Every way into Cameroon.

The ordinary short-stay e-visa is the main route for tourism and short visits to Cameroon, valid for up to 6 months with single or multiple entries. Since 30 April 2023 all entry visas must be applied for online through the official portal evisacam.cm: the applicant pre-enrols and pays online, the diplomatic mission processes the file, and biometric enrolment and printing of the visa sticker are completed either at a consular post or on arrival at the airport (Douala/Yaounde). The ordinary fee is 100,000 CFA francs (about EUR 153); standard processing is within roughly 72 hours after payment. A single stay typically does not exceed 90 days and extensions of up to 90 days may be requested but are not guaranteed.

Government fee

FCFA 100,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

The express short-stay e-visa carries the same conditions and document checklist as the ordinary short-stay e-visa but with accelerated processing, generally within a maximum of two working days (about 24 hours) after payment. It is valid for up to 6 months with single or multiple entries and is issued through the same evisacam.cm portal with biometric enrolment at a consular post or on arrival. The express fee is 150,000 CFA francs (about EUR 229). The visa does not authorise work and does not by itself lead to residence.

Government fee

FCFA 150,000

Processing time

1 day

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

The transit visa allows a short passage through Cameroon to reach a third country, applied for online via evisacam.cm. Transit of less than five days is free of charge, while a transit of more than four days costs 100,000 CFA francs; the maximum validity is around 30 days for entry. Applicants must show an onward ticket and a visa or right of entry to the final destination. Biometric enrolment is completed at a consular post or on arrival. The visa does not authorise work or extended stay.

Government fee

FCFA 100,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

5 days

Validity

30 days

Business travellers attending meetings, negotiations, conferences or short assignments use the short-stay e-visa with a business purpose, applied for through evisacam.cm. Conditions mirror the tourist short-stay visa (valid up to 6 months, single or multiple entries, 100,000 CFA ordinary fee, biometric enrolment at a consular post or on arrival) but the applicant additionally provides an invitation letter from a host company in Cameroon and proof of business activity. The visa permits business visits but not local employment, which requires a separate work permit and long-stay visa.

Government fee

FCFA 100,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

Foreign students admitted to a Cameroonian university or training institution enter on the long-stay e-visa with a study purpose, applied for through evisacam.cm. Applicants must provide an enrolment or admission certificate from the institution and proof of means of subsistence; the long-stay fee is 200,000 CFA francs. After arrival, students staying beyond six months apply for a carte de sejour at the immigration authorities within three months, using their entry visa valid for at least six months. The visa is for study and does not authorise employment.

• Study: Enrolment at the admitting Cameroonian institution.
• Residency after 6 years

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

360 days

Validity

360 days

Foreign nationals coming to Cameroon for an internship or professional training (stage) use the long-stay e-visa with a training purpose, applied for through evisacam.cm, supported by a training certificate or internship agreement. Conditions follow the long-stay visa (up to one year, 200,000 CFA fee, biometric enrolment). For stays beyond six months the trainee obtains a carte de sejour after arrival. The visa is for the named training only and does not authorise general employment.

• Study: Training/internship at the host organisation.
• Residency after 6 years

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

360 days

Validity

360 days

Any foreign national working in Cameroon needs a work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, on the basis of an employment contract visaed (approved) by the ministry. The process is employer-driven: the legally registered Cameroonian employer must show the role cannot be filled by a qualified Cameroonian and files the contract (typically six signed copies) together with company documents. The foreign worker enters on a long-stay visa, then obtains the residence card. Processing of the work permit commonly takes about 2-3 months. Government fee amounts are not published on a single official schedule and are not stated here.

• Work: Authorises employment with the sponsoring employer per the visaed contract.
• Residency after 6 years

Processing time

75 days

Cameroon has no passive golden-visa or citizenship-by-investment programme; investor migration runs through active business establishment under the 2013 Investment Code (Law No. 2013/004), administered by the Investment Promotion Agency (API/CIPA). The Code sets no minimum investment and does not discriminate between local and foreign investors, offering tax, customs and administrative incentives; the agency acts as a one-stop shop and helps obtain entry visas for an approved project's expatriate staff. The investor enters on a long-stay visa, registers the business, and obtains a carte de sejour. There is no published fixed government fee or investment threshold for this route.

