Burkina Faso
BFABurkina Faso is a landlocked West African state currently governed by the Transition Government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a second coup in September 2022. The country is suspended from ECOWAS and faces an acute jihadist insurgency across its Sahel, Est, and Nord regions, displacing over 2 million people internally.
The economy is heavily dependent on gold exports and subsistence agriculture, with GDP per capita among the world's lowest. The CFA franc provides monetary stability but the country is rated high-risk by all major travel advisories. No residence-by-investment or digital-nomad pathway exists. Naturalisation requires 10 years of lawful residence and renunciation of prior nationality.
- Naturalisation
- 10 years
- Tax system
- Residence Based
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF)
- Dual citizenship
- Not allowed
- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Region
- africa
- Population
- 22,673,762
- Cost-of-living
- 28 /100
Passport Rank
#97
Visa-Free
53
destinations
Visa-free travel
A Burkina Faso passport has visa-free access to 53 destinations. See the full Burkina Faso passport breakdown â
Passports that enter Burkina Faso without a prior visa (19)
Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.
Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) â verify with the embassy before travel.
Immigrating to Canada from Burkina Faso
Current IRCC processing times for Burkina Faso nationals, by application type.
| Visitor visa (outside Canada) | 39 days |
| Super visa | No processing time available |
| Study permit | 5 weeks |
| Work permit | No processing time available |
| Sponsor a dependent child | No processing time available |
| Adopted child (citizenship) | Not enough data |
| Government-assisted refugees | Not enough data |
| Privately sponsored refugees | sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data |
Your application may take longer than the times shown here. Theyâre not a maximum or a guarantee.
As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times â
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada â âCheck processing timesâ. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canadaâs non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.
Sources & last verified
Government of Canada â non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)
Country Details
- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF)
- Languages
- French
- Population
- 22,673,762
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Dual Citizenship
- Not allowed
- Naturalisation
- 10 years
- Schengen / EU
- No
- Climate
- Semi-arid (Sahel); hot dry season NovemberâMay, short rainy season JuneâOctober
- GDP per capita
- $1,148
- Life expectancy
- 61.29 yrs
- Population growth
- 2.21%/yr
GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).
Indices
Cost of Living
28
Safety
22
Healthcare
25
Quality of Life
24
Tax Summary
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Territorial Taxation
- No â worldwide income taxed for residents
- Naturalisation
- 10 years of legal residency
- Dual Citizenship
- Not allowed
Cost of Living by City
â scroll the table â
| City | Rent 1BR centre | Rent outside | Groceries | Utilities | Transit pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouagadougou | â | â | â | â | â |
| Bobo-Dioulasso | â | â | â | â | â |
| Koudougou | â | â | â | â | â |
Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.
Climate
Ouagadougou
Rainfall range: 2â185 mm/month · Daylight h (winter) to h (summer)
Visa Categories & Immigration Authority
Major Visa Categories
- Tourist
- Business
- Long-stay
- Work
- Family
- Student
- Authority
- Direction Générale de la Police Nationale
- Official Portal
- www.securite.gov.bf
- Phone
- +226 25 30 63 12
- contact@securite.gov.bf
Naturalisation Details
- Residence Years
- Language Test
- No
- Civic Test
- No
- Oath Required
- No
- Dual Allowed
- No
- Fee
- $75
- Processing
- ~24 months
Safety
GPI Rank
#148
Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)
Regulators & official sources
Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Burkina Faso, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.
Ministry of Security
Security MinistryOfficial ministry source announcing the eVisaburkina online visa platform.
Burkina Faso national service portal
Service PublicOfficial public-service portal category for labour-administration context and government procedure discovery.
Related Guides
Related on The Citizenship Desk
Visa routes
Official visa and residence routes for Burkina Faso, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.
Residence
Family, Study or Long-stay Authority Check
ResidenceBurkina Faso lite authority-check route for family, study or longer stays where public route-level checklists are not stable.
Short-term / business
Business or Official Visit eVisa
Short-term / businessBurkina Faso eVisa route for short business, meeting, mission or official visits handled through eVisaburkina.
Online Entry Visa
Short-term / businessBurkina Faso online entry-visa route filed through the official eVisaburkina applicant portal.
Tourism or Private Visit eVisa
Short-term / businessBurkina Faso eVisa route for tourism, private visits or similar short stays, using the official online portal.
Work (sponsored)
Work or Residence Authority Check
Work (sponsored)Burkina Faso lite work/residence check page for applicants whose activity may go beyond eVisa entry permission.
Sources & last verified
Route index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-12. Each route links to its official government source.
Sources & last verified
- Last verified