The Republic of Congo, uses the same currency as all of the countries of Central Africa and that’s the Central African franc or N CFA. The currency is linked to the Euros by a set exchange rate of 1 Euro for 655.957 CFA Francs. The equivalence with any other currency depends on the market fluctuations of the Euro.

For up to 500 francs, there are coins valued at 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500. The actual coinage differs in diameter and material. The coins for 1,2 and 50 francs are made from stainless steel, 5, 10 and 25 denominations are made of brass, the 100-francdepiction is made out of a bimetallic compound consisting of steel and brass), while the 500-franc coin is a cooper-nickel product. The denominations in circulation are those of the initial mint of 2006.

Banknotes are valued at 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 francs. They can be checked for counterfeiting through similar security features as the Euro that include the face value appearing in watermark in figures, security threads showing WAMU and the face value in minute fonts, reflective strips in the reverse side with the face value and embossed tactually perceptible letters for the Central Bank logo and the face values.

Foreigners should be aware that not all of the available ATMs can be used to withdraw cash from credit cards. Only those that carry the indication that they are connected to international networks do. Furthermore, plastic money or travellers checks are not widely acceptable.