Please note: The Republic of the Congo (capital Brazzaville, also known as Congo Republic, West Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville) is frequently confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital Kinshasa, also known as “D.R.C.”, formerly known as Zaire).
Calling to the Republic of the Congo
- INCLUDE a leading ‘0’is included in the international call sequence – it is used in the Republic of the Congo to designate a mobile phone number.
- A leading '+' in the phone number means 'dial your country's exit code'.
- Calling from a mobile phone: dial from on the country where you're currently located.
- Calling from a VoIP or satellite phone: dial from on the country where the phone is registered.
… to a mobile (cellular) phone or text (SMS)
Use the same call sequence.
Mobile phone numbers begin with ‘0’. The leading ‘0’ is included in the call sequence when the Republic of the Congo is dialed from outside the country.
When calling a mobile phone user, dial to the country where the mobile phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a VoIP phone
Use the same call sequence.
When calling a VoIP phone user, dial to the country where the VoIP phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a satellite phone
The Republic of the Congo does not have a country-specific satellite phone system.
Most satellite phones operate on their country code – calls to these satellite phones follow their call sequence.
… sending a fax
Use the same call sequence.
Calling within the Republic of the Congo (domestic dialing)
Dial the entire nine digit phone number for all calls within the Republic of the Congo. There is no trunk number used when calling within the Republic of the Congo.
| nine-digit number |
| firsttwo |
Congolese phone numbers explained
Number details
Congolese phone numbers are nine digits.
The first digit designates whether the phone number is a landline or mobile phone.
Digits two, three, and four of landline phone numbers designate a geographic area of the country.
Mobile numbers start with ‘0’. Dial the leading ‘0’ when calling from outside the country.
An example of a Congolese phone number
The Olympic Palace lists its phone number in Brazzaville as +242 22 281 12 49.
Number explanation
| 242 | 2 | 228 | 1 12 49 |
| country code for the Republic of the Congo | landline designation | area (geographic) code for Brazzaville | local phone number in Brazzaville |
Local example – calling from another location in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Republic of the Congo.
| 2 | 228 | 1 12 49 |
| landline designation | area (geographic) code for Brazzaville | local phone number in Brazzaville |
Long distance example – calling from Dougou, Republic of the Congo (on the other side of the country)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Republic of the Congo.
| 2 | 228 | 1 12 49 |
| landline designation | area (geographic) code for Brazzaville | local phone number in Brazzaville |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in the Republic of the Congo)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Republic of the Congo.
| 2 | 228 | 1 12 49 |
| landline designation | area (geographic) code for Brazzaville | local phone number in Brazzaville |
International example – calling from outside the Republic of the Congo
To call from outside the Republic of the Congo, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by the Republic of the Congo’s country code of ‘242’, followed by the local phone number.
[fiveSectionCall firstone=”exit code” firsttwo=”exit code of the country the call is dialed from” secondone=”242″ secondtwo=”country code for the Republic of the Congo” thirdone=”2″ thirdtwo=”landline designation” fourthone=”228″ fourthtwo=”area (geographic) code for Brazzaville” fifthone=”1 12 49″ fifthtwo=”local phone number in Brazzaville”]
Calling from the Republic of the Congo
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from the Republic of the Congo.
Sources and more resources
- L’Agence de Régulation des Postes et Communications Electroniques (ARPCE)– The Republic of the Congo’s telephone systems regulator.
- ITU (International Telecommunications Union) – United Nations specialized agency for information and communications technologies.
- International Telecommunications Union – DIALLING PROCEDURES (INTERNATIONAL PREFIX, NATIONAL (TRUNK) PREFIX AND NATIONAL (SIGNIFICANT) NUMBER) (IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITU-T RECOMMENDATION E.164 (11/2010)) – A collection of dialing procedures for all countries and regions of the world. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- International Telecommunications Union – Republic of the Congo (country code +242) National Numbering Plan – Details of the Republic of the Congo’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in the Republic of the Congo – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for the Republic of the Congo. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Republic of the Congo – Entry for the Republic of the Congo in the British Telecom international directory.