Burkina Faso

Employer Of Record Burkina Faso

Did you know that you can expand your business footprint into Burkina Faso without setting up a physical entity there? Skuad’s Employer of Record (EOR) solution helps you expand your global outreach into Burkina Faso without the need to set up an office there. With Skuad, you can onboard your remote teams and scale up your operations at a brisk pace. You can also manage payroll as well as all other benefits and much more. Thanks to our unified and automated Global HR platform, you can do all this remotely and in compliance with all the local laws.

Read on to know more about our EOR solutions. We provide a single interface to manage both contractors and full-time employees.

Burkina Faso At A Glance:

A landlocked nation in West Africa, Burkina Faso covers an area of 274,200 sq. km. There are 6 neighboring countries around this landlocked West African Country. Here are some key facts about Burkina Faso if you intend to expand your business there

• Capital city: Ouagadougou; this is also the largest city in Burkina Faso
• Local Currency: West African CFA Franc
• Official Language: French is the official language in Burkina Faso. Yet, French is not the most popular language there.
• Other popular languages: The most popular language in Burkina Faso is Mossi (52%). Dyula, Bobo, Somo, Marka, Fula are the other popular languages. There are about 70 different languages spoken in Burkina Faso.
• Government Type: Semi-presidential Republic
• Estimated population: 20,321,378 - As estimated by the United Nations until July 2019
  

Things To Know Before Starting Employment In Burkina Faso

As a member of the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UMEOA), the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund as well as the United Nations, Burkina Faso makes a great entry point for businesses looking for expansion into Africa. Here are some important regulations to ensure compliance with Burkina Faso employment laws.

Employment Contracts Burkina Faso

As per Burkina Faso employment laws, a single fixed-term contract for locals can be for not more than 2 years. For foreign workers, this can be for a period of 3 years. All contracts need to be in writing in the official local language, French. Both the employee and employer need to sign the contract before execution. Further, whether you are hiring contractors or full-time employees, documented contracts are always recommended. All employment agreements in Burkina Faso should also include:

• The addresses of the employer as well as the employee
• Joining date for work
• Probation and termination details
• Working hours
• Compensation agreed upon and mode of payment
• Compensation agreed upon and mode of payment
• Employment exit rules including notice period

Statutory Working Hours At Burkina Faso

The standard working hours accepted in Burkina Faso are 40 hours of work a week. For work beyond 40 hours, overtime needs to be paid. The rates for overtime ranges from 15% to 120% of the agreed wage, depending upon the type of work and employment.

Holidays And Leaves

The following are common National Holidays in Burkina Faso. As per Burkina Faso employment laws, employers should pay for these National Holidays. Please note that the Muslim holiday dates may vary depending upon the sighting of the moon. (Source: wageindicator.org and officeholidays.com)

• New Year’s Day
• Mouloud ( Birth of the prophet Mohamed)
• Revolution Day
• International Women’s Day
• Easter Day
• Easter Monday
• International Workers day
• Ascension Day
• Koreté (End of Ramadan)
• Tabaski (Feast of Sacrifice)
• Independence Day
• Assumption Day
• Anniversary of the 1987 coup d'etat
• All Saints Day
• Proclamation of the Republic
• Christmas Day

Further, employees are also entitled to the following leaves during their contract period:

• Annual Leave: Upon completion of 1 year, every employee earns 22 days of paid annual leave. Further, 2 days, 4 days, and 6 days get added once an employee completes 20, 25, and 30 years of service respectively.
• Sick Leave: Provision of sick leave to all employees is mandatory here. An employer cannot end the contract of an employee in case of absence from work due to illness for up to 1 year. All employees are also entitled to receive a part of their income during their period of illness.
• Maternity and Paternity leaves: Women can avail 14 months of paid maternity leave. They become eligible anytime after completing 3 months of service. In case of any complication during delivery, they can extend leave by 3 weeks. This extension is valid for other health-related complications during pregnancy as well. Male employees at Burkina Faso are eligible to take up to 3 days of paid paternity leave. There is no need to provide the employer with advance notice for this leave.
  

