The territory presently comprising Burundi was formerly part of the Belgian United Nations Trust Territory of Ruanda-Urundi. It became an independent sovereign republic as from July 1, 1962. Burundi is mainly an agricultural country.

On July 28, 2009, a new Intellectual Property Act was promulgated in Burundi; as yet no regulations have been published. The Burundian Registry continued functioning under the requirements of the old Law until late in 2012, when it was officially announced that the new Law became effective from the date of its promulgation, even in the absence of the anticipated regulations. The procedures outlined in this section reflect the provisions of the new Law but at the time of publication, many processes of the Registry are in suspense.