Administrative procedures in Cameroon
ID cards, passports, birth certificates, criminal records, driving licences: administrative procedures in Cameroon are changing fast. The ID card and the passport are now biometric, with online pre-enrolment, and a December 2024 law overhauled civil registration. Many pages online still give the old rules and the old fees.
Each page gives the documents required, the official fee when one is published, the announced and the observed timescales, and what to do from abroad. When a fee comes only from a private guide, we say so.
Key figures
- 10,000 CFA francsstamp duty for the ID card since June 2024
- 110,000 CFA francsfor a biometric passport, since July 2021
- 90 daysto register a birth (law of 23 December 2024)
- 11,500 CFA francsin driving licence fees (Transport Ministry, 2025)
Where to start
- The national identity card (CNI) in CameroonCameroon's new biometric ID card: 10,000 CFA francs stamp duty, idcam.cm pre-enrolment, documents, promised and real delays, loss.
- The Cameroonian passportCameroon's biometric passport: 110,000 CFA francs, PassCam online pre-enrolment, documents, minors, loss, real delays and applying from abroad.
- Birth certificates in Cameroon: registration, deadlines, copies and digitisationSince the December 2024 law, a birth must be registered within 90 days. Who declares, where, what it costs, copies, digitisation and the diaspora.
- Criminal record extract (bulletin no. 3)Bulletin no. 3 in Cameroon: which court, documents, stamps, waiting times, validity, and what to do if you were born or live abroad.
- Driving licences in CameroonCategories, driving school, online applications on ssdtmint.cm, the 11,500 CFA franc fee, converting a foreign licence and the planned points system.
- Official paperwork for Cameroonians living abroadConsular card, passport, birth transcription, power of attorney, voting, emergency travel document, repatriation: dealing with the consulate.
Identity and travel documents
National ID card, passport, certificate of nationality. · 3 pages
- The national identity card (CNI) in CameroonCameroon's new biometric ID card: 10,000 CFA francs stamp duty, idcam.cm pre-enrolment, documents, promised and real delays, loss.
- The Cameroonian passportCameroon's biometric passport: 110,000 CFA francs, PassCam online pre-enrolment, documents, minors, loss, real delays and applying from abroad.
- The Cameroonian certificate of nationalityWho issues the certificate of nationality, what to bring, and how one becomes or stops being Cameroonian under the 1968 code.
Civil registration
Birth, marriage and death certificates, late registration. · 4 pages
- Birth certificates in Cameroon: registration, deadlines, copies and digitisationSince the December 2024 law, a birth must be registered within 90 days. Who declares, where, what it costs, copies, digitisation and the diaspora.
- Late birth registration by court ruling in Cameroon: procedure, documents, timeframesBirth never registered, certificate lost or register destroyed: when to go to court, which documents, how long it takes, and mobile court hearings.
- Civil marriage in Cameroon: age, banns, ceremony and registrationLegal age, notice 30 days ahead, objections, monogamy or polygamy, customary marriage, foreigners and the diaspora: the rules of civil marriage.
- Death certificates in Cameroon: registration, deadlines, transfer and repatriation of remainsA death must be registered within 90 days with two witnesses: who declares it, where, what the certificate says, moving the body and repatriation.
Official documents
Criminal record, legalisation, certified copies. · 2 pages
- Criminal record extract (bulletin no. 3)Bulletin no. 3 in Cameroon: which court, documents, stamps, waiting times, validity, and what to do if you were born or live abroad.
- Legalisation, certified copies and translationCertified copies, signature legalisation, MINREX, embassies, apostille, sworn translators: who does what in Cameroon and at what price.
Driving
Driving licence, vehicle registration, insurance. · 2 pages
- Driving licences in CameroonCategories, driving school, online applications on ssdtmint.cm, the 11,500 CFA franc fee, converting a foreign licence and the planned points system.
- Vehicle registration, transfer, roadworthiness test and insuranceRegistering a car in Cameroon: registration card, transferring a used car, import taxes, roadworthiness test, insurance and road tax.
From abroad
Paperwork for the diaspora at embassies and consulates. · 1 page
Our method
Every figure in this section comes from a source listed at the bottom of the page: official texts, government bodies, specialist organisations, the Cameroonian press and international organisations. Fees, timescales and results change often, so they are always dated. When sources disagree, we say so rather than pick one.
Sources consulted
- Ecomatin — « Carte nationale d'identité : le droit de timbre augmente de 257 % » (juin 2024)
- Cameroon Desks — Procédure d'obtention d'un passeport camerounais sur PASSCAM (avril 2024)
- Présidence de la République — Loi n° 2024/016 du 23 décembre 2024 sur l'état civil
- MINT — Guide du demandeur du permis de conduire (Permicam, 16 mai 2025)