How far is Bujumbura from Belgrade? Exactly 7,945 kilometres, or 71 days and 22 hours of travel. For Marie, however, it took three years, two months, and eleven days to finally be reunited with her husband, who had been granted asylum in Serbia.
Her husband’s greatest wish was to bring his wife from Burundi to safety — and the team of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights helped make that possible.
The right to family reunification, or the right to family life and unity, is one of the fundamental rights of refugees guaranteed by Serbian law and by international human rights instruments.
Yet, in practice, exercising this right often comes with many obstacles — gathering numerous documents and proofs, travelling to a diplomatic or consular office that is rarely located in the refugee’s country of origin, and covering the high costs of various fees and services. The process can become even more complicated when documents from the country of origin, such as marriage certificates, must undergo full diplomatic and consular legalization to confirm their authenticity.
In this case, the BCHR team, representing a client from Burundi, worked closely with the UNHCR Office in Serbia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of Serbia in Kenya. Their cooperation, openness, and willingness to adapt the procedure to the specific circumstances of the case made it possible for Marie and her husband to finally be together again.
Reuniting with one’s family is essential for refugees’ full integration — family members provide the strongest emotional and practical support during the difficult process of adjusting to a new environment and life conditions. The importance of family reunification is even greater when family members themselves may be at risk, as close relatives of someone who has been persecuted or who fled from an area affected by armed conflict.
By providing legal assistance to persons granted international protection in Serbia to reunite with their families, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, together with state institutions, helps build national practice in this vital area of refugee law.
To our knowledge, the family reunification procedure had previously been successfully completed in only one other case — for a refugee from Afghanistan in 2020.
We sincerely hope that future requests for family reunification submitted by refugees in Serbia will be equally successful. The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights continues to support Marie, helping her integrate into Serbian society and enjoy a life filled with safety, dignity, and belonging.
