Cameroon

CMR

Often called 'Africa in miniature', Cameroon encompasses rainforests, savanna, mountains, and coastline within a single country. It shares a border with Nigeria to the west and the Central African Republic to the east, and sits at the economic heart of the CEMAC zone, using the CFA franc pegged to the euro. Yaoundé serves as the political capital while Douala is the commercial hub and main port.

The country is officially bilingual in French and English, though Anglophone regions in the northwest and southwest have faced political tensions since 2016. The economy is driven by oil, agriculture, and timber. Naturalisation requires five years of lawful residence, and Cameroon does not recognise dual citizenship for naturalised citizens.

Naturalisation: 5 years
Tax system: Residence Based
Currency: Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
Dual citizenship: Not allowed
Capital: Yaoundé
Region: africa
Population: 27,914,536
Cost-of-living: 32 /100

→ If you hold a Cameroon passport, see the Cameroon nationality guide

Passport Rank

#93

Visa-Free

destinations

Visa-free travel

A Cameroon passport has visa-free access to 45 destinations. See the full Cameroon passport breakdown →

Passports that enter Cameroon without a prior visa (6)

Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.

Central African Republic

Republic of the Congo

Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.

8 approved English test centres in Cameroon →

Immigrating to Canada from Cameroon

Current IRCC processing times for Cameroon nationals, by application type.

Visitor visa (outside Canada)	49 days
Super visa	79 days
Study permit	7 weeks
Work permit	8 weeks
Sponsor a dependent child	30 months
Adopted child (citizenship)	Not enough data
Government-assisted refugees	Not enough data
Privately sponsored refugees	sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data

Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.

As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.

Sources & last verified

Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)

Official source

Country Details

Capital: Yaoundé
Currency: Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
Languages: French, English
Population: 27,914,536
Tax System: Residence Based
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed
Naturalisation: 5 years
Schengen / EU: No
Climate: Equatorial in the south and along the coast; semi-arid and hot in the north
English Proficiency Rank: #62
GDP per capita: $1,972
Life expectancy: 63.97 yrs
Population growth: 2.56%/yr

GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).

Indices

Cost of Living

Safety

Healthcare

Quality of Life

Tax Summary

Tax System: Residence Based
Territorial Taxation: No — worldwide income taxed for residents
Naturalisation: 5 years of legal residency
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed

Cost of Living by City

← scroll the table →

Monthly cost of living per major city in USD: rent, groceries, utilities, transit pass
City	Rent 1BR centre	Rent outside	Groceries	Utilities	Transit pass
Yaoundé	—	—	—	—	—
Douala	—	—	—	—	—
Bafoussam	—	—	—	—	—

Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.

Climate

Douala

28.5°J

28.9°F

28.5°M

28.1°A

27.9°M

26.9°J

25.9°J

25.6°A

26.2°S

26.8°O

27.5°N

28.3°D

Rainfall range: 30–690 mm/month · Daylight 12h (winter) to 12h (summer)

Yaoundé

24.8°J

25.8°F

25.7°M

25.2°A

24.9°M

23.9°J

23.3°J

23.3°A

23.7°S

24.2°O

24.5°N

24.4°D

Rainfall range: 20–295 mm/month · Daylight 12h (winter) to 12h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

Tourist
Business
Long-stay
Work
Family
Student
Investor

Authority: Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale
Official Portal: www.dgsn.cm
Phone: +237 222 22 18 18
Email: contact@dgsn.cm

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years: 5
Language Test: Yes (French + English (official))
Civic Test: No
Oath Required: Yes
Dual Allowed: No
Fee: $650
Processing: ~15 months

Safety

GPI Rank

#137

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Common Risks

⚠Advance-fee fraud (feymen): well-dressed contacts cultivate trust before presenting business or investment schemes requiring upfront payment
⚠Police and gendarmerie checkpoint shakedowns on inter-city roads demanding invented document or road-tax fees from foreigners
⚠Airport and taxi overcharging: drivers quote 3–5x the legitimate fare to new arrivals at Douala and Yaoundé airports

Examples of areas to avoid: Yaoundé — Mokolo Market area: high petty crime and bag-snatching, especially after dark, Douala — New Bell district: historically the most crime-prone area, avoid after dark, Northwest and Southwest regions (Bamenda, Buea): active Anglophone armed conflict since 2017; all major foreign governments advise against non-essential travel

Regulators & official sources

Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Cameroon, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.

Ministry of External Relations

MINREX

Foreign-affairs ministry publishing Cameroon eVisa procedure, visa duration, processing and fee guidance.

Ministry of External Relations

eVisa Cameroon

eVisaCam

Official Cameroon consular services portal for visa applications, consular-card applications, laissez-passer applications and exit-visa applications.

eVisa Cameroon

Sources & last verified

Index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-20.

Official source

Related Guides

Exit tax: countries that charge you to leave

Country-by-country reference of departure taxes, deemed-disposition rules, and wealth-locking regimes that trigger when tax residency ends.

Related on The Citizenship Desk

Life logistics

Reference tables

Visa routes

Official visa and residence routes for Cameroon, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.

Residence

Carte de Resident

Residence

Cameroon's ten-year resident card for foreign nationals admitted as residents, including people moving from a twice-renewed stay card.

Leads to settlementTen years.

Delegation Generale a la Surete Nationale (DGSN), Cameroon · reviewed 2026-07-25

Carte de Sejour

Residence

Cameroon's stay card for foreign nationals regularly admitted to stay in Cameroon, valid for two years and renewable twice.

Two years, renewable twice.

Delegation Generale a la Surete Nationale (DGSN), Cameroon · reviewed 2026-07-25

Carte de Sejour Renewal or Replacement

Residence

Renewal, loss, theft or deterioration handling for the Cameroon stay card, using DGSN evidence rules and the one-month-before-expiry renewal condition.

A stay card is valid for two years and renewable twice; renewal should be handled while the old card is valid at least one month before expiry.

Delegation Generale a la Surete Nationale (DGSN), Cameroon · reviewed 2026-07-25

Long-Stay eVisa

Residence

Cameroon online long-stay entry visa, valid up to