• Located in Central Africa northeast of Angola
• The weather is tropically hot and humid in the equatorial river basin. The Southern highlands are cooler and drier and cooler and wetter than the Eastern highlands. The wet season starts from April to October in the North of the Equator, and the dry season is from December to February. In the South of the Equator, the wet season starts from November to March, and the dry season is from April to October.
• Periodic droughts occur in the south, not to mention flooding caused by the Congo River, and active volcanoes are present in the East along the Great Rift Valley.

 

Marriage to a Congolese Citizen

Every country has its laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Congolese citizen to eventually bring them to Canada to live is a process with many steps. The Congolese government imposes strict requirements on foreigners who marry Congolese as an indirect way of discouraging Congolese citizens from moving to other countries.

You must demonstrate to Congolese officials that they are not currently married to anyone else – either you have never been married or all divorces are finalized – that your identity is proven and that you have never committed any crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is done by providing various documents, including an Affidavit of Single Status, to the Congolese government either in Democratic Republic of Congo or via a Congolese embassy.

If you want to bring your Congolese spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.

 

Congolese Marriage Basic Requirements

In order to marry a citizen of Democratic Republic of Congo, you must demonstrate to the Congolese government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:

• Proof of country of birth
• Proof of single status
• Proof of age requirement

Family Members

If your Congolese spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Congolese Marriage document application.

If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Congolese citizen.

 

List of Congolese Consulates in Canada

 

Calling the Congo from Canada

The country code is 243 to call you would dial 011 – 243 – area code – local number.

Area Codes:

Calling Canada from the Congo

Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number.

List of Area Codes in Canada:

Province	Code	Province	Code
Alberta	403 / 587 (southern Alberta) 587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta)	Nunavut	867
BC	236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC) 236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver)	Ontario	226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario) 249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario)
Manitoba	204 / 431	PEI	782 / 902
New  Brunswick	506	Quebec	418 / 581 (eastern Quebec) 438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec)
Newfoundland and Labrador	709	Saskatchewan	306 / 639
Northwest Territories	867	Yukon	867
Nova Scotia	782 / 902

 

Time Difference

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is split into two time zones, West Africa Time (GMT+1) and Central Africa Time (+2). Neither time zone practices Daylight Saving Time.

Canadian Time Zone	# of Hours West Africa Time is Ahead	# of Hours WAT is Ahead During DST	# of Hours Central Africa Time is Ahead	# of Hours CAT is Ahead during DST
Pacific (BC, Yukon)	9 hours	8 hours	10 hours	9 hours
Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan)	8 hours	7 hours	9 hours	8 hours
Saskatchewan	7 hours	7 hours	8 hours	8 hours
Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario)	7 hours	6 hours	8 hours	7 hours
Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec)	6 hours	5 hours	7 hours	6 hours
Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec)	5 hours	4 hours	6 hours	5 hours
Newfoundland	4.5 hours	3.5 hours	5.5 hours	4.5 hours

 

Emergency Contact Information for Canadians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Embassy of Canada in Kinshasa 17, avenue Pumbu Commune de Gombe, Kinshasa Congo Postal Address: P.O. Box 8341, Kinshasa, 1, Congo Telephone: 243 996 021 500 Fax: 243 996 021 510 or 243 996 021 511 E-mail: [email protected] Website: canadainternational.gc.ca/congo/

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The Canadian Government’s Travel Alerts for the Congo

Want to know more about marrying in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Let us know!