Public Holidays

Date 2005 Occasion
January 1 New Year's Day  
February 5 President's Day
February 8 Youth Day
March 8 Congolese Women's Day
March 18 Marien Ngouabi Day
May 1 Labour Day
June 22 Foundation of the National People's Army
July 31 Upswing of the Revolution Congo
August 15 Independence Day
December 25 Children's Day
December 31 Republic Day

Weekend Sunday

Customs & Duties

Duty free items in Congo are 200 cigarettes or 1 box of cigars/tobacco is permissible for male travellers; women are only allowed to bring in 200 cigarettes. 1 litre of alcoholic beverage and an open bottle of perfume. There is no such provision for gifts or souvenirs travellers may like to bring into Congo. Sporting rifles/guns need a license before they can be brought into the country.  If importing expensive itmes such as watches and cameras, it is advisable to present the reciept.

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 220/230 Volts AC 50 Hz and electrical appliances not on compatible settings will need adaptors or converters.

Post & Communications

The post and communication services available are fairly reliable and provide international services for telephone fax and telex. IDD service for international calls is available in major cities only. But post to European destinations usually takes a long time. Internal postal services in the Congo are pretty bad though telegram can be sent from the main post offices and post office counters in some of the hotels. Post offices stay open from 0730/0800-1200 and 1430-1730 Monday to Friday and from 0800-2000 Monday to Saturday; between 0800-1200 on Sundays and public holidays.

Weights and measures

The Standard Metric system is prevalent which basically means the use of litres instead of pints and gallons for liquids, grams and kilograms instead of ounces and pounds for solids and kilometers in place of miles to measure distance.

Tipping

10% of the total bill is the standard amount of tip to be given in restaurants and hotels. If the service is exceptional, then tip according to personal preference or level of satisfaction. 

English Language Media

There are no English language publications in the Congo. Two of the daily papers published in French are Aujourd'hui and L'Eveil Pointe-Noire. English language broadcasts can be tuned into on BBC and VOA. (Frequencies change off and on).