Burundi’s E-Commerce Platform Compliance Certification Framework is a national mechanism for assessing the compliance of e-commerce platforms. It aims to promote a reliable, transparent, secure, and consumer-protective digital environment while encouraging local operators to comply with the technical and regulatory requirements applicable to e-commerce in Burundi.
Compliance certification is based on Burundi’s E-Commerce Platform Compliance Checklist, which comprises 50 requirements covering the main technical, commercial, contractual, logistical, and regulatory aspects of an e-commerce business.
Do not wait until you begin operations to start this process. Register your platform, prepare your application, and submit your activity declaration as soon as possible. Your commitment contributes to greater transparency, stronger consumer trust, and the development of a structured, secure, and compliant e-commerce sector in Burundi.
The committee responsible for assessing the technical and regulatory compliance of e-commerce platforms is composed of members of the Interinstitutional Committee for the Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation of Burundi’s National E-Commerce Ecosystem.
As part of the operationalization of Burundi’s National E-Commerce Ecosystem, all owners of e-commerce platforms registered with the E-Commerce Platforms Working Group are invited to submit an activity declaration dossier in accordance with the *Declaration Procedures Manual*. This process enables them to be integrated into the national framework for coordination, support, and compliance of the e-commerce sector.
The declaration dossier must be submitted to the Secretariat of the Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency (ARCT), either in person at the ARCT Secretariat or electronically by completing the online declaration form available through the link below.
Before initiating the submission process, please consult the E-commerce Activity Compliance Checklist for Burundi, available through the link below.
For further information, please contact the ARCT Secretariat.
Following submission of the declaration dossier, the ARCT Secretariat invites the applicant to attend a session to demonstrate their e-commerce platform before the Evaluation Committee, specifying the date and time of the session.
During the session, the applicant demonstrates the platform’s main functionalities and responds to questions from Committee members.
This stage enables the Evaluation Committee to assess the platform’s compliance with the applicable technical and regulatory requirements.
The Evaluation Committee examines the applicable requirements in light of the information declared, the documents submitted by the applicant, and the evidence presented during the platform demonstration session. In particular, it verifies the platform’s compliance with the legal, regulatory, technical, and operational requirements.
Upon completion of the assessment, the Committee records its findings, observations, and conclusions in the designated Evaluation Grid. Where applicable, it identifies any deficiencies and issues the necessary recommendations or requests for corrective action, specifying the requirements concerned.
Based on the consolidated opinions of the Evaluation Committee members, the ARCT Secretariat communicates the assessment findings to the applicant. Where applicable, the applicant is invited to make the necessary adjustments and undertake the required corrective measures in accordance with the observations and recommendations issued by the Committee.
Upon completion of the assessment process and verification that all applicable requirements have been met, the Certificate of Compliance is issued to the applicant, and the National Compliance Label is awarded by ARCT, in accordance with established procedures.
These two instruments attest to the e-commerce platform’s compliance with the legal, regulatory, technical, and operational requirements applicable under Burundi’s National E-Commerce Ecosystem.
The adopted methodology is based on a transparent, multi-stage assessment process, covering the submission of applications, their preliminary review, the deliberations of the Evaluation Committee, and notification of the final decision to the applicant.
The applications are submitted to ARCT, which serves as the Secretariat of the Evaluation Committee. ARCT conducts a preliminary review of each application using the Compliance Checklist. Once completed, the checklist corresponding to each application is circulated by email to all Committee members before the platform owner is invited to attend the platform demonstration session.
In consultation with Committee members, ARCT schedules the demonstration session, during which the applicant is invited to demonstrate the platform’s functionalities and answer questions from Committee members.
Following the session, ARCT collects the opinions of Committee members and prepares a consolidated summary, which is communicated to the applicant. Where additional information or supporting documents are required, the applicant is granted fourteen (14) calendar days to complete the dossier.
Based on the application reviewed, the platform demonstration and, where applicable, any additional information or documents submitted, the Evaluation Committee deliberates and determines the platform’s compliance status. The resulting decision is then communicated to the applicant and published on this platform.
This procedure is designed to ensure a harmonized and rigorous assessment of e-commerce platforms while allowing applicants to complete their applications and, where necessary, address any deficiencies identified during the assessment process.
