Burkina Faso entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): Valid for the whole stay (until the day you leave)
Visa (FCDO): You need a visa to enter Burkina Faso. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Burkina Faso travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Burkina Faso, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Burkina Faso with a British passport?
In short: You need a visa to enter Burkina Faso.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You must have a visa to enter Burkina Faso.
Applying for a visa
If you live in the UK, apply for a visa online or through the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Brussels. You cannot get a visa for Burkina Faso in the UK.
There are Burkinabe embassies in the West Africa region, including in Accra and Abidjan.
Official source: GOV.UK – Burkina Faso travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay and have 2 blank pages for entry stamps.
Official source: GOV.UK – Burkina Faso travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Burkina Faso
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Blank pages: the official text says “…have 2 blank pages…”. The checker does not count pages.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 8 August 2023: “due to regional events there is disruption to air travel to and from Ouagadougou and a risk of protests ('Summary', 'Safety and security' and 'Entry requirements' pages).”
- 28 December 2022: “Updated information on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for entry and exit (‘Coronavirus' and ‘Entry requirements’ pages).”
- 16 June 2022: “Updated information on entry requirements for Burkina Faso ('Entry requirements' page)”
- 26 July 2021: “Updated information about entry requirements for entry to Burkina Faso; passengers arriving in Burkina Faso without a negative PCR test dated no more than 5 days prior to entry will have their identity documents temporarily confiscated by the authorities and will be required to take a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a PCR test (‘Entry requirements’ page)”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Burkina Faso (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (Valid for the whole stay)
and 19 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status