Central African CFA Francs
Get ready for your trip to Central Africa. Order your CFA francs Central Africa at Manor FX today. Our great exchange rates mean you'll have more XAF cash to spend. Have your Central African CFA Franc banknotes delivered securely to your home or office, or pick them up from the Manor FX bureau near Heathrow.
Manor FX offers fast delivery times and a fuss-free online ordering process for your Central African CFA franc travel money.
Travel advise: payments in Central Africa
Jet off well-informed to Central Africa. Here are some handy facts about cash and card payments in Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.
International debit and credit cards, mostly VISA and MasterCard, are accepted by a limited number of international hotels and large shopping malls in larger cities in Central Africa, such as Bangui, Bata, Brazzaville, Doala, Libreville, N'Djamena, Pointe-Noire and Yaounde.
Most of the local vendors however don't accept international card payments and only accept payment in cash and via mobile payment solutions such as MTM Mobile Money (nicknamed 'momo').
If you are going to pay by card in Central Africa: Be aware of currency conversion fees for card payments: Your bank's XAF to GBP exchange rate may be dramatically bad. This is how banks make money. Before using your bank card for payments in Africa, it's certainly a good idea to contact your bank. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.
Cash is the must-have payment method in Central Africa. The CFA Central African Franc banknotes give you the convenience to pay without worries in six countries in Central Africa: Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.
The locals are paying for most of their purchases in cash and with their mobiles, using local payment apps such as MTM Mobile Pay.
The Central African CFA monetary union consists of six countries, and prices are different depending which country you visit. A coffee in a cafe in Cameroon will cost around 700 CFA francs. For a three course meal in a Cameroonian mid-range restaurant you can expect to pay around 6000 CFA francs per person.
Prices in Central Africa are certainly lower than prices in the UK: The overall cost of living in Cameroon is 40% lower than the cost of living in the UK.
Tipping is generally expected in Central African countries: Good service should be rewarded with a 10-20% tip in cash.
Banknotes in Central Africa
The CFA franc banknotes are in use in the six countries of the CFA Central African monetary union: Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. Denominations in circulation are 500fr, 1000fr, 2000fr, 5000fr and 10,000fr.
Banknotes are used extensively and may in many cases be well-worn and dirty. Wash your hands often.
Coins in Central Africa
CFA Central African coins range from 1fr to 500fr. The 500fr coin also exists as a banknote and both are in use simultaneously.
Central Africa's currency import and export regulations
The currency restrictions in the CFA Central African monetary union depend on the country you are visiting:
In Cameroon, travelers can take upto 20,000 CFA francs into the country. The same amount is allowed to be exported out of Cameroon. There are no restrictions on the value of foreign currency that you bring into or out of Cameroon.
In the Central African Republic, up to 75,000 CFA francs per person can be taken into the country. There are no restrictions on foreign currencies but they must be declared upon arrival. When exiting the country, travelers can take up to 75,000 CFA francs per person and up to the amount in foreign currencies declared upon arrival.
In Chad, no restrictions apply on arrival, but foreign currencies must be declared. Upon departure from Chad, the amount declared of foreign currencies can be exported, along with up to 10,000 XAF per person.
In Congo (Brazzaville), currency restrictions may apply. However it's unclear at the moment what the regulations are, and therefore travelers are advised to inform themselves prior to departure.
In Equitorial Guinea there are no currency restrictions if the amounts are declared upon arrival. When leaving the country, travelers are allowed to take up to 50,000 XAF with them per person, and up to the amount of foreign currency declared upon arrival.
In Gabon, travelers can take an unlimited amount of CFA francs into the country. Any foreign currencies must be declared upon arrival. When leaving the country, the amount of foreign currency that can be exported cannot exceed the value declared upon arrival. The combined value of CFA francs and foreign currencies exported out of Gabon can also not exceed the equivalent value of 200,000 CFA francs.
Ordering CFA francs Central Africa online
Order CFA francs Central Africa online and have them delivered fast and securely to your home or office, with Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®. Or pick them up from our travel money shop near Heathrow. Click here to
buy CFA francs Central Africa online.
Selling back CFA francs Central Africa
If you have CFA francs Central Africa to sell, follow this link to
exchange CFA francs Central Africa to Pounds, click on 'sell currency' and select 'XAF Central African CFA Franc'. We'll pay good rates for your leftover CFA francs Central Africa.
