Republic of the Congo: plugs, voltage, currency, time & travel facts

Plugs and voltage

The Republic of the Congo uses Types C and E sockets. Mains supply is 230 V at 50 Hz.

At 230 V, devices made only for 100–127 V (many American and Japanese hair dryers, curling irons and some shavers) will be damaged without a step-down converter. Chargers labelled “100–240V” work fine with just a plug adapter.

Money

FCFA Central African CFA Franc XAF

Average in 2025: 1 USD = 581.9 XAF (World Bank). No daily reference rate is published for this currency by the ECB; check a live rate before exchanging.

Central African CFA Franc: where it's used

Price level 40 (US = 100, 2025)

Everyday household prices in the Republic of the Congo are about 40% of US prices when converted at market exchange rates: cheaper than the median country (50). All countries

Language

Frenchofficial61%

Bars show the share of the population that speaks each language (CLDR estimates).

Time

UTC+1

The Republic of the Congo is on UTC+1, with no daylight saving time.

Driving

Traffic in the Republic of the Congo drives on the right, so the steering wheel is on the left.

Public holidays in the next 12 months

10 national public holidays from 2 November 2026. Banks, offices and many shops close; regional holidays are not shown. Dates marked “estimated” follow a lunar calendar and can move by a day.