The Republic of the Congo, often known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic, or simply Congo or the Congo, is a republic on Central Africa's western coast. To the west lies Gabon, to the northwest is Cameroon, to the northeast is the Central African Republic, to the southeast is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south is the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and to the southwest is the Atlantic Ocean. The Republic of the Congo's official language is French.
Bantu-speaking tribes ruled the area at least 3,000 years ago when they established trade routes heading into the Congo River basin. Congo was formerly a French colony in Equatorial Africa. The Republic of the Congo was founded on November 28, 1958, and achieved independence from France in 1960. From 1969 until 1992, it was known as the People's Republic of the Congo and was a Marxist–Leninist state. Although a democratically elected government was deposed during the Republic of the Congo Civil War in 1997, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who originally came to power in 1979, has already reigned for more than four decades.
The Republic of the Congo is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, La Francophonie, the Central African Economic Community, and the Non-Aligned Movement. It has grown to become the fourth-largest oil producer in the Gulf of Guinea, bringing some riches to the country despite political and economic instability in certain parts and uneven distribution of oil money across the country. Congo's economy is primarily reliant on the oil industry, and economic development has slowed significantly since the decline in oil prices after 2015. With a population of 5.2 million, Christianity is practiced by 88.5 percent of the country's population.
Employees are entitled to 26 days of paid vacation, which increases to 31 days after five years of employment.
New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2022)
Easter Monday (April 5, 2021; April 18, 2022)
Labour Day (May 1, 2021; May 1, 2022)
Ascension Day (May 13, 2021; May 26, 2022)
hit Monday (May 24, 2021; June 6, 2022)
Reconciliation Day (June 10, 2021; June 10, 2022)
National Day (Aug. 15, 2021; Aug. 15, 2022)
ll Saints’ Day (Nov. 1, 2021; Nov. 1, 2022)
Republic Day (Nov. 28, 2021; Nov. 28, 2022)
Christmas Day (Dec. 25, 2021; Dec. 25, 2022)
Employers are not expected to give paid maternity leave to their workers. Some employers, though, want to do so as part of a bonus plan. A labor arrangement can regulate additional sick leave and payment when on sick leave.
Female employers are entitled to 15 weeks of paid maternity leave, with the remaining nine weeks to be used after the infant is born. In the event of birth complications, the leave will be extended for three weeks. The employer and social security cover the cost of the leave. The employee would have worked for six months in a row to be considered.
There is no statutory paternity leave in the Republic of the Congo.
Other than the already mentioned terms regarding maternity leave, there are no other provisions in the Republic of the Congo law regarding parental leave.
Employment contracts come to an end at the end of the term (if it is fixed), either at the employer's or employee's request. Termination of an employment contract must be in writing and include an explanation of why the employee was fired. In general, employers must have a legitimate basis for terminating employment. A justifiable cause exists if it is connected in some manner to the job, which may include redundancy dismissals. Generally, an employment contract can be canceled without notice during the probationary phase or for serious misbehavior.
Employers are entitled to a 14-day notice period, which increases by seven days for each consecutive year of employment. Half of that notice period is paid to employees. Extensive notice provisions may be included in individual and collective bargaining agreements. In the case that the mandatory notice is not delivered, payment in lieu of notice is required.
A woman who has given birth within the past 15 months has the right to terminate her employment at any time. She may do so without notice and having to pay indemnity.
Severance pay for redundancy is around 6.5 weeks' compensation for employees with less than five years of service, and approximately 14 weeks' pay for those with 10 years or more of experience.
The Congolese national minimum wage is CDF 7,075.00 per day.
Congo-Kinshasa has a minimum wage mandated by the government. In Congo-Kinshasa, no worker may be paid less than this mandatory minimum wage. Employers in Congo-Kinshasa who fail to pay the Minimum Wage may face penalties from the government.
Monthly wages are calculated at 4.33 times the weekly wage if one is defined. If an hourly wage is specified, it is calculated as 4.33 times the standard weekly hours.
Companies in Congo are subject to a corporate tax rate of 30 percent
Individuals in Congo are not subject to income, capital gains, profit, or other types of direct taxes, regardless of their residency status.
The standard rate for the value-added tax (VAT) or goods and sales tax (GST) in the Congo is set at 18.9 percent.
Before you go to the Republic of the Congo, you should determine if you need a visa. You will almost certainly need one since only nationals of five countries are permitted to freely cross the border into the Republic of the Congo. If you are not a citizen of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, or Gabon, you must get a visa before traveling.
Visas on arrival are also available for the Republic of the Congo, albeit the list of nations that are approved is relatively narrow. Only ten countries are permitted to get a visa on arrival, nine of which are African, and the other being the United Arab Emirates.
If your place of origin is not on the list of visa-exempt nations, and you are not eligible for a visa on arrival, your only choice is to visit the Republic of the Congo's closest diplomatic post in person.
We suggest that you investigate the visa requirements for your country of origin. While you can typically do this online, it is recommended to contact the embassy directly since they will give you the most trustworthy and up-to-date information. While there are a plethora of quick data and information available online, websites are not always up to date, resulting in severe errors and cancelled trips. To learn more, just contact the embassy. Nonetheless, we can tell you that you'll need a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond your anticipated arrival date in the Republic of the Congo.
Contracts for employment might be written or oral. Employee remuneration, benefits, and termination obligations must be spelled out in written contracts. Contracts must be written in French. The salary and compensation levels must always be stated in Central African francs in an offer letter and employment contract (CFA).
A contract might be for a defined duration of no more than 24 months or for an infinite length that does not expire. Probation terms are limited to four months.
Congolese Franc (CDF)
United States Dollar (USD)
Learning how to establish up a subsidiary in the Republic of the Congo might take up a large amount of your time. You must examine numerous elements that may have an influence on the incorporation procedure, including your company and location in the nation. Some governments function similarly to the United States, with separate Republic of the Congo subsidiary laws governing different towns, regions, or states. Finding the correct location may result in more favorable incorporation rules for foreign nations.
Following that, we propose that you discuss the optimal sort of entity for your purposes. The Republic of the Congo, as a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), will allow you to incorporate as one of several types of subsidiaries, including a limited liability company (LLC), a public limited company, a collective name company, or a simple limited partnership. If you incorporate as an LLC, you will have the greatest flexibility to operate in the nation, and as a branch or representative office, you will have the most constraints.
Because most businesses form as an LLC, the Republic of the Congo subsidiary formation procedure includes the following steps:
(1) Creating and notarizing the articles of incorporation with a public notary
(2) Depositing the needed capital in a bank
(3) Making a tax registration with the authorities
(4) Articles of Association must be registered with the Commercial Registrar in the Clerk's Office of the Court (Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce)
(5) Using the One-Stop-Shop (Centre des Formalités des Entreprises) to register
(6) Publication of your company's creation notification in a law journal
(7) Notifying the Ministry of Labor (ONEMO) of the commencement of activities
(8) Registering with the Regional Labor Directorate
(9) Registration with the Social Security Administration (CNSS)
You must abide with Republic of the Congo subsidiary legislation pertaining to your organization. LLCs have their own set of rules that must be followed in order to be compliant. For example, you'll need two shareholders, at least 1 million CFA francs in paid-up capital (about $1,850), and at least one director who isn't required to be a resident of the nation.
Before registering your firm, you must open a local bank account and deposit your share capital. Then you must register for taxes and social security. Every year that your business operates in the Republic of the Congo, you must submit yearly financial statements as well as a tax return.
