Burkina Faso Entry Requirements

Crossing into Burkina Faso starts with a slow shuffle across sun-baked concrete at Ouagadougou's Thomas Sankara International Airport, where the dry Sahel wind carries the scent of charcoal grills and the thud of bass from a nearby roadside sound system. Immigration officers in sand-coloured uniforms flick through passports beneath ceiling fans that clack like cicadas, stamping entry permits with a decisive thud you feel through the thin paper. Most visitors need either a visa obtained in advance or an eVisa secured online. Only a small group of African neighbours may enter visa-free. Expect to present yellow-fever certificates, proof of onward travel, and crisp new bills for the visa-on-arrival fee, tattered notes are waved away with a frown. After baggage reclaim, you step into the glare of the arrivals hall where taxi drivers shout over the sizzle of grilling brochettes, and the humid night air wraps around you like a warm towel.