Key facts
Key facts for business in Congo
The short answer
We could not confirm the company registry’s website for Congo. Tax authority: Direction Générale des Impôts et des Domaines (DGID). Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Congo before you act.
| Legal system | Civil law (with customary law) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | French |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Regional blocs | ECCAS, CEMAC |
| OHADA business law | Yes – the OHADA Uniform Acts apply |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Not a party (checked October 2026) |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Contracting state – in force since 1966 |
| Apostille Convention (public documents) | Not a party – documents usually need legalization |
Treaty status from the official depositary records (UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH), regional blocs from their own websites, AfCFTA from tralac – checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Official bodies
Who does what in Congo
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Investment promotion | Agence pour la Promotion des Investissements (API-Congo) – Investment Promotion Agency | apicongo.cg |
| Tax | Direction Générale des Impôts et des Domaines (DGID) | finances.gouv.cg |
| Central bank, currency and foreign exchange | Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC) – Bank of Central African States | beac.int |
We could not confirm an official website for: registering a company, work and residence permits, courts and justice. We only link to sites we could open and confirm as the body’s own in October 2026.
Each link was opened and checked as the body’s own website in October 2026. Links to official sites only – never to agents or look-alike sites.
Getting started
What foreign businesses usually sort out first
- Choose how you will operate. A subsidiary, a branch, a representative office, or working through a local partner or distributor. The options and their conditions are set by the OHADA Uniform Act on commercial companies and national rules.
- Register the business. Company registration: the national company registry.
- Register for tax. Tax registration: Direction Générale des Impôts et des Domaines (DGID).
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: Agence pour la Promotion des Investissements (API-Congo).
- Permits for foreign staff. Work and residence permits: the national immigration authority.
- Banking and foreign exchange. Rules on accounts, moving money in and out and paying dividends abroad come from the central bank (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC)) and the banks.
- Contracts and disputes. Agree the governing law, the courts or arbitration seat, and the language. Congo is not a party to the New York Convention – take advice on how a foreign judgment or award would be enforced.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Congo for business matters
Cabinet Mathias Essereke
Pointe-Noire
1 firm in Congo list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Congo.
Checking a lawyer in Congo
We could not find an official online source for who admits lawyers in Congo. Ask any lawyer you consider for their bar or law-society membership and admission details, and confirm them with that body or with the courts.
Questions
Doing business in Congo: questions
Is Congo a party to the New York Convention?
No, according to the UNCITRAL status table checked October 2026.
Does Congo accept apostilles?
Congo is not a party to the Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked October 2026), so foreign public documents usually need legalization – typically through the issuing country’s foreign ministry and Congo’s embassy or consulate. Confirm with the authority that will receive the document.
What currency is used in Congo?
Central African CFA franc (XAF).