Property
The 1973 Land Law vesting all land in the state
The Bakajika-derived 1973 General Property Law vests all land in the state and grants users concessions rather than freehold. Perpetual concessions are available to Congolese nationals; foreigners obtain ordinary long-term concessions.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Conservateur des Titres Immobiliers registers; the Tribunal de grande instance decides disputes.
- Deadline — Concession contract: registered to be enforceable against third parties
- Deadline — Emphyteotic concession: up to 25 years, renewable
Governing law
- Loi n° 73-021 portant régime général des biens, régime foncier et immobilier
- Loi n° 80-008 modifying the 1973 law
- Loi n° 011/2002 portant Code forestier
In practice
Because the state owns all Congolese land outright, what is bought and sold is a concession, not the soil. That distinction structures every mining, forestry and urban development transaction in the country, and the interaction between registered concessions and unregistered customary occupation is the principal source of land conflict.