The DRC follows the French civil law tradition, so a power of attorney is a formal instrument whose wording should come from the notary or lawyer in Kinshasa who will use it. Everything runs in French, and everything is paid for by blank money order.
Quick facts
Land and mining interests are the distinctive cases here. Congolese land is state-owned with rights granted by concession, so what a power of attorney can actually achieve depends on the type of right involved.
Fees breakdown
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consular act | Consular tariff | Blank money order |
| Legalisation of a U.S. document | Consular tariff | After federal authentication |
| French translation | Per page | Where required |
| Notary’s fees in the DRC | Agreed with the office | Drafting and completion |
| Return shipping | Your own cost | Prepaid label with tracking |
Inheritance files usually involve several relatives, and with a diaspora spread across North America and Europe, coordinating them is slower than preparing any one document.
How to apply
- Ask the notary in the DRC for the wording and the acts to authorise.
- Establish what kind of right is involved: concession, occupancy or something else.
- Collect the identity details of everyone named.
- Have supporting U.S. documents legalised through the full chain.
- Pay by blank money order and include a prepaid return label.
- Courier the completed instrument to the DRC.
Required documents
- Congolese passport or identity document.
- The wording supplied from the DRC, in French.
- Identity details of the person receiving the power.
- Land or case references as they appear in Congolese records.
- Supporting documents, legalised and translated.
- Blank money order and a prepaid return label.
Where to apply
At the embassy in Washington, on Connecticut Avenue.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
Land is not owned outright
Rights over land in the DRC are granted rather than held as freehold. Establish exactly what is involved before granting authority over it.
Mining interests
These carry their own regulatory framework and should never be handled through a general power of attorney without specialist advice.
Be specific
Name the asset and the acts authorised as precisely as the records allow.
Revocation
Revoking requires a further instrument through the same route, with notice to whoever holds the original.