Visas in Africa in general are becoming easier with the rolling out of E-visas across the continent. However, for some places such as Congo Brazzaville, you will need to still visit an embassy. One popular place to apply for the Congo visa is in Luanda, Angola. Here is our no frills guide to getting your Republic of Congo visa.
What do you need to bring?
You will need the following documents to apply for the visa at the embassy:
- Passport;
- Passport copy;
- Copy of yellow fever vaccine;
- Letter of invitation/ proof of accommodation;
- Visa application form (you will collect this at the embassy); and
- $150 USD.
The fee
$150 USD is for express service usually 24hours and will give you 15 days in Republic of Congo. If you don’t have USD they will accept Euros, however they will accept €150 so better to have USD. Card payment is currently not available. You will pay this when you hand your documents over.
Timeframe
As you may expect this could vary and there may be hiccups so give yourself as much time as possible. You can get it back within 24 hours and if you talk to them it may also be possible in the same day, but this is not 100% guaranteed as they sometimes will be closed for no reason.
The embassy itself opens from 9:00, however visa services will probably start functioning around 9:30-10am. We recommend to get there as early as possible and wait.
Where is the embassy?
The Republic of Congo Embassy is located in Zimbo Tower in downtown Luanda. Here is the link on google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cV3kwRtVxqzrPn1r7
Google maps has it listed as Portugal and Congo Embassy. The Portuguese Embassy is nearby but not in the same building (understandably the Portuguese embassy is quite big in Luanda). Go to the 1 st floor and when the elevator opens you will be right in the waiting room of the visa section.
There is a flag of the Republic of Congo on the outside of the building and the bottom floor is a BNI bank.
Make sure you don’t get this confused with the Embassy of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC as it is far away. Further, you can’t apply for a DRC visa in Angola unless you have residency.
Where can I copy documents in Luanda?
If you need to get quick copies of your passport or yellow fever card, there is a copy shop just across from the entrance of the Zimbo tower. See the picture to the right to see how it looks. They can print a colour document for you for 150 KWZ each. It is super quick and convenient, however some minimal Portuguese may be handy.
Do they speak English at the embassy?
Honestly minimal, however it should be easy to understand that you want a tourist visa. Knowing some basic French will be best, but Portuguese will also help you here.
What to expect when retrieving your passport?
They won’t give you a receipt or anything like that, so make sure you at least have an electronic copy of your passport or another ID so they can verify who you are before giving back your documents.
Can this visa be used to cross the land border?
Yes, this visa can be used both to cross the land border Angola has in the exclave of Cabina over to Pointe Noire and also to fly directly into Brazzaville or Pointe Noire. If you are going to another country first such as DRC, then you can also use this visa to cross the Congo river and arrive in Brazzaville.
If you are planning on crossing the land border from Cabinda to Republic of Congo, then read our blog about that here.
How do I get the LOI?
To get the proof of accommodation or ‘certificate d’hébergement’ you will need to contact your hotel or a local tour provider to secure the document which will have an official government stamp.
Do we run tours in Congo?
Currently no. However, we do run tours in nearby countries and this can be a great way to extend your trip and get the best bang for your buck in Africa if you are planning on doing a longer trip. To see where we go in Africa, have a look at our Africa tours on our
website here.
