The DRC is not part of the apostille system, so documents follow the legalisation chain and end at the embassy in Washington. French is the working language of the administration, so a French translation is the safe assumption for anything in English.
Quick facts
The embassy also issues birth certificates, which is the service that matters most to Congolese families abroad, and it is covered by the same payment rule as everything else.
The chain
| Step | Who does it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notarisation | U.S. notary public | For private documents |
| State certification | Secretary of State | Of the issuing state |
| Federal authentication | U.S. Department of State | Slowest stage |
| Consular legalisation | Embassy of the DRC | Washington |
| French translation | As the receiving office requires | Ask first |
Congolese documents travelling the other way are certified in Kinshasa, which generally requires someone there to attend in person.
How to prepare a document
- Ask the receiving office in the DRC exactly what it requires.
- Order a certified copy, or have the private document notarised.
- Obtain the state certification and then the federal authentication.
- Arrange the French translation.
- Send to the embassy with a blank money order and a prepaid return label.
- Keep copies and the tracking numbers.
Required documents
- Original document with the U.S. certifications attached.
- French translation where required.
- Copy of your identification.
- Blank money order for the fee.
- Prepaid return label with tracking.
What the embassy does
It issues and renews passports, issues travel documents in lieu of a passport, issues birth certificates, legalises documents, processes visas and supports the Congolese diaspora.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
An apostille will not work
If a service offers one for the DRC, they have not checked.
Blank money order
The instruction applies to every service: visas, passports, travel documents and birth certificates alike.
The federal stage is the bottleneck
It takes weeks and cannot be skipped.
Order two copies
Repeating this chain is slow and expensive.