• Work: Authorises running and managing the approved business.
• Residency after 6 years

Cameroon has no single named family-reunification visa class; foreign spouses and family members of a Cameroonian citizen or of a legally resident foreigner enter on a long-stay visa and then obtain a carte de sejour as the residence basis. The entry visa must be valid for at least six months, and the residence card (valid two years, renewable) is applied for within three months of arrival with proof of the family relationship plus the standard residence documents. A foreign woman marrying a Cameroonian, and family members generally, regularise stay through this residence-card route rather than a dedicated reunification permit. Spouses of Cameroonians may later pursue naturalisation, subject to Cameroon's single-nationality rule.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 6 years
• Family: Route is specifically for joining a spouse / family member legally in Cameroon.

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Validity

730 days

Foreign missionaries and members of religious congregations serving in Cameroon enter on a long-stay visa and regularise their stay with a carte de sejour, like other long-stay residents. Members of religious congregations submit, in addition to the standard residence-card documents, an act of recognition of their congregation and proof of membership. There is no separate fixed government fee for the religious category beyond the long-stay visa (200,000 CFA) and residence-card stamp duty; the card is valid two years and renewable up to the six-year limit before permanent residence.

• Work: Permits the declared religious/missionary activity within the recognised congregation.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 6 years

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Validity

730 days

The carte de refugie is the residence document issued to persons granted asylum protection in Cameroon, which hosts large refugee populations from the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad basin. It is granted on the basis of UNHCR identification and a refugee attestation issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is valid for two years and renewable, and is exempt from stamp duty. Renewal requires presenting the old attestation and card at least one month before expiry. This is a protection status, not a discretionary migration route.

• Work: Recognised refugees may, in principle, work; practical access varies.
• Study: Access to education as recognised refugees.
• Residency: Protection status; long-term integration possible but not a fixed years-to-PR formula.
• Family: Family members of a recognised refugee are generally documented together.

Government fee

FCFA 0

Validity

730 days

The carte de sejour is the temporary residence card every foreigner aged 18+ legally settling in Cameroon must obtain, in principle within three months of arrival, to avoid deportation. The prerequisite is an entry visa valid for at least six months. The card is valid for two years and renewable, covering legal residence up to a maximum of six consecutive years before permanent residence becomes available. Stamp duty is reported at 200,000 CFA francs for French nationals and 250,000 CFA francs for other nationalities. Required documents include a residence certificate endorsed by the neighbourhood chief, a criminal-record extract, and a Ministry-of-Labour-approved work contract for employees or a tax/trade licence for the self-employed.

• Work: Permits residence; employment still depends on holding a valid work permit underlying the card.
• Study: Lawful residence permits enrolment in study.
• Residency after 6 years

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Validity

730 days

The long-stay e-visa is for stays of more than six months and up to one year, and is the gateway entry visa for foreigners who intend to work, study, invest or settle in Cameroon. It is applied for online via evisacam.cm with single or multiple entries; the fee is 200,000 CFA francs (about EUR 305). Long-stay applicants must provide purpose documents such as a ministerially approved employment contract, a training or enrolment certificate, and repatriation guarantees. Crucially, an entry visa valid for at least six months is the prerequisite for applying for a residence card (carte de sejour) within three months of arrival.

• Residency after 6 years

Government fee

FCFA 200,000

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

360 days

Validity

360 days

The carte de residence is Cameroon's permanent resident card, granted to a foreigner after a regular, continuous stay on Cameroonian territory of at least six consecutive years (typically after the temporary carte de sejour has been renewed to its limit). It is valid for ten years, far longer than the two-year temporary card. Applicants submit the renewed/expiring residence card, a residence certificate endorsed by the neighbourhood chief, a special criminal-record extract, a valid passport with a long-stay visa, and tax or business documentation as applicable. Cameroon does not allow dual nationality, so naturalisation requires renouncing the prior citizenship; there is no citizenship-by-investment route.

• Work: Permanent residence; broad right to live and work in Cameroon.
• Study: Education on the same footing as other residents.
• Residency after 6 years

Validity

3,650 days