Burundi BI
Burundi's Civil Aviation Authority (AACB/BCAA) does regulate remotely piloted aircraft in principle — commercial operation requires an RPAS operator certificate and accepted security procedures — but no accessible public registration portal, fee schedule or tourist/recreational process was found. With no confirmed lighter-touch route for visitors, and given a Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' security advisory (driven partly by conflict spillover from neighbouring DRC), a tourist should contact AACB directly before attempting to bring or fly a drone, and should not expect a quick or simple process.
Your plan
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You're good to go, just follow the local rules
- No registration needed
A 249 g drone with camera doesn't need to be registered in Burundi.
- Bringing your drone in
No published personal-effects allowance for drones was found. Given the lack of a public recreational framework, treat import as requiring prior contact with AACB rather than assuming a drone can simply be carried in as ordinary luggage. Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply; no Burundi-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- Before each flight
Commercial operation of a remotely piloted aircraft system requires a valid RPAS operator certificate from AACB, plus accepted security procedures under Burundi's Civil Aviation Regulations · No public recreational/tourist drone framework, weight thresholds or altitude limits were found published by AACB; assume the general 400 ft (120 m) / visual-line-of-sight norms common in the region apply pending direct confirmation · With no explicit rules publicly available, customs treatment of an undeclared drone appears to be at officials' discretion — some visitors report no issue, others report confiscation
Flying
- Commercial operation of a remotely piloted aircraft system requires a valid RPAS operator certificate from AACB, plus accepted security procedures under Burundi's Civil Aviation Regulations
- No public recreational/tourist drone framework, weight thresholds or altitude limits were found published by AACB; assume the general 400 ft (120 m) / visual-line-of-sight norms common in the region apply pending direct confirmation
- With no explicit rules publicly available, customs treatment of an undeclared drone appears to be at officials' discretion — some visitors report no issue, others report confiscation
- Avoid border areas with the Democratic Republic of Congo (Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces, Kibira National Park, parts of Bujumbura Rural west of Gatumba), which carry heightened security risk from conflict spillover, independent of any drone rule
Commercial use: Commercial operators need an AACB-issued RPAS operator certificate and must submit security procedures for the Authority's acceptance under the Civil Aviation Regulations. No public fee schedule, application form or processing timeline was found; contact AACB directly (aacb@aacb.gov.bi / aacbburundi@gmail.com, +257 22 20 31 00/02).
Registration & classes
| Registration | Unknown AACB's website does not publish a specific drone/UAS registration procedure; a certificate requirement is confirmed for commercial RPAS operators but no public self-service registration process for recreational drones was found. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Sometimes RPAS operator certificate (commercial operators). Required for commercial operation per Burundi's Civil Aviation Regulations; no confirmed requirement or process for recreational/tourist pilots was found. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No public Remote ID / broadcast identification requirement was found for Burundi. |
| Insurance | Unknown No public information found on drone insurance requirements in Burundi. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No No confirmed tourist-specific drone permission pathway exists; the only clearly documented requirement (an RPAS operator certificate) applies to commercial operation. The country carries a Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' advisory from the US, Australia and Canada (Ireland's highest warning level), driven in part by conflict spillover from the Democratic Republic of Congo — avoid border provinces (Cibitoke, Bubanza, Kibira National Park, western Bujumbura Rural) regardless of drone rules. Given the limited public information, contact AACB directly well before travel to confirm current requirements. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| All drones | any weight | No public weight-based classification was found; commercial operation needs an RPAS operator certificate. Recreational rules are not published — contact AACB directly before travelling. |
Import & export
- No published personal-effects allowance for drones was found. Given the lack of a public recreational framework, treat import as requiring prior contact with AACB rather than assuming a drone can simply be carried in as ordinary luggage.
- No separate consumer radio-equipment type-approval scheme specific to drones was confirmed from an official source.
- Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply; no Burundi-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- With no published rules, whether a drone clears customs without issue appears to depend on the individual official — some travellers report no problem, others report confiscation.
- Contact AACB before travelling if you plan to bring a drone, particularly for anything beyond casual personal use.
Export
- No drone-specific export ban was found; general Burundian export-control rules would apply to any dual-use or restricted UAV technology.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Not confirmed from an official source. |
|---|---|
| RPAS operator certificate (commercial operators) | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in Burundi as a visitor Visitors
- Contact AACB before you travel
Email aacb@aacb.gov.bi or aacbburundi@gmail.com to ask about current recreational drone rules, since none are published online. Open
- Expect a commercial-style process for anything beyond casual personal use
Filming or professional use requires an RPAS operator certificate and accepted security procedures — plan for this to take time.
- Carry documentation and be prepared for discretion at customs
With no published rules, treatment of an undeclared drone varies by official; having any correspondence with AACB in hand may help.
- Avoid the DRC border provinces
Cibitoke, Bubanza, Kibira National Park and western Bujumbura Rural carry heightened security risk from conflict spillover — steer clear regardless of your drone plans.
- Check the overall travel advisory
Burundi is rated Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' by several Western governments; factor this into your broader trip planning, not just the drone.
Sources
- AACB - Civil Aviation Authority of Burundi · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com - Drone Laws in Burundi · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Smartraveller - Burundi Travel Advice & Safety · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−3
- Pilot test (unknown)−5
- Remote ID−3
- Mandatory insurance−2
- Night flight unknown−3
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−3
- Import restricted−25
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works