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Residence Establishment Authorisation

BurundiSpecial cases

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

What exactly is the official special programme/status and why does it exist?

The law sets conditions for a foreigner who wishes to settle (s'établir) in Burundi and names an establishment visa (visa d'établissement), whose non-renewal, like cases of expulsion, is decided on by the Commission Consultative pour Etrangers et Réfugiés. The official source does not state why the status exists.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Loi n°1/25 names the 'visa d'établissement' only here and defines it nowhere; it states no purpose or policy rationale for the establishment regime.
  • The conditions for establishing oneself in Burundi are in Art 30, cited in r3, and are not part of this citation.
  • chars 171614-172760
    La Commission Consultative pour Etrangers et Réfugiés Umugwi mpanuzwajambo ujejwe gutunganiriza est requise pour statuer sur : abanyamahanga n’impunzi usabwa gufata 1985 BOB N°11/2021 ingingo kuri ibi bikurikira : 1 ° l’octroi ou la déchéance de la qualité de résident 1°Ugutanga uburenganzira bw’ukuguma umuntu permanent, de réfugié ou d’apatride ; aba mu Burundi, ubw’ukwitwa impunzi canke uwutagira ubwenegihugu buzwi na bumwe canke ku bijanye n’ugutakaza ubwo burenganzira; 2° le non-renouvellement du visa d’établissement et 2° Ukudatanga urundi ruhusha rwo kuba mu les cas d’expulsion ; Burundi no ku bijanye no kwirukanwa mu gihugu; 3° la recevabilité des demandes d’asile. 3° Ukwakira idosiye z’ugusaba ubuhungiro.

Which specific population, role, circumstance or historical/legal situation does it cover?

Foreigners in the law's own sense: 'étranger' means any person having neither Burundian nationality nor the status of citizen of an East African Community member state.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • This is a definition; the establishment provision itself (Art 30, cited in r3) is addressed to 'l'étranger qui désire s'établir au Burundi'.
  • The law is internally inconsistent on the cohort: Art 31 exempts citizens of the East African Community and nationals of the CEPGL from one of Art 30's conditions, which implies Art 30 reaches them even though Art 4 excludes EAC citizens from 'étranger'.
  • chars 139664-140046
    étranger, toute personne n’ayant ni la nationalité umunyamahanga ni umuntu adafise burundaise, ni la qualité de citoyen d’un Etat membre de ubwenegihugu bw’Uburundi canke ubw’igihugu la Communauté Est Africaine kimwe mu bigize Ishirahamwe ry’ibihugu vya Afirika yo mu Buseruko ;

What circumstance, event, relationship, nomination, invitation or status activates access?

Access is triggered by the wish to settle in Burundi, coupled with five conditions: a criminal-record extract from the country of origin or residence, or an official document in lieu; a document from the competent authority approving the intended activity; a declaration of financial resources and any other means, with the intended place of settlement; a medical certificate issued less than three months earlier by an approved doctor attesting freedom from any contagious or transmissible disease and any detectable sign of mental illness; and a bond with an approved local bank or a guarantee to recover repatriation or other costs.

See recorded sources
  • chars 176950-179240
    L’étranger qui désire s’établir au Burundi doit Umunyamahanga yifuza kuba mu Burundi remplir les conditions suivantes : ategerezwa gukwiza ibisabwa bikurikira : 1 ° avoir un extrait du casier judiciaire de son pays 1 ° Kuba afise iyimuriro y’ifishi y’ivyaha BOB N°11/2021 1986 d’origine ou de résidence ou une pièce officielle en yerekana ko umuntu yahaniwe icaha canke tenant lieu ; ataragihanirwa y’iginugu yaje avamwo canke abamwo canke urwandiko rwemewe n’amategeko ruyisubirira ; 2° produire un document émanant de l’autorité 2° Kwerekana urwandiko rwatanzwe compétente agréant l’activité à laquelle il compte se n’umutegetsi abifitiye ububasha rwemerera livrer ; umunyamahanga gukora akazi yifuza ; 3° procéder à la déclaration de ses ressources financières 3° Kuvuga aho akura amafaranga n’ubundi buryo et de tout autre moyen dont il dispose ainsi que la bwose afise hamwe n’ukuvuga aho yipfuza kuba; désignation du lieu où il compte s’établir ; 4 ° produire un certificat médical établi depuis moins de 4°Kwerekana urupapuro rwatanzwe n’umuganga trois mois par un médecin agréé, attestant qu’il est yemewe, rutarakwiza amezi atatu aharurwa kuva indemne de toute maladie contagieuse ou transmissible rutanzwe, yerekana ko ata ndwara yandukira ou de tout signe décelable de maladie mentale ; afise canke ikindi kimenyetso cose cerekana ko afise indwara yo mu mutwe ; 5° déposer une caution dans une institution bancaire 5° Gutanga ingwati mw’ibanki yemerewe gukora locale agréée ou constituer une garantie de manière à iri mu gihugu canke kugwatiriza ikintu ku buryo permettre le recouvrement des frais de son rapatriement hashobora kwishurwa amafaranga yakoreshejwe ou d’autres frais susceptibles d’être engagés à son mu kumutahukana canke ayandi mafaranga bénéfice. ashobora gukoreshwa ku nyungu ziwe.

What sponsor, authority, nomination, certification, evidence or other step must occur before the status can be obtained?

