Burkina Faso waives entry visa fees for all African nationals

Burkina Faso is now free to visit for all African nationals. Ouagadougou says its waiving fees on entry visas for citizens across the continent. 

The only requirement for Africans wanting to visit Burkina Faso is to fill out an online form and have their application approved. 

Until now, a tourist visa cost just under $100 (55,000 CFA francs) while a business visa ran to about $165 (93 500 CFA francs). 

The country’s Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, said the measure was aimed at strengthening the historic bonds of brotherhood between African people, as part of a pan-Africanist agenda of interim president, Ibrahim Traoré. 

Sana said the move would also help to boost tourism to the West African nation, promote Burkinabe culture, and improve Burkina Faso’s visibility abroad. 

But Sana stressed that free does not mean exempt. While Africans will no longer have to pay for their visa, visas have not been abolished and a visitors still have to obtain a valid visa in order to enter the country.