Do you wish to track mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but you have no visa? Despite the instability in DRC, a trip to its jungles is worth as it comes with the world’s magnificent Apes. Your trek to see the mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas in the wild has now become easier than ever with the Congo visa. Any traveler who intends to travel to DRC, for reasons based on business or leisure must have a Congo Visa. It comes in either a Congo Business Visa or a Congo Tourist Visa but this depends on the kind of visitor’s safari.
What is required of you to apply for the Congo Visa?
You need to have the original passport which is valid for about three months and more of stay while in DRC with an additional blank visa page, completed and signed visa application, your current passport size photo which is shot about six months, copy of your current yellow fever certificate, proof of your cholera, tetanus and malaria vaccination, you should also have a visa processing money and pre-paid, privately addressed delivery envelope.
What is required of you to apply for Congo Tourist Visa?
To apply for a tourist visa in Congo, you need to have a copy of your approved hotel cooking, which is given to you directly from that hotel/Lodging certificate offered by relatives/friends from Congo and authorized by city hall or Congo Immigration Authorities, you should also posses an entry and return ticket to the country of resident/to the UK/approved travel plan and finally visitors need to have a copy of their current Bank Statement that proves that you have enough funds to apply for the visa.
With your tourist visa, you will get opportunity to enjoy Congo’s tremendous biodiversity right from mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas to numerous bird species. Contact a local tour company/agent/operator to assist you arrange for you the visa and your gorilla tracking safaris in Congo and get the experiences of a life time. You can contact Kahuzi Biega National Park Directory or Virunga National Park Directory and you will find the recommended tour companies to use and help you book your tourist visa from Congo.
Congo Business Visa:
If your interest is mainly to do business related activities within Congo, then you need a business visa and you are required to have the following to help you apply for your visa;
An onward and return pass/ticket to the country of residence/ to the UK or approved travel plan, a letter from your recent employer and this is a must to have and should be addressed to Congo Embassy, be on company headed paper, your name, nationality and the passport number of the applicant, specify the job title and the interest of the safari, specify the request number of entries and how long you want to live, your full address should also be included and name of the organization to be visited, your acceptance of financial responsibility for the applicant, state the employer’s full responsibilities of the employee and most importantly repatriation for the case of any emergency and lastly, the letter should be signed by applicant’s supervisor/the company’s human resource department. The other thing that will be required of you to apply for a business visa in Congo is your letter of invitation from the host company and it should include your address and contact details of the host company, your full names, nationality and the passport number of the invited traveler, you should list why you are staying and a period you will take staying in Congo, proof of financial responsibility for the applicant and lastly should be signed by that particular host country.
Make sure you contact any near Congo Embassy to reserve your Congo Visa. The processing period for the visa takes about five days after your application has been received especially for those from Ireland and seven working days for the applicants from the UK. You can arrange for express processing but this comes with additional price.
In conclusion, a Congo Visa is composed of various travel visas that cover various travel needs. Accessing one of them is worthy as it gives you the opportunity to explore the hidden gem of Democratic Republic of Congo and in turn rewards you with magical experiences of a life time.