Thursday, March 3, 2016
The U.S. Embassy in Burundi is aware of a new policy requiring all foreign residents in Burundi to register their presence in the country at the main office of the Police de l’Air, des Frontières et des Étrangers (PAFE) in Bujumbura. This mandatory registration requirement applies to persons who are not citizens of Burundi and who will be or have been residing in Burundi for longer than one year.
The PAFE office will be open for registration Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is located on the corner of Avenue des Etats-Unis and Route Nationale 1. There are no other locations in Burundi where registration will take place. Registrants, including children, will be required to be physically present and to bring their travel document/passport. For initial registration, registrants are asked to appear at PAFE on the following dates:
- March 1 – 18, 2016: citizens of countries located in Asia
- March 21 – April 1, 2016: citizens of countries located in Europe
- April 4 – April 15, 2016: citizens of countries located in North America (including U.S. citizens), South America and Oceania
- April 18 – 29, 2016: citizens of countries located in Africa
Starting in May, registrations will be accepted on a rolling basis regardless of citizenship for new foreign residents in Burundi. Foreigners residing in Burundi who have not registered with PAFE will be fined. At some point after registration, foreigners will be issued a biometric identity card. The Ministry of Public Security has not yet released details about the card, any fees associated with it, or fines for non-compliance. Additional questions about the new policy can be directed to PAFE at +257 22 25 7900. The U.S. Embassy in Burundi encourages U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Burundi to follow applicable laws and policies.
U.S. citizens remaining in Burundi should review the Burundi Travel Warning issued on December 13 as well as their personal security situation and seriously consider departing, taking advantage of commercial flights.
Please contact us at BURUNDIEMERGENCYUSC@state.gov if you need assistance departing Burundi so that we may assess potential options for assisting you.
For further information:
* See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Burundi.
* Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
* Contact the U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura, located at Avenue des Etats-Unis and Avenue du Cinquantenaire in Bujumbura, Burundi, at +257-22-20-7000 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +257-22-20-7318, or +257-79-938-841.
* Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
