Burundi
Waiver Certificate Requirements

Cargo transported to or through Burundi requires an Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN)

Burundi customs now requires an Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) on cargo transported to the country. The ECTN is required for all consignments and must be issued at the Port of Loading (POL), The unique number on the electronic cargo tracking note must be shown on the Bill of Lading (BOL) and the Cargo Manifest, cargoes shipped without a valid unique ECTN number will not clear customs and risk being fined by the Ministry of Finance of Burundi between 10,000USD and 50,000USD.

ECTN Validation:

  • Electronic Cargo Tracking Notes must be submitted to Antaser Afrique before reaching Burundi borders for validation

Burundi Pre-shipment Inspections:

All imports to Burundi require a Declaration of Intention of Import (DII), the inspection must be carried out at the country of origin in order to clear Burundi customs. Pre-shipment Inspections (PSI) are required to ensure all regulated imports comply with approved Burundi Standards, PSI are mandated by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Planning and supervised by the Bureau Burundais de Normalisation (BBN).

Part shipments require a PSI if the total order exceeds minimum values listed below.

Minimum Value for Pre-shipment Inspection:

  • USD5000 – CFR Burundi
  • USD3000 – CFR for chemicals, pharmaceutical products / rags and foodstuffs

Documents Required for PSI:

Bill of Lading (BOL) or Airway Bill (AWB), Final Invoice and Certificate of Origin

Goods Exempted from PSI:

  • Goods imported by parcel post
  • Meat and edible offals – fresh, chilled or frozen
  • Live animals
  • Goods financed by foreign aid contracted by the government or the private sector if the direct supplier is a foreign government. In such a case, the Bank of the Republic of Burundi reserves itself the right to require inspection of quality and quantity
  • Used household and personal effects
  • Fish – fresh (live or dead), chilled or frozen
  • Molluscs, crustaceans and shellfish – fresh (live or dead), chilled, frozen
  • Supplies to diplomatic and consular missions and supplies to international agencies dependent on the United Nations Organization or international, regional or sub-regional organizations imported into Burundi for their own use
  • Edible fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Bird’s eggs
  • Precious metals and stones
  • Explosives and pyrotechnic materials
  • Printed newspapers and periodicals, whether or not illustrated
  • Scrap metal
  • Fuel
  • Ammunition, arms and war equipment destined for the Army
  • Objects of art and antiques

Goods Prohibited from Import:

  • Pornographic materials
  • Narcotics

Restricted Imports: