How to get a DR Congo visa from Ethiopia

• The DR Congo tourist visa is for Ethiopians intending to travel to DR Congo for tourism purposes.
• This visa is valid for 90 days.
• Travelers are required to provide proof of yellow fever vaccination.
• The individual or organisation you’re visiting must provide you an invitation letter.
• This letter must be stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa and also submitted with your application.
• You may experience difficulties on arrival if you have a Rwandan or Ugandan immigration stamp on your passport.
• There is a departure tax of $50 per passenger plus a fee of 5,000 Congolese Francs on international flights and $10 per passenger on domestic flights.
• These are official fees paid when checking in. Get an official receipt plus a copy for each fee. You should hand the originals on request to immigration and at boarding, and keep the copies.
• Some credit cards are accepted in Kinshasa. The local currency is the Congolese Franc but US Dollars are widely used.
• You may have difficulties at immigration if you are travelling with satellite phones, GPS receivers or military clothing.
• Extending your visa is almost never possible and everyone who has attempted to do anything at the DGM offices in Kinshasa has usually regretted it.
• Photography of public buildings, airports, harbors, military installations, hospitals, and border areas is forbidden, and street photography is often frowned upon in other places, particularly in Kinshasa.
• Offenders risk confiscation of equipment, arrest, and fines.
• Penalties for possession, use, and trafficking in illegal drugs are strictly enforced.
• The security situation in eastern DRC remains unstable. The continued presence of armed groups, military operations against them, inter-communal violence and an influx of refugees from neighboring countries all contribute to a deterioration in the political, security and humanitarian situation of the country.

• The DR Congo business visa is for Ethiopians traveling to the country for business purposes.
• The business visa is issued for various reasons, such as conducting feasibility studies, establishing professional and business contacts, and making arrangements for investments in DR Congo.
• Unlike the tourist visa, the business visa is valid for 30 days.
• Applicants must provide a letter of invitation (notarized) from the host company in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The invitation should detail the intended dates of arrival and departure from the country, your name, and passport number as well as the intended address of your stay while in DR Congo.
• Congolese officials closely scrutinize travel documents at border crossings and while traveling within the country.
• Be sure to have all copies of your documents ready, including receipts of fees you paid.
• A business letter of responsibility is required, to be typewritten on your company's letterhead

DR Congo is rich in natural resources. The country boasts vast deposits of industrial diamonds, cobalt, and copper, one of the largest forest reserves in Africa, and about half of the hydroelectric potential of the continent.