Congo (Republic of the): Knowledge Base profile
Updated 5 August 2026
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About: Republic of the Congo
This document contains useful information about Republic of the Congo which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.
Contacts
If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.
If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.
Publication
Below is information on when this version of the document was published:
- version 3.0
- published for Home Office staff on 30 June 2026
Changes from last version of this document
This Knowledge base profile has been updated in the Names section to show when HM Passport Office will add an observation to the British passport referencing the name shown in the customer’s foreign passport.
Republic of the Congo: names
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Republic of the Congo.
Names in Republic of the Congo consist of:
- forename
- middle name
- father’s surname
Names are given at the time of birth. In some Congolese religions more names may be granted after religious ceremonies.
Change of name
Name changes are allowed in Republic of the Congo.
Women take their husband’s surname on marriage.
Name alignment
HM Passport Office will add an observation to the British passport referencing the name shown in the foreign passport if:
- the customer is unable to align their Republic of the Congo passport, and can provide evidence to support this; or,
- admin fairness has been applied and we do not ask for alignment; and
- no exceptions apply as shown in the guidance, Names: aligning names on foreign documents
Republic of the Congo: legitimacy
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Republic of the Congo.
Legitimacy
Republic of the Congo does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means that all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.
Republic of the Congo: documents
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Republic of the Congo.
Documents from Republic of the Congo are issued in the administrative regions at the local registration office. These are not laminated.
Birth certificates
Birth notifications and hospital birth certificates are called Attestation de Naissance (declaration of birth) and issued to parents at the time of birth.
Births must be registered within 30 days. When the birth is registered the Bourgemestre will issue an Acte de Naissance (birth certificate).
Marriage certificates
All marriages including customary marriages must be registered at the local city hall to be official. An Acte de marriage (marriage certificate) will be issued.