Before traveling to a country such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, you need to have your Democratic Republic of Congo visa with you as not all countries are DR Congo visa free countries. You also need your visa ahead of time as a Congo visa on arrival is not offered. People choose to leave their comfort and country to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for different reasons. It could be for tourism, visit, missionary, or for one business or the other. To travel to Congo, you need a visa for Congo. In this article, we will find out how you can get a visa to Democratic Republic of the Congo. It could be a business, tourism, diplomatic or family and friend visa. All of these visa types have their requirements. To find out Congo visa requirements, how much is DR Congo visa or Congo Visa fees, visit pickvisa.com.
Types of Congo Visa
To answer the question of how can I get a visa to Democratic Republic of the Congo, you need to first know the different types of visa DRC Congo offers to travelers. The different Congo visa types include: 1. Tourist visa This is a visa for Congo given to individuals who want to visit for tourism purposes by the different accredited DRC Congolese consulates or embassies. It gives travellers or tourists the authority to enter DRC Congo via ports of entry like the harbor stations or airports. From the information made available on different traveling companies such as pickvisa.com on their Congo visa policy articles, a tourist can stay in the country with a tourist visa for 90 days. 2. Business Visa You can travel to Congo with a business visa. This just like the tourist visa is issued by the Democratic of the Congo embassy or consulate for different reasons. The reasons include creation of business and professional contacts, making feasible studies, business conferences or meeting and investment arrangements in Congo. You can stay in DR Congo after paying the Congo visa fees for 30 days. Nevertheless, you can extend your stay in the country by visiting the immigration office in the country. Avoid staying in Democratic Republic of the Congo after the 30 days duration. As a result, you might get fines and penalties. The Congo visa requirements for this type of visa is available on pickvisa.com. 3. Diplomatic or official Visa Just as the name implies, this is a type of Congo visa that is issued to official passport and diplomatic passport bearers. It is also granted to United Nations Laissez-Passer bearers who want to visit the country for official business issues. Employees from the United Nations, United States Department, the World Bank, and other diplomats from different embassies are among the diplomatic passports bearers. A diplomat can stay up to a year in Congo when a diplomatic note is attached to the Congo visa application.
Visa for Democratic Republic of Congo
It is not enough to visit a traveling website for a Congo visa application. You need an international traveling passport that is valid. Besides this, a written proof or evidence of why you want to travel to DRC Congo might be required. Also, you must provide to the Immigrant officers proof of your financial support throughout your stay in the country and accommodation arrangements. There are other Congo visa requirements you will find on www.pickvisa.com that will help you to prepare better. You should also check on the website your country is among the DR Congo visa free countries. If yes, you might need only your passport and other traveling documents such as a certificate of yellow fever vaccination, letter of invitation etc. It is advisable for every DRC Congo visa applicant to submit their passport for visa and visa application before 14 days of the date they want to depart to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is of paramount importance to know that Congo visa of any type is not issued or offered at the airport or any other ports of entry. With the no Congo visa on arrival, have your visa applications submitted earlier at the embassy or consulate. You can seek the assistance of visa travel experts to make the visa application and obtaining process easier and simpler for you.
Processing time for Congolese visa
It will take 3 – 15 business days for your Democratic Republic of Congo visa to be processed after applying for it. In some embassies, you may get a fast visa application service.
Congolese visa requirements
To get a visa for the Democratic Republic of Congo, you need the following: Visa application forms The visa application form must be fully completed and signed before submission. You need two of the forms completed and submitted. Any portion of the visa application form that is not completed might lead to visa approval delay. So, ensure you complete every field or look for experts to guide you on it. Two white background coloured photos Your photo must be in a white background and be 2 inches by 2 inches in size. Your face full front must be shown. You don’t need to keep a smiling face. The picture should not be more than six months old to show your current appearance. Don’t wear headcover or eyeglasses in the picture except for religious reasons. A Valid passport After making an inquiry about how much is DR Congo visa, have your passport with you. You can’t get a visa without a valid passport. The passport must not be torn, frayed or separated. You can consult www.pickvisa.com if your passport does not meet the requirements mentioned here. A business letter If you intend to travel to DR Congo with a business visa, you need to present your business letter at the embassy. The letter must come with your company’s letterhead and stating the nature and name of the business you want to carry out. You also need to make obvious the contacts of the company inviting you to the country – e Democratic Republic of Congo. There will be no issuing of a business visa when an official business letter is not presented. It is of importance to know that the invitation letter must not be older than 3 months. Don’t forget that the letter must be notarized at the Prefecture City or Mairie council. Hotel Reservation You need to present at the embassy a hotel reservation proof or letter of invitation from the hotel you will be staying in when you visit the country. The letter should display details about the hotel such as name, address - street name, city or town and phone number. Just like the business invitation letter, the hotel reservation letter must be notarized at the Prefecture City or Mairie council. You should state the nature of your tourist visit in the hotel invitation letter. You are to provide legal custody or proof of parenthood, such as the birth certificate of your children if you are travelling with your children. This is a must before a visa would be issued to you. You should also submit a copy of your original and valid passport. Copy of itinerary or airline ticket You need to submit a copy of your itinerary or airline ticket. This will show both your entry/arrival and exit/departure date in the country. By no means should you stay more than the departure date if you didn’t apply for a visa extension to avoid being penalized and heavily fined? Certificate of vaccination To reduce the spread of diseases, every country, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, requests every traveller to present a certificate of yellow fever. While it is important to have the certificate ready, also go for the COVID-19 test to ascertain your health status. Proof of funds One of the reasons why you are requested to provide your proof of funds documents is to know if you can take care of every financial responsibility while in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country does not want you to be stranded or frustrated, as this can lead you into crime and arrest. If you are sent to the country for a business meeting or conference, you need to present proof of funds documents from your employer or company. Your company is expected to sign the letter, which must be written and typed with their letterhead.
What to do before traveling
For safety purposes, you should visit your doctor to get the necessary vaccines or medication before traveling. This is as important as having all your traveling documents ready. You can also write the places you would love to visit in Democratic Republic of Congo in your jotter as a reminder. Before travelling, you can get conversant with the country’s greeting language. This will make the citizens of the country welcome you the more when you greet them in their native dialect.
Final Verdict
You need a visa to travel to Democratic Republic of Congo. The visa should be with you before arriving at the airport or any ports of entry as there is no visa-issuing at the airport. Have all the aforementioned documents ready to get your Congo visa. At any point that you need help, contact www.pickvisa.com for assistance.
