Burundi’s General Migration Commissioner has warned that foreigners living in the country without a required foreigner’s identity card could be expelled after a Sept. 30 deadline.
The warning was issued on Monday by General Migration Commissioner Maurice Mbonimpa during a press conference.
Mbonimpa said foreigners who fail to obtain the card within the deadline could be sent back to their countries of origin.
“They were given two months, and the first month has already elapsed. Some have already come to obtain this card, and we would like to inform them that after the deadline, it will not be extended,” Mbonimpa said.
“By the end of September, every foreigner must have this card,” he added.
The announcement follows a July 15 statement by the General Migration Commissioner calling on all foreign nationals residing in Burundi to obtain the document.
“The General Migration Commissioner informs all foreign nationals residing in the territory of the Republic of Burundi that every foreign person living in Burundi must possess this foreigner’s identity card by Sept. 30, 2026,” the statement said.
The commissioner also described the card as a mandatory document and warned that, after the deadline, any foreigner without one would be considered to be residing in Burundi irregularly.
Mbonimpa did not disclose how many foreigners had already applied for or obtained the card. He also did not explain the reasons behind the introduction of the document.