The repatriation bond is the prior step that has to be arranged, and it is not imposed on everyone: the condition set by Article 30, point 5 does not concern citizens of the East African Community or nationals of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, and the amount of the bond and the arrangements for lodging it or for constituting the guarantee are determined by an ordinance of the Minister responsible for migration.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The ministerial ordinance that fixes the amount and the arrangements is not reproduced in this Bulletin, so no figure can be given.
  • The approval of the intended activity by the competent authority (Art 30, point 2) is the other prior step and is cited in r3.
  • chars 179328-180207
    La condition prévue à l’article 30, point 5 ne concerne lgisabwa gitegekanijwe mu ngingo ya 30, pas les citoyens de la Communauté Est Africaine et les akarongo ka 5 nticerekeye abaturuka mu ressortissants de la Communauté Economique des Pays muryango w’ibihugu bigize Afirika y’Ubuseruko des Grands Lacs. n’abo mu bihugu bigize lshirahamwe ryerekeye ubutunzi mu karere k’ibiyaga binini. Le montant de la caution, les modalités de sa lgitigiri c’amafaranga y’ingwati, ibikurikizwa consignation ou de la constitution de la garantie sont mu gutanga ingwati canke mu kugwatiriza ikintu déterminées par une ordonnance du Ministre ayant les bishingwa n’itegeko ry’Umushikiranganji ajejwe migrations dans ses attributions. ivyerekeye ukwinjira n’ugusohoka igihugu.

What immigration status and rights result, how long do they last, can family be included, and what happens if the special qualifying circumstance ends?

The law does not describe rights flowing from the authorisation; what it states is the sanction where the qualifying situation is absent or ends. A foreigner or a citizen of an East African Community member state may be declared undesirable and expelled from Burundi where, among the listed irregularities, he entered Burundi, established himself or attempted to establish himself without having been authorised to do so; holds a travel document whose validity has expired with no possibility of extension or of obtaining another; holds a valid travel document but with a visa already expired; carries on activities other than those for which he was authorised; lacks sufficient resources to support himself; or fails to comply with the conditions provided by law.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • POSSIBLE_CATEGORY_MISMATCH: Loi n°1/25 treats establishment as the general settlement route open to any foreigner (Art 30), not as a special programme for a defined population, role or historical situation; no nomination, invitation or triggering event is involved.
  • Art 41 does not state the immigration status, the rights, the duration or the family inclusion that follow from a granted establishment visa, and Arts 29-37 are silent on them too.
  • chars 188582-191762
    Peut être déclaré indésirable et être expulsé du Burundi, Uwushobora gufatwa ko atemerewe kuba mu l’étranger ou le citoyen de la Communauté Est Africaine Burundi kandi ategerezwa kwirukanwa ku gataka qui se trouve notamment dans les cas d’irrégularités k’Uburundi ni umunyamahanga canke suivants : uwuturuka mu gihugu kimwe mu bigize lshirahamwe ry’ibihugu vya Afirika yo mu Buseruko yagiriye nk’ibi bikurikira : 1 ° l’atteinte à l’ordre public et à la sécurité nationale; 1 ° Uguhungabanya umutekano w’abanyagihugu hamwe n’uw’igihugu; 2° l’appartenance à une organisation criminelle ou à un 2° Ukuba mu bagize umugwi w’inkozi z’ikibi réseau terroriste international ; canke mu runani rw’abagira iterabwoba ku rwego mpuzamakungu ; 3° l’entrée au Burundi, l’établissement ou la tentative 3° Ukwinjira mu Burundi, ukuhaba canke d’établissement sans y avoir été autorisé; ukugerageza kuhaba atabiherewe uruhusha; 4 ° la détention d’un document de voyage dont la durée 4 ° Ugutunga urwandiko rw’inzira rwataye igihe de validité a expiré sans possibilité de prorogation ou bidashoboka kurwongerereza ikiringo canke d’en obtenir un autre ; kuronka urundi ; 5° la détention d’un document de voyage valide, mais 5° Ugutunga urwandiko rw’inzira rutarata avec visa déjà expiré ; igihe ariko uruhusha rw’ukuba mu Burundi rwaraheze; 6° l’exercice des activités autres que celles pour 6° Ugukora ibindi bikorwa atari ivyo yaherewe lesquelles l’on a été autorisé ; uruhusha; 7° l’absence de ressources suffisantes pour se prendre 7° Ukuba adafise uburyo bukwiye en charge ; bw’ukwibeshaho ; 8 ° la faillite prononcée par une décision judiciaire ; 8° Uruhombo rwemejwe n’ingingo y’ubutungane 9°les poursuites judiciaires ou la condamnation par des 9° Ukuba ariko arakurkiranwa n’ubutungane juridictions des pays étrangers pour des crimes reconnus canke yaciriwe igihano na sentare zo mu bindi par le Burundi sous réserve des Conventions bihugu ku vyaha bisanzwe bitegekanijwe internationales sur l’extradition ; n’amategeko y’Uburundi hatirengagijwe Amasezerano mpuzamakungu yerekeye ugushikiriza umuntu yagirizwa icaha igihugu kimukurikirana ; 10° le non-respect des conditions prévues par la loi. 10° Ukutubahiriza ibisabwa bitegekanijwe n’amategeko.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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