or the free short number 151 and may be escalated to ARCT. For a lost or stolen phone, a national identity document and invoice are used at a PNB station to obtain an OPJ requisition, which supports action with ARCT and the relevant operator using IMEI and SIM information. AREEN supervises electricity and drinking-water tariffs, service quality, regularity, consumer interests and operator disputes. A documented complaint to REGIDESO followed by AREEN escalation is a practical pathway, although no uniform public deadline, fee or individual compensation guarantee was identified. ABREMA handles regulatory and safety complaints about medicines and other health products. Suspected quality defects or adverse events can be reported through the toll-free number 203 or info@abrema.gov.bi. This procedure addresses product safety and regulatory action, not necessarily repayment of the purchase price or compensation. Commercial fraud, false information, phishing and electronic fraud can be reported to the judicial police or prosecutor. Telecom and mobile-money incidents should also be directed to ARCT or the BRB. ABUCO-TI can provide information, representation and advocacy, but it is not a public enforcement authority. Travel and online-commerce complaints remain more fragmented: tourism authorities, licensed providers, AACB for civil aviation matters, the relevant sector regulator and ordinary contractual or court proceedings may each be involved. The responsible body should be selected from the service or product involved, while the complaint should state the transaction, date, amount, supplier, harm, requested remedy and supporting evidence.