Probation And Termination At Burkina Faso

The probationary period in Burkina Faso depends upon the type of employment. The standard probation period in Burkina Faso is 3 months in most cases.

When it comes to the termination of employment in Burkina Faso, there are compliance issues there as well. As per Burkina Faso labor laws, all affected employees should get a written notice. This written notice should also state the reason for termination. The term of notice depends on the category of worker. As per law, 8 days notice is mandatory for terminating employment for daily and hourly wages. 3 month's notice is mandatory for all regular employees working as supervisors, technicians, executives, or similar roles. For all other regular employees, it has to be 1 month's notice. (Source: Burkina Faso Labor act - 2008)

Note: You need to pay severance for termination of employment to employees who have worked for more than 1 year. This is applicable if the dismissal is not due to misconduct or non-performance.

Mandatory Contributions, Payroll and taxes in Burkina Faso:

In Burkina Faso, employer payroll tax rates are currently set at 3%. There is also a mandatory deduction for social security for all employees as well as the employer. The employees contribute 5.5% of their salary towards social security. The employer's contributions are set at 16% for the same.

Employee Health Benefits In Burkina Faso:

Employment laws in Burkina Faso don't mandate the provision of medical cover for employees. In fact, the country has adopted Universal Healthcare for the entire workforce in the country. To be on the safe side, however, it is advisable to take private health insurance, both for the employee as well as the employer.

Talk to us if you would like to know more about Burkina Faso and its employment laws.

Hiring In Burkina Faso

We understand that it takes a strong team to lay the foundation for a successful brand or a subsidiary. It is critical to find the right people for the job for your success, be it a remote office or a full-fledged subsidiary. Besides, you need to find the right talent while complying with all the laws of the land. The smartest way to hire the best talent would be to know beforehand where you can find them. Identify the target area before starting to hire.

There are various methods one can adopt to address all your hiring needs in Burkina Faso. One way would be the traditional method, via advertisements in various local journals. You can also shortlist potential employees through various job boards. In these methods, though, the risk would always be on you to stay compliant with the laws in Burkina Faso. For your talent needs, you can also take help from a recruitment agency. These hiring companies in Burkina Faso can also guide you about the local laws. Besides, they can also guide you on where to look for the right talent for your hiring needs.

One of the best options would be to take help from the Employer of the record service provider. Depending on your needs, even Professional Employer Organization (PEO) makes for a safe bet. A good EOR or PEO service provider will help you hire while staying compliant with the local laws. They offer you faster business expansion while staying within the purview of local laws. Skuad’s Employer of record service in Burkina Faso is one of the best EOR solutions providers.

Critical Elements Of Employment Contract Laws In Burkina Faso

Like many international markets, Burkina Faso also has many critical employment contract laws. All businesses setting up shop here need to adhere to these laws, with no exceptions. As per law, it is not mandatory to get into a written agreement with your employees in Burkina Faso. Still, it is beneficial to document well-defined employment contracts with all employees. For all fixed-term contracts, the employment laws here dictate a tenure of 2 years or less for locals. This can go up to 3 years if the employee is a foreign national relocating to Burkina Faso. The local law also dictates that it is mandatory to prepare all long-term contracts in French. These contracts should also contain all the terms of employment recorded. Once recorded, the terms need to be countersigned by both parties, the employer and employee. It is also mandatory to include details of working hours as well as compensation. All compensation agreed upon needs to be in West African CFA Francs. We have already discussed these mandatory needs in the section above.

There are strict laws against discrimination in Burkina Faso. These are the most common employment laws across all global countries. It is illegal to discriminate against any employee or potential employee based on their sex, race, religion, color, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, political orientation, etcetera. Any violation on account of any of the above can lead to serious consequences for the business.

