Portuguese, Spanish and French are the official languages of Equatorial Guinea. Only a few people speak English, even in Malabo and Bata.


Equatorial Guinea is a part of the French Monetary Area, and the Bank of Central African States (Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale) issues currency called the Communaute Financiere Africaine franc, which is abbreviated XAF or CFA. Banknotes are available in denominations of 500, 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000, while coins are available in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500. The euro is tied to the CFA Franc. There are no ATMs in Equatorial Guinea, but foreign currency exchange is available in several banks, but remember to keep your receipt for later inspection. Checks of any kind as well as credit cards are not accepted anywhere.


Equatorial Guinea follows West Africa Time (WAT), which is an hour ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC +1).


Equatorial Guinea’s electrical sockets use type E, type F schuko and type C europlug. The voltage is typically 220 V, with a frequency of 50 Hz. Bring a travel plug and adapter.


The country code for Equatorial Guinea is +240. Most people use cell phones through two networks, Hits Africa and Orange. There are nine internet service providers operating on GSM frequencies of 900 and 1800.


A reasonable amount of perfume, 200 cigarettes, 250 g of tobacco or 50 cigars as well as one liter of alcohol or one liter of wine may be imported into the country without incurring customs duty. Tourists and business travelers carrying currency amounting to more than XAF 50,000 must declare the total upon arrival or they will be fined upon departure.

Tourist Office

Ministry of Tourism, Malabo: +240-98-221 or

Consulates in Equatorial Guinea

US Consulate, Malabo: +240-333-09-88-95
Chinese Embassy, Malabo: +240-9-35-05 or +240-9-22-39
Cameroonian Embassy, Malabo: +240-9-23-64 or +240-9-22-63
French Consulate, Malabo: +240-9-20-05 or +240-9-24-60
Swiss Consulate, Malabo: +240-245-28-0
Spanish Consulate, Malabo: +240-9-20-20


Police: +240-9-27-79