The Republic of the Congo is currently processing thousands of people through the Congo River port in Brazzaville. The port in Brazzaville has been the site of temporary holding camps for travelers crossing into Kinshasa for the past few weeks, and will possibly continue to do so for several more weeks. Ferries are routinely full, requiring travelers to spend multiple days and nights waiting at the port. There have been no reported instances of unrest, although conditions at the port remain tenuous.
The U.S. Embassy urges all U.S. Citizens to refrain from going to the Brazzaville port and to find alternative means of travel or to postpone discretionary travel via the Brazzaville/Kinshasa river crossing if possible. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves.
We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Congo enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at travel.state.gov. STEP enrollment gives you the latest security updates, and makes it easier for the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. consulate to contact you in an emergency. If you don’t have Internet access, enroll directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
Regularly monitor the State Department’s website, where you can find current Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and the Worldwide Caution. Read theCountry Specific Information for the Republic of the Congo. For additional information, refer to the “Traveler’s Checklist” on the State Department’s website.
Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for up-to-date information on travel restrictions. You can also call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to have travel information at your fingertips.
The U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville is located at Blvd Denis Sassou Nguesso, and is open Monday-Thursday 7:30-5:00 and Fridays 7:30-12:30 (Telephone 06-612-2000). If you are a U.S. citizen in need of urgent assistance outside of business hours, the emergency after-hours number for the U.S. Embassy is 055-263533.
