Visitors to the Democratic Republic of the Congo must obtain a visa from one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of visa-exempt countries, citizens who can obtain a visa on arrival or citizens eligible to obtain an e-Visa.
In recent years, it is possible to arrange a tourist visa for visiting the Virunga National Park (on the Eastern Border) through the park itself.
Citizens of the following countries may enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo without a visa for up to 90 days:[1]
Holders of diplomatic or service passports issued to citizens of Angola (on duty), Iran, South Africa and United Arab Emirates (only diplomatic passports)[2] do not require a visa.
On 14 October 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda agreed to abolish visa entry at their respective borders. Accordingly, both countries plan to carry out follow-up work.[3]
Democratic Republic of the Congo has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
---|---|---|
Russia[4] | Diplomatic, service | 27 July 2023 |
Citizens of other countries may obtain an e-Visa for up to 7 days. The electronic visa must be used within 3 months from the date of issue.[6]
As tourism is growing steadily for Virunga National Park, the government has joined forces and allowed the Park to act as a facilitator in the visa process.[7] Local tour operators can act as facilitators in the process.[8]
Visitors requiring a visa need to submit a legalised letter of invitation from a DRC person or organization. For tourists, a hotel booking confirmation is accepted in case the traveller has no contact in the DRC.