Retiring in Congo: Stay, Pension, Taxation and Healthcare

The visa is mandatory before departure; no visa is issued on arrival. It is requested and paid for online only (e-visa), for a validity of 15 to 91 days, with a processing time of 7 days under the normal procedure and 3 days under the express procedure. An accommodation certificate issued by a district town hall in Congo, or a paid hotel reservation, is mandatory and must be presented on entry; the vaccination record (yellow fever) may be checked.

France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry’s travel advice service) describes no visa or permit intended for retirees and indicates that Congo does not issue a three-month visa on the spot: renewal after three months costs about 162 euros for one year (106,000 FCFA) and about 315 euros for two years (206,000 FCFA). The residence rules for a retired person should be requested in writing from the Embassy of Congo in Paris and the Congolese authorities.

In town, you must carry a photocopy of the passport with the visa page; on intercity travel, the original is required, and failure to present it may result in a fine or, depending on the circumstances, police custody of up to 72 hours.

The Franco-Congolese convention, concluded on 11 February 1987 and in force since 1 June 1988, coordinates old age and survivors (Articles 25 to 33), invalidity (Articles 19 to 24 bis), maternity, occupational accidents and family benefits. It thus organises the coordination of these branches for people who have been insured in both countries; the exact arrangements (counting of periods, competent fund, procedures) can be read in the text of the convention or requested from CLEISS (the French liaison centre for international social security).

In Congo, the age at which the right to a pension opens varies by category: 60 for labourers, workers and similar (early retirement at 57), 63 for supervisors (60), 65 for managers (63) and 70 for senior managers (65), with at least 20 years of registration and 240 months of insurance, or 60 months in the last 10 years; the early ages have applied since 1 January 2025. The pension is 44% of average salary for workers, 50% for supervisors and managers and 60% for senior managers, with an increase of 2% per additional 12-month period, and cannot be less than 60% of the SMIG.

French basic and supplementary pensions follow their own rules; see quarters worked abroad and receiving your pension abroad.

France and Congo are bound by a convention to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion on income tax, inheritance tax, registration duties and stamp duties, signed in Brazzaville on 27 November 1987 and in force since 1 September 1989. The BOFiP list mentions it for income tax, inheritance and registration duties. The commentary consulted does not reproduce the article on pensions: the consolidated text can be read on impots.gouv.fr.

The general BOFiP doctrine reminds us that a private pension is in principle taxable in the beneficiary’s State of residence, that social security pensions are the subject of specific rules in some treaties and that public pensions are generally taxable in the State that pays them. The withholding tax of Article 182 A of the French General Tax Code applies only if the treaty leaves France the right to tax. Each category of pension should therefore be checked in the 1987 convention.

On the Congolese side, the tax authority sets the rules for residents; a written simulation from the tax office for non-resident individuals avoids unpleasant surprises before departure.

The pension can be paid into an account in France or, on request, abroad. Each year, Assurance retraite (the French pension fund) sends a proof-of-life certificate to be completed by a competent authority in the country of residence; without proof, payment may be suspended. It is sent online or by post to the overseas pension processing centre in Tours.

For a tax domicile outside France, the CSG, CRDS and CASA are not deducted. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may be, if the retiree falls under a French compulsory health insurance scheme, or if they are a foreign national with at least 15 years of old-age insurance in France. See retirement insurance abroad.

According to Assurance retraite, the certificate of entitlement to healthcare is possible only for a retiree of the general scheme who lives in a country of the European Union or in a country that has signed an agreement containing healthcare provisions. As the Franco-Congolese convention does not coordinate sickness, this route is not open: the retiree joins the CFE or takes out private insurance. See a retiree’s health insurance abroad.

The CFE offer for retirees concerns holders of a pension from a French basic scheme with no professional activity, with no health questionnaire or exclusion possible; it has a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen according to the home page, varying by country and age. Membership before departure or within three months of settling in opens immediate rights; beyond that, waiting periods of three months (under 44) or six months (45 and over) apply.

As France Diplomatie judges the hospital network generally weak, insurance with evacuation complements the CFE; the medical and social centre of the French embassy in Brazzaville provides guidance to French nationals. The Cnarefe (the national centre for French retirees abroad) covers temporary stays in France on condition of 15 years of contributions (10 years for those affiliated before 1 July 2019).

No average budget is put forward: prices are compared on the spot and current inflation appears in the “Economic indicators” block. The currency is the CFA franc (1 euro = 656 XAF according to France Diplomatie). The main items for a retiree are secure housing, health insurance, fuel (supply disruptions possible) and trips to France, with direct Air France flights to Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.

Brazzaville, the capital, brings together the French embassy and the medical and social centre; Pointe-Noire, with a consulate general, Dolisie and Nkayi are the other main towns. The main rainy season runs from October to December and the short one from March to May; roads deteriorate. Swimming is discouraged in the rapids of the Congo River.

See living in Congo.

• Ask the Congolese authorities in writing for the residence document of a retired person and prepare the online visa.
• Have tax simulated with the 1987 convention: basic and supplementary pensions and investment income.
• Notify your pension fund, prepare the proof-of-life certificate and the bank account for payment.
• Compare the CFE and international insurance with evacuation.
• Get vaccinated: yellow fever mandatory, hepatitis, typhoid; plan malaria prevention, present year-round.
• Register with Fil d’Ariane and on the register of French nationals living abroad.