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Promote:Republic of the Congo

Export from the Republic of the Congo

A short guide for companies selling from the Republic of the Congo: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.

1. What the Republic of the Congo sells, and who buys it

Top goods exports

2024

  1. 1. Crude petroleum (HS 2709)US$6.68 billion
  2. 2. Refined petroleum products (HS 2710)US$167.6 million
  3. 3. Sawn wood (HS 4407)US$162.3 million
  4. 4. Refined copper (HS 7403)US$65.6 million
  5. 5. Rough wood (HS 4403)US$52.9 million
  6. 6. Cement (HS 2523)US$46.4 million
  7. 7. Floating cranes and special vessels (HS 8905)US$28.5 million
  8. 8. Wood flooring and shaped wood (HS 4409)US$13.5 million
Show 12 more products
  1. 9. Gas turbines (HS 8411)US$9.57 million
  2. 10. Rubber and plastic footwear (HS 6402)US$8.95 million
  3. 11. Aircraft (HS 8802)US$7.5 million
  4. 12. Dried and smoked fish (HS 0305)US$7.05 million
  5. 13. Veneer sheets and thin plywood (HS 4408)US$6.34 million
  6. 14. Special-purpose machinery (HS 8479)US$5.76 million
  7. 15. Taps and valves (HS 8481)US$4.84 million
  8. 16. Wooden tableware and kitchenware (HS 4419)US$4.08 million
  9. 17. Bran and milling residues (HS 2302)US$4.01 million
  10. 18. Surveying instruments (HS 9015)US$3.99 million
  11. 19. Storage tanks and vats (HS 7309)US$3.4 million
  12. 20. Wine (HS 2204)US$2.58 million
  • Crude petroleum was 90.7 percent of 2024 exports, so shares to the top destinations follow crude oil sales. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Ships and floating structures (HS 8901, 8904 and 8905) were 0.4 percent of 2024 exports, against 8.6 percent in 2023; they stay ranked as Congo reports them. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Flow X includes re-exports, and Congo reports no re-export flow to UN Comtrade, so no line's re-export share could be read. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: UN Comtrade, Congo exports by product, 2024⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024

Where the goods go

2024, share of goods exports

  • China53.6%
  • Netherlands10.7%
  • Singapore7%
  • Italy6.1%
  • India5.2%
  • Malaysia3.9%
  • Thailand3.1%
  • Togo2.2%

Source: UN Comtrade, Congo exports by destination, 2024⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024

2. What to look into next

Our reading

Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.

3. Trade agreements

What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.

  • African Continental Free Trade Area

    Congo is a state party to AfCFTA; the trade ministry says it ratified in 2019 and runs a national monitoring committee.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. No Congolese tariff schedule or origin certificate route was found.

    Source: Trade ministry, Congo and AfCFTA page (in French)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)

    Congo applies the CEMAC customs code and common external tariff, and goods of CEMAC origin move at a zero preferential tariff.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Origin needs Community approval, and no Congolese product had been approved as of 2023.

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  • Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)

    Congo applies the ECCAS preferential tariff to goods of ECCAS origin, in force since the 2018 Budget Law.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Confirm the current tariff treatment with customs before you quote.

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  • AGOA

    As of October 31, 2026, eligible goods from Congo can enter the United States duty free under AGOA, the United States' trade preference program for eligible African countries.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Congo is on the 2026 beneficiary list, eligibility is reviewed every year, and AGOA runs to December 31, 2028.

    Source: USTR, AGOA eligibility review notice, June 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of June 30, 2026

Show 3 more agreements

  • Generalised Scheme of Preferences of the European Union

    As of 2026, the European Commission says Congo trades with the European Union under the standard Generalised Scheme of Preferences.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Check the importing country's treatment of your product before you quote.

    Source: European Commission, trade relations with Central Africa⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • Developing Countries Trading Scheme of the United Kingdom

    Congo is in the Enhanced Preferences tier of the United Kingdom's Developing Countries Trading Scheme.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Confirm the rate for your product in the scheme schedule before you quote.

    Source: United Kingdom government, Developing Countries Trading Scheme tiers⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Central Africa

    Only Cameroon applies this agreement, so Congolese sellers use the Generalised Scheme of Preferences instead.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access. Other Central African countries have not signed the agreement.

    Source: European Commission, trade relations with Central Africa⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

4. Steps to export

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Exporting from the Republic of the Congo

  1. Register as a trader at the ACPCE single window, which files the trade register, tax number, chamber and social security entries together.Agence Congolaise pour la Création des EntreprisesOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  2. Request an export declaration with the pro forma invoice, transit order, statutes, trade register extract, tax number, license receipt and chamber certificate.Direction Générale du Commerce ExtérieurOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: LIZIBA, import and export procedures (in French)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  3. For timber, get an export verification certificate and approval from the forest export control service before you ship.Service de Contrôle des Produits Forestiers à l'ExportationOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  4. Domicile the sale with a bank in the CEMAC when it is CFAF 5 million or more, and sign the exchange commitment.Établissement de crédit de la CEMACOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: CEMAC, exchange regulation 02/18, December 2018 (in French)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of December 21, 2018

Show 4 more export steps
  1. Get the electronic cargo tracking note, managed for the Congolese Shippers Council, at a flat CFAF 3,000 for exports.Conseil Congolais des ChargeursCFAF 3,000 for exports (as of 2023)Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  2. Ask the chamber of commerce for a certificate of origin or form A, using the electronic GECO platform.Chambre de Commerce, d'Industrie, d'Agriculture et des Métiers de Pointe-NoireCFAF 25,000 per certificate (August 2024)Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Pointe-Noire chamber, e-certificate of origin, August 2024 (in French)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 22, 2024

  3. For plant or animal products, request prior authorization and a phytosanitary or animal health certificate.Direction de la Protection des VégétauxOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Congo, annex, 2023⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 16, 2023

  4. File the customs export declaration, through an approved customs agent, and pay the exit duty and computer levy.Direction Générale des Douanes et des Droits IndirectsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: LIZIBA, import and export procedures (in French)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

5. Organizations that help exporters

Start with Ministère du Commerce, DGDDI and INS. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Export development and market information

Show 1 more organization

Customs and tax

Show 4 more organizations

Standards and sector requirements

Chambers and industry associations

6. Worth knowing

7. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
  • Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Republic of the Congo project.

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Promote:Republic of the Congo is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.