Brazzaville: what to see and whether to move there

What the city lives on and who it suits

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo on the right bank of the Congo River, opposite Kinshasa, the capital of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the few pairs of capitals in the world separated only by a river. The country's economy rests on oil, produced mainly offshore, while the capital lives on government, trade, construction and international organisations.

The city suits contract professionals in oil and gas, construction, telecoms and international projects, and entrepreneurs working with Central Africa. The business language is French. It is hard to move independently without an employer: rental housing for foreigners is expensive and infrastructure is limited.

Neighbourhoods: where newcomers settle

• The centre: ministries, banks, hotels, close to the Congo River waterfront.
• Poto-Poto: a lively trading area with a market and street food, noisy but colourful.
• Bacongo: an old southern quarter with a large market.

Housing for foreigners is usually found through the employer or local agents, and water and power supply and a generator are checked in advance.

Cost of living

The CFA franc is pegged to the euro at 655.957 francs per euro, about 585 francs per dollar on 6 October 2026. Local goods are cheap, while imports, private schools and European-standard housing are expensive.

Practicalities: climate, health, money

Climate. Tropical: the dry season runs from June to September and the rainy season from October to May, with the heaviest rain in March, April and November. Health. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry, and malaria protection should be planned in advance. Many foreigners have complex treatment outside the country. Money. Most payments are in cash in CFA francs; cards are accepted in hotels and large shops.

Moving and legal status

• Russian citizens with ordinary passports need a visa from a Republic of the Congo embassy before travelling; there is no visa on arrival;
• work requires a contract with a local employer, who arranges the work permit and residence card;
• for business you register a local company, with documents in French.

We help prepare visa documents and check the contract before the move.

Language, communications and safety

The official language is French, and Lingala and Kituba are widely spoken. English is rare even in services, so daily matters are hard without French. A ferry crosses the river to Kinshasa, but a separate visa for the Democratic Republic of the Congo is needed. At night people move around by car rather than on foot.

Getting there and schools

Maya-Maya International Airport has flights to Paris, Casablanca, Addis Ababa and Istanbul, with no direct flights from Russia. Foreign children can attend a French lycée and several private international schools, all fee-paying with limited places.

History and the river

The city was founded in 1880 as a post of the French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, whose mausoleum stands in the centre. In 1940-1943 Brazzaville was the capital of Free France. The Congo River is the world's second largest by discharge, and the waterfront is the main place for walks, though swimming is impossible because of currents and rapids.

Money and housing

The Republic of the Congo uses the Central African CFA franc. It is pegged to the euro at the same rate as the West African franc, but they are different currencies, and it will not be accepted in Benin or Senegal. Housing for foreigners usually comes with a guard, a generator and a water tank, and leases run for a year with several months paid in advance, so a sizeable cash reserve is needed at the start.

Contract work: what to check in advance

• who pays for housing, security and a generator: for foreign specialists this is usually part of the package;
• whether there is insurance with medical evacuation: complex treatment often happens in another country;
• whether the employer pays for flights home and children's schooling;
• the language of the contract and who arranges the work permit and residence card.

Kinshasa across the river

Brazzaville and Kinshasa face each other across the Congo River, and the ferry takes a few minutes. But they are different countries: a trip to Kinshasa requires a separate visa for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and border control on both banks.

Phones and internet

Major mobile operators work in the city, and a SIM card is issued against a passport at a shop. Mobile internet in the centre is stable, but it drops during power cuts, so people working from home install a backup connection and an uninterruptible power supply. Many pay for phone service and small transfers through mobile wallets.

Is the city worth considering

The pluses are generous allowances for foreign specialists, a French-speaking environment, the Congo River and access to Central African markets. The minuses are expensive housing for foreigners, water and power cuts, limited medical care and a long rainy season. Brazzaville is a city for contract work, not emigration.