Burundians are extremely frustrated by an unimaginably higher cost of obtaining a passport and other travel documents.
For example the passport costs a whooping U$500 and the applicant has to wait for more than six months to get a mere response of receipt of application.
However,Maurice Mbonimpa the Commissioner General of the Migration Police, claimed in December lady year that the delays were due to some applicants submitting their applications late.
Several applicants say that they have been waiting for more than six months and there is no response from the migration office.
“I submitted my application more than eight months ago,” another applicant complained. “And to this day, I haven’t received any response,” one of the applicants told local radio journalist.
“Even applying for a laissez-passer has become an unnecessary risk,” he added confides. These documents are now virtually unavailable, plunging citizens into complete uncertainty.
A passport or other travel document issued by the General Commissariat for Migration now costs one and a half million Burundian francs (I$500).
For those who can’t raise U$500, it is almost impossible to obtain the travel document, unless one demonstrates an exceptional emergency or benefit from high-level internal influence.
With a price tag of U$500 Burundi Passport becomes the most expensive compared to other member states of East African Community (EAC).
In comparison, Kenya passport costs U$58-93, in Rwanda, a passport costs $48-68 and applicants get them in 5 working days including applying online.
In Tanzania, a passport is priced at U$90, while in Uganda it is obtained at only U$71.
Rwanda’s passport is the cheapest and quickest to obtain. Rwanda also removed visa requirements for all Africans while several other nationals from out of the continent get visa upon arrival.
Burundi has shut its borders with Rwanda thus stifling trade and movement of people.
Burundi remains extremely isolated.