At Skuad, we help you discover exceptional talent. We do this while ensuring compliance with all employment laws in Burkina Faso. We even ensure complete compliance while onboarding your employees too. To stay compliant, we also recommend you review all important onboarding-related documents. This will help us complete the employee onboarding as per your business needs too. This will also lead to error-free onboarding while being within the compliance purview.

We are happy to help if you would like to learn more. Reach out to us anytime to know more about laws in Burkina Faso about hiring and onboarding.

Incorporation Of Business In Burkina Faso

For a business, it can be gratifying as well as demanding to expand operations in other countries. Setting up a subsidiary in Burkina Faso can help strengthen your daily operations here. It will also help improve alliances with other businesses in the region. From a stakeholders’ point of view, international expansion also helps boost confidence. An expansion into Burkina Faso offers a foothold to do business in the entire West African region. As important as it is to expand, expansion into Burkina Faso can also be complex and time-consuming.

Setting Up Your Subsidiary In Burkina Faso

No matter what the business or what region a business decides to expand into, it is usually complex. So is expansion into Burkina Faso, though the Government policies are welcoming. It is important to keep in mind the necessary laws and compliance though. In Burkina Faso, the laws and policies could change from state to state and, in some cases, even from city to city.

Please know the law of the land before deciding to set up a subsidiary in any part of Burkina Faso.

Also, it is critical to identify the right location for setting up the physical office in any country. Choosing the right spot for your office can make setting up and expanding in Burkina Faso quite easy. Various consultants in Burkina Faso can help you with this. They are experts who are likely to know the country better than you. Plus, being locals, they may also be able to guide you about the compliance needed.

For registering your business subsidiary here, you can use various entity types. These include Public Limited Company (PLC), Limited Liability Companies (LLC), etcetera. Most companies prefer to use LLC while registering a subsidiary in Burkina Faso. This helps protect the holding company’s liabilities. An LLC also offers many tax-friendly laws. Registering as an LLC allows the subsidiary freedom to operate in Burkina Faso. Please understand the legal and compliance requirements for each company type before registering.

Steps Involved In Setting Up A Subsidiary In Burkina Faso

There are certain legal requirements for setting up your subsidiary in Burkina Faso. These may include:

• Opening a bank account in Burkina Faso: you need a local bank account to deposit paid-up capital. The amount is dependent on the type of company you chose to register your subsidiary under.
• Depositing your share capital in the local bank account: You need to deposit the share capital for your subsidiary too. You need a local bank account for the same.
• Providing proof of the capital deposit made: Get a receipt from the bank after depositing the paid-up capital.
• Registering with the Centres de Formalités des Enterprises (CEFOREs): The formal board for registering all enterprises in Burkina Faso. This is mandatory for all who wish to run a Business in Burkina Faso.
• Applying for necessary licenses: This is dependent upon the state and city you register your office in. You would need to apply for all necessary licenses to set up your subsidiary there.
• Liaising with the Ministry of Commerce to obtain a business license: The formal approval from the government to set up your subsidiary in Burkina Faso.
• Registering to ensure all accounting and tax requirements are met: Mandatory for being tax compliant in Burkina Faso. The law also mandates the hiring of auditors to conduct and file annual audits. You also need to maintain all account statements in French.

Time, money, and patience are all required if you would like to set up your business in Burkina Faso. Also, you may need to be present frequently in Burkina Faso throughout the process duration.

While it helps to set up your business in Burkina Faso, it can get frustrating. Skuad's Employer of record services can be a dependable alternative to your physical presence when you have decided to start operations in Burkina Faso. Another alternative is to partner with a local professional employer organization. Both these options can help speed operational execution in Burkina Faso.

Talk to us so you can focus on expanding your business while we take care of the legal compliance for you.

