Currency: Franc CFA (XOF)
Exchange rate: 655,957 per €
Time zone: UTC (GMT)
Country code (phone): +226
Entry
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, entry by land is currently not possible due to the blockage of cross-border passenger traffic to Burkina Faso. As of the turn of the year 2020/2021, only the capital’s international airport is excluded. A PCR test that is no longer than five days old is mandatory for both entry and exit. Within the country, there is sometimes an obligation to wear mouth / nose masks in public spaces. As a result of the very limited test capacities in the country, re-emigration can be problematic.
Before the COVID 19 pandemic, there were daily flight connections to Ouagadougou, whose airport was served by the following airlines from Europe: Air Burkina, Air France, Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines.
Entry requirements are a valid passport with a visa and proof of a yellow fever vaccination. Citizens of CEDAO / ECOWAS countries do not need a visa.
You can find more information about entry requirements on the information page of the Federal Foreign Office. To apply for a visa, the Burkina Faso embassy in Berlin offers all the information and forms you need to download.
A normal tourist visa over 90 days with only one entry costs 70 euros. A franked return envelope (postage € 3.95 by registered letter DIN A 5) must be enclosed by post. There are separate group visas for partnerships. The processing time is 7 working days, the embassy does not work on Wednesdays.
The German embassy in Ouagadougou asks all German citizens traveling to Burkina Faso to register in the electronic registration for Germans abroad.
Living and providing
There is a wide range of rental houses and apartments in Ouagadougou. There are numerous brokers available for mediation, and all embassies and development services have at least one on hand. The realtors have largely divided their territories into districts and take half a month to a month’s rent as a commission. A deposit of two months’ rent to the landlord is customary. The rental prices for houses and apartments are very different (60,000 – 600,000 F CFA / M). What should be rented as an “international standard” also has its international price. There is also a good supply of rental houses in Bobo-Dioulasso and other medium-sized cities.
In Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, the supply of food and goods for daily needs is good to very good. The shopping offer ranges from the traditional markets in the city districts to large supermarket chains, mostly run by Lebanese or Syrians, which meet European standards, but also offer a lot of cheap Chinese goods. Chilled goods imported from Europe are accordingly expensive and cannot be compared with discount prices. In rural areas, the supply situation through markets and shops is geared towards the basic needs of the local population.
In recent years, several food scandals rocked the public in Burkina Faso. In February 2015, almost 1.2 million Fanta and Cola beverage cans were discovered by the police in the OBOUF warehouse, the expiry date of which had long expired or which were marked with a new, falsified expiry date. They appeared to have been moved on the Tunis-Ouaga axis. The scandals also concerned edible oil mixed with caustic soda and citric acid, expired and spoiled staple foods in the university canteen or, in several cases, spoiled frozen poultry meat from Togo that was confiscated by the customs authorities.
The current – and water supply is relatively good in most cities. The security and quality of supply, however, depend on the region and the season. There are frequent power interruptions, especially in the rainy season. At the moment there are also projects like “team9” or “PRIELIR”, which create a local, autonomous power supply for 176 villages. Gas is usually used for cooking. Several 12-liter butane gas bottles should be kept in stock, as there are often supply bottlenecks. This is also due to the fact that more and more taxis are illegally operated with butane gas.
Petrol prices are far higher than in the coastal countries in the south. Prices are set by the state and can be found at GlobelPetrolPrice can be requested.
Money
The Burkina Faso currency is the West African Franc CFA (C ommunauté F inancière d ‘ A frique), which behaves equal to the euro. For money transfers from a current account to a bank account in Burkina Faso or vice versa, ask the relevant bank. Such transfers – including transfers within the country – can take a few days. Money transfer services that are well represented in Ouagadougou include MoneyGram International and Western Union. Online transfers of up to EUR 300 reach the recipient within a few minutes.
Only Visa cards are accepted as credit cards in Burkina Faso. ATMs are available at almost all banks in the capitals of the regions. Normally, EUR 500 / month can be withdrawn from German accounts. In addition, you should contact the bank.
FCFA is difficult to exchange in Europe. In Ouagadougou this is possible in banks. Travelers checks are also exchanged for fees there. An exchange office is located at the airport and is said to be open for aircraft movements. Euros can also be exchanged for FCFA in the office of a supermarket or in larger shops. The course 1: 656 is constant.
Banks:
- BICIAB Banque Internationale pour le Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Burkina Faso
- UBA United Bank for Africa (formerly BIB)
- Société Générale Burkina Faso
- ECOBANK La banque panafricaine
- BOA Bank of Africa
- BCB Banque Commerciale du Burkina
- Coris Bank International
Dealing with the services of the banks in Burkina Faso requires a little more patience than one is used to in Europe.
