Burkina Faso

Foreign merchant authorization and long-stay visa. A US citizen intending to conduct commerce must obtain the foreign merchant authorization before activity. For a stay up to one year, the police lists direct long-stay visa filing with the Migration Division or a Burkinabe diplomatic mission using a valid passport, two photos, signed visa application and information form; the published commerce page does not provide a full authorization document checklist.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Foreign merchant authorization and long-stay visa

Commercial-activity authorization and, if separately granted, a one-year long-stay visa; neither approval is automatic from the other.

Who qualifies

A US citizen intending to conduct commerce must obtain the foreign merchant authorization before activity. For a stay up to one year, the police lists direct long-stay visa filing with the Migration Division or a Burkinabe diplomatic mission using a valid passport, two photos, signed visa application and information form; the published commerce page does not provide a full authorization document checklist.
Burkina Faso Service Public, authorization for foreign commercial activity
The National Police states that a long-stay visa can be filed directly with its migration administration or an overseas mission and lists the basic application documents.
Burkina Faso National Police, long-stay visa procedure

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

It could fit.

A US citizen intending to conduct commerce must obtain the foreign merchant authorization before activity. For a stay up to one year, the police lists direct long-stay visa filing with the Migration Division or a Burkinabe diplomatic mission using a valid passport, two photos, signed visa application and information form; the published commerce page does not provide a full authorization document checklist.

Every option that fits your family

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Time: Processing runs from submission of the complete file to the issuing authority’s decision.
Cost: Budget for the application documents, certification, police or medical records and travel in addition to any charge collected at filing.
The hard part: The merchant authorization’s full application evidence and current issuance channel are separate approvals with the competent agency.

Citizens by 2038.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.
2037
Apply for citizenship
2038
Citizenship

Time away: Habitual residence in Burkina Faso for the ten years immediately before filing; naturalisation is by decree after investigation.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

The merchant authorization and one-year long-stay visa are separate; maintained lawful habitual residence can build the ten-year nationality period.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: Where you become tax resident follows the days you spend there and where your home is. We map it for your family before you move.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Gather business registration and activity documents, then begin the published permit application.Open service-public.gov.bf ↗
Gather these documents.
- The business plan, and the endorsement or approval it needs
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

Options open to you today →

ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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