Burkina Faso Work Visa

Types Of Visas In Burkina Faso

Work visas and permits are mandatory in many international markets. Burkina Faso, however, does not mandate a work visa to enter the country. Employees can get visa-on-arrival if work will not extend beyond 90 days. This visa is available at the airport upon arrival or at the border, if entering via road. Work visa is mandatory for foreign employees who need to stay in Burkina Faso for more than 90 days. They will also need a worker card. (This is the work permit obtained by the employer for the employee to work in Burkina Faso). These visas are valid for the entire duration of the employment contract of up to 3 years. It is best to get the work visa and worker card from the nearest Burkina Faso embassy or consulate. Our experts at Skuad can help your team get their visa and work permit in Burkina Faso without any hassle.

Requirements To Get A Work Visa In Burkina Faso

The documentation for obtaining a work visa in Burkina Faso is very simple. You need the following to get a long-staying work visa for Burkina Faso.

• A valid passport with at least 6 months validity from the date of entry into Burkina Faso and 1 blank page
• Offer letter/ appointment contract stating the duration of the contract
• Two passport size photographs
• Two copies of the visa application form (Can get it online or at the Burkina Faso consulate and Embassy)
• Proof of immunization against Yellow Fever and COVID-19.

Getting the necessary work visa and permits can take time. It is advisable to apply for a work visa to Burkina Faso well in advance. The time needed for processing may vary from application to application. If the employee needs to stay in Burkina Faso longer than the time mentioned on the visa, we can help get an extension. The National Police in Ouagadougou is responsible for providing extensions of visas.

At Skuad, we are happy to assist you with all your work visa and work permit requirements. Reach out to us to make all your work visa requirements hassle-free. Our solutions are compliant with all Burkina Faso employment laws.

Skuad’s Employer of Record Services In Burkina Faso

Partnering with Skuad's EOR services helps simplify your international expansion. We are the experts you need to make your expansion quick and seamless. Our tech-enriched HR platform helps you onboard, pay, and manage distributed global talent. From identifying and hiring exceptional talent to preparing legally valid and comprehensive contracts to hassle-free visa and work permit applications, we help make these and lots more happen seamlessly. Whether contractors or full-time employees, you can manage them all from a single unified platform. Be it the creation of entities, managing taxes, or conforming to the local laws at Burkina Faso, we will take care of it all for you. With Skuad as your EOR service provider, you can focus on growing your bottom line by expanding your business footprint into this West African country while we take care of your compliance and administrative hassles.

Book a demo today and embark on your expansion journey into Burkina Faso.

FAQs

1. What is an Employer of Record in Burkina Faso?

‍An Employer of Record (EOR) in Burkina Faso is a third-party organization that hires employees on behalf of foreign companies without a legal entity. The EOR, like Skuad, manages employment contracts, payroll, tax withholdings, and ensures compliance with Burkina Faso’s labor regulations.

2. How does an EOR work in Burkina Faso?

‍In Burkina Faso, an Employer of Record handles all the legal and administrative responsibilities related to employment, such as drafting contracts, managing payroll, complying with local tax regulations, and adhering to labor laws. The client company maintains control over the employees' day-to-day tasks and business operations, while the EOR ensures compliance and manages the legal aspects of employment.

3. How much does an EOR cost?

EORs typically charge a monthly fee per employee, which can range from $100 to $1,000 or more depending on the country and services included. The cost of an EOR in Burkina Faso is determined by factors such as the number of employees, the complexity of local employment laws, and the level of service required.

4. How to get an Employer of Record in Burkina Faso?

Companies should start by researching EOR service providers that specialize in the region. After selecting an EOR, one can begin onboarding employees, manage payroll, and ensure compliance with local laws. Most EOR providers offer consultations to better understand your business needs before proceeding.

5. Will I still have control over my employees and business operations?

‍Yes, with an EOR in Burkina Faso, the client company retains control over the day-to-day responsibilities, such as task assignment, performance management, and operational decisions. The EOR handles the legal and administrative side of employment, including contracts, payroll, and local compliance, allowing you to focus on core business activities.