Burundi company search: RCCM commercial register (minjustice.gov.bi)

TL;DR. Burundi’s company registry (RCCM) is maintained at the Tribunal de Commerce de Bujumbura. The named host https://www.minjustice.gov.bi no longer resolves, and this guide names no replacement search address. No fee in BIF and no turnaround time is published, so fees in this guide read unknown rather than free; confirm at source. Unverified Burundian entity data therefore carries more uncertainty than most.

Who searches for Burundian company information, and why it’s hard

Burundi is a small, landlocked East African country with one of the lowest GDPs per capita globally. Foreign commercial engagement is primarily through development finance institutions, humanitarian organisations, commodity traders (coffee, tea, gold), and regional companies operating across the Great Lakes region. The search challenge is severe: the public Ministry of Justice host does not resolve. The RCCM operates as a largely paper-based system at the Tribunal de Commerce de Bujumbura, and access for non-residents is essentially impossible without an in-country agent.

Combined with a fragile political environment, limited rule of law infrastructure, and documented AML/CFT weaknesses identified in regional assessments, Burundian entity verification is among the most operationally difficult in Africa.

Registry at a glance

Name: Registre du Commerce et du Credit Mobilier (RCCM). Burundi adopted the OHADA Uniform Act framework for commercial law in 1998, with the RCCM operating under the OHADA Uniform Act on General Commercial Law (AUDCG).

Operator: The Tribunal de Commerce de Bujumbura is the primary registry authority for company registration and extract issuance. The Ministry of Justice (Ministere de la Justice) has overall supervisory responsibility.

URL: https://www.minjustice.gov.bi no longer resolves. This guide names no replacement host, and there is no public RCCM search to document.

What is covered: SARL (societe a responsabilite limitee), SA (societe anonyme), SNC (general partnership), SCS (limited partnership), entreprise individuelle (sole trader), GIE (economic interest group), and branches of foreign companies registered with the Tribunal.

Access model: There is no public search portal that resolves. All meaningful access requires physical presence at the Tribunal de Commerce de Bujumbura or engagement of a local representative.

Honesty note: Public company information is not reliably accessible to foreign users through any Burundian government host that resolves. Unverified Burundian entity data therefore carries more uncertainty than most, and in-country counsel is the practical route.

How to search

Step 1: Engage an in-country agent. With minjustice.gov.bi not resolving and no replacement host, the only reliable route is a Burundian lawyer, notary, or commercial agent based in Bujumbura.

Step 2: Provide the company name and any available RCCM number. RCCM numbers in Burundi follow the format: BUJ-[year]-[type]-[number]. If the counterparty has provided this, pass it to your local agent for verification.

Step 3: Request a certified RCCM extract. The agent attends the Tribunal de Commerce de Bujumbura and requests the extrait du RCCM. No timing and no fee in BIF is published; confirm at source.

Step 4: Cross-reference with tax authority. The Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR, Burundian Revenue Office) assigns tax identification numbers (NIF) to registered entities. An in-country agent may be able to confirm OBR registration status. That is not a substitute for an RCCM record.

Step 5: Supplement with in-country intelligence. For material transactions, Burundian law firms can supplement the registry extract with court record searches, sector licence verification, and interviews with local counterparties.

What you can find

A certified RCCM extract for a Burundian company, when obtainable via the Tribunal, has been reported to contain company name, RCCM number, legal form, status, registered office, incorporation date, activity, share capital, and director/shareholder names for SARL entities. Those fields could not be confirmed online, because no Burundian government host resolves; confirm at source.

Data completeness is variable. Treat all information as requiring verification rather than as definitive.

What is missing

• Official host: minjustice.gov.bi no longer resolves, and there is no replacement.
• Beneficial ownership: No UBO registry exists in Burundi.
• BIF fees: not published.
• Financial statements: Not publicly available.
• Litigation records: Not systematically searchable remotely.
• Digital backup: Risk of physical record loss or damage to paper-based filings.

Pricing

No fee figures in BIF are published, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. No turnaround time is published either. Exchange rates are at the Banque de la Republique du Burundi (brb.bi).

English availability and practical access

Partial. English coverage could not be confirmed, because no Burundian government host resolves. Documentation has been reported as being in French, Burundi’s official administrative language alongside Kirundi; confirm at source. Foreign buyers typically need French-speaking agents.

Account and local-ID rules could not be confirmed either, for the same reason.

Alternatives when the registry is limited

Given that the named host no longer resolves and there is no replacement:

• In-country law firms: The primary route. Bujumbura-based lawyers handling commercial matters.
• Development finance institution networks: The AfDB, World Bank IFC, and bilateral DFIs active in Burundi may be able to provide referrals to vetted local legal counsel.
• Open Ownership: openownership.org. Burundi has not yet committed to a public beneficial ownership register.
• FATF / ESAAMLG: The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is the FATF-Style Regional Body covering Burundi.
• United Nations: UN reports on Burundi’s political and humanitarian situation provide essential context for risk assessment.

Compliance buyer notes

The FATF “Black and grey” lists page and the Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring list of 13 February 2026 both load, and Burundi is not named on that monitoring list; confirm at source. That is not an endorsement of Burundi’s AML/CFT framework. Regional assessments by ESAAMLG have identified material weaknesses in Burundi’s financial intelligence capacity, legal framework effectiveness, and law enforcement capability.

Key compliance considerations:

• Elevated country risk: Burundi’s fragile political environment, poverty, and limited institutional capacity are material for AML/CFT risk assessment. Burundi is not named on the FATF increased-monitoring list.
• Artisanal gold and minerals: Burundi is in the Great Lakes region, where artisanal and small-scale mining intersects with conflict. The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains applies to any minerals-related transaction.
• Political risk: Burundi’s political environment has been fragile since the 2015 constitutional crisis.
• PEP exposure: PEP screening of all directors and major shareholders is essential.
• Financial sector: Burundian banks operate under the supervision of the Banque de la Republique du Burundi (BRB).
• OFAC: Burundi is not under a complete OFAC country sanctions program. Individual screening of counterparties remains mandatory for US-nexus transactions.

For any Burundian counterparty, the minimum viable due diligence package is: in-country RCCM extract, PEP/sanctions screen via commercial database, and direct beneficial ownership disclosure from the counterparty backed by documentary evidence.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: minjustice.gov.bi, which no longer resolves. No replacement host exists, and no fees in BIF are published. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.