Regulatory updates - Republic of the Congo

The Certified Electronic Invoicing System (SFEC), established by the Republic of the Congo through Decree No. 2026-101 of March 31, 2026, requires economic operators to issue certified electronic invoices using approved software, certified terminals, or the government's online e-facture platform.

While the decree originally provided a three-month transition period following publication, the Ministry of Finance later announced that SFEC would enter production on August 1, 2026, and indicated that companies should be compliant by that date.

On June 16, 2026, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio officially launched the national awareness campaign for the Système de Facturation Électronique Certifiée (SFEC) in Brazzaville. The event was chaired by Paul Malié, Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Christian Yoka, alongside DGID Director-General Ludovic Itoua and Project Lead Séraphin Ndion, and included a live system demonstration and open Q&A session.

The SFEC is a structural tax reform covering every natural or legal person that supplies, distributes or uses electronic invoicing terminals or software in commercial transactions. Core objectives are transaction transparency, traceability, fraud prevention, tax base broadening and reliable VAT monitoring, VAT being Congo's principal source of government revenue.

Under the Decree of March 30, 2026, an initial voluntary pilot phase allowed enterprises to test the platform ahead of the binding deadline. From July 1, 2026, connection to the SFEC platform is a legal obligation for all enterprises without exception. Government and partner support teams have been mobilised to assist businesses with onboarding.

Companies operating in Congo must immediately verify their POS systems, billing software certification status and platform connectivity to ensure full compliance.