What you need to enter DR Congo with a British passport

Authorisation system

Consular visa or e-Visa from the Directorate General of Migration

The Directorate General of Migration (DGM) runs an official e-Visa portal for travellers coming for tourism, visits or business and for nationals of countries with no Congolese diplomatic mission. The e-Visa must be used within three months of issue and entitles you, at any entry point, to a seven-day, single-entry airport visa (VAP), extendable, stuck into the passport. The other route is a consular visa from the Congolese embassy in your country of residence. The Embassy in Brazzaville does not issue visas to foreigners not resident in the Republic of the Congo, because the authorities treat that crossing as sensitive.

Apply on the official site →

Visa, e-Visa, or electronic authorisation? What's the difference →

Fee

300 USD

The e-Visa costs 300 US dollars: 250 for the visa and 50 in administrative fees, which are not refunded. On top of that, the airport visa (VAP) costs 90 dollars, paid at the entry point.

Processing time

The e-Visa is processed within 72 hours of the application being received. A consular visa takes at least two to three weeks, according to the UK Government, and some applications are referred to Kinshasa for a decision; a letter of invitation stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa can speed it up.

Required documents

• Passport valid for at least six months from arrival.
• A consular visa or approved e-Visa, depending on the route chosen.
• International vaccination certificate showing yellow fever.

Transit rules

Leaving the country by air means paying a departure tax in cash of 55 dollars on international flights (10 on domestic ones), at the airport or at some airlines' check-in centres in Kinshasa; keep the official receipt and a copy. Because of Ebola there may be health screening on arrival and departure, and other countries have tightened checks on travellers from the DRC. Carrying a satellite phone, GPS receiver or military clothing can cause problems on entry. A Rwandan or Ugandan immigration stamp in the passport may cause difficulties, though it should not prevent entry.