Congo visa: Visitors planning to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo will have to acquire a visa in order to get entry into the country. The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in Central Africa, covering an area of 2,345,409 Square kilometres. It is one of the biggest countries on the African Continent. Visitors travelling to Congo are granted visas depending on the purpose of their visit, for instance, business purposes, vacation/holidays, medical treatment, sports competitions, and family visits, among others.
A visa to Congo can be acquired in different legal ways, like applying for a Visa online through Virunga National Park in Congo or through the nearest Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo in your country of residence. Visitors can also purchase a visa for Congo upon arrival into the country at Goma International Airport for the case of East African Citizens.
What are the Requirements for acquiring a Visa to Congo?
To acquire a Visa to Congo, there are a couple of requirements that every visitor must fulfill, and they include;
- A valid passport, the passport used should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay after arrival in Congo.
- Two recent colour passport photographs with a white background, these will be put on your visa
- A blank passport page, which will be used for the Democratic Republic of Congo stamps on arrival at the airport.
- Letter of invitation or hotel reservation, which states the nature of your trip, for example, if it’s a business trip or if you are going for gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, you can present your gorilla trekking permit.
- A copy of an airline ticket or the itinerary showing the arrival and departure dates of your trip in Congo.
- A yellow fever vaccination certificate, which can be presented at the border.
- In case you are travelling with your children, there are requirements needed, such as a copy of the birth certificate, a copy of parent’s passport or parental authorization. Children should submit a filled application form, which is signed by one of the parents.
What are the different types of Visas to Congo?
There are various types of Visas to Congo that visitors can acquire to gain access to the country, and these include;
Tourist Visa:
The tourist visa is issued to visitors who are travelling to the country for leisure or tourism purposes. A tourist visa can either be single entry or multiple entry. In case you are planning on visiting any tourist site in Congo, such as Virunga National Park, you can apply for a tourist visa online through the Virunga website. Visitors travelling to Congo can choose to obtain a single-entry visa for USD 105 dollars through the Virunga website, for a period of 2 weeks. However, for visitors to obtain a tourist visa to Congo through the Virunga website, you must first purchase a tour package, for example, 2 Days gorilla trekking tour in Virunga National Park. It is also important for visitors to know that tourist visas purchased online through Virunga National Park are non-refundable.
Transit Visa:
This is a visa that grants visitors a temporary visit to Congo for a short period of time. The transit visa is valid for 72 hours only, and is suitable for travellers who are having a stopover or connecting flight to another country through the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Business Visa:
The business visa is issued to visitors who are travelling to Congo for business purposes such as conference meetings, workshop trainings, and sponsorship jobs, among others. This type of visa is valid for only one month, and it grants a visitor multiple entries into the country.
The Diplomatic Visas:
Diplomatic visas are issued to diplomatic passport holders who are visiting the country on official business matters. The Diplomatic Visas to the DRC are valid for one year and give the holder multiple entries into the country.
How to acquire a visa for Congo
You can acquire a Visa to Congo directly through an online system or by contacting a trusted tour operator like Explore Rwanda Tours with the requirements needed to purchase a Visa to Congo. The company will save you the hassle by purchasing a visa for you. This is done in case you want to go for the gorilla trekking activity in Virunga National Park. The visa will be obtained online on the visitvirunga.org website, where they will get the application form, which will be filled out and submitted together with the scanned copies of the passport, proof of hotel reservation, gorilla trekking permit and submitted to visa@virunga.org. The visa will be processed within two weeks and will be valid for fourteen days; hence, the visitor should book two weeks in advance before arrival. A visa to Virunga National Park is processed and issued by the Directorate General of Migration of Congo and is issued to visitors on arrival.
A Visa to Congo can also be acquired at the Congolese Embassy in your country of origin, in case you are travelling for business reasons, you will fill out the application form, attach two recent ID photographs, show proof of flight itinerary, yellow fever vaccination certificate, business letter from your company which should be typed and addressed to Embassy of Democratic Republic of Congo and the visa takes about five to seven days to be processed and is valid for 30 days.
Cost of a visa to Congo
A single-entry tourist visa in Virunga National Park costs USD 105 dollars and is valid for 14 days, while a Single Transit Visa cost USD 30 dollars valid for 72 hours.
Validity of a Visa to Congo
A Visa to Congo should be used within three months of the date of issue and is valid for one to six months, whereas a single-entry tourist Visa to Virunga National Park is valid for 14days after being issued on arrival in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Visa Extensions in Congo
In case you wish to extend your visa while in Congo, you are recommended to apply to the nearest immigration office while your current visa is still valid and the visa will be extended at a fee, however the immigration office in Congo should be contacted for Visa Extension when the current visa is still valid because in case your visa has expired you will be subjected to a penalty. Visa extensions can also be done by applying through the Democratic Republic of Congo Embassy in your country.
Exemption Countries in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Some countries are visa-free in Congo, in that travellers can visit Congo using a passport, and they include Zimbabwe, Benin, Palestine, Mauritius, Singapore, Saint Vincent, Philippines, Haiti, Micronesia, the Cook Islands, and the Dominican Republic, among others.
Other countries can purchase a visa to Congo on arrival at the airport, and they include Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, Comoros, Togo, Somalia, and Ghana, among others.
The following countries are subject to using the online e-visa when acquiring visas to Congo, and they include Kenya, Sao Tome, Principe, Djibouti, Lesotho, Qatar, Georgia, Suriname, Myanmar, Nevis, Australia, Saint Kitts, Antigua and Barbuda, among others.
Acquiring a Visa to Congo is not so hard especially if you go through a tour operator which will book a Visa through Virunga national park hence save you the many steps which are followed when purchasing a visa and the company will as well plan other services like accommodation, transportation and other activities that can be done in the park such as gorilla trekking, hiking Nyiragongo, chimpanzee habituation experience, bird watching among others hence making your safari holiday interesting with unforgettable moments.
Contact us in case of any inquiries and book with us a gorilla trekking tour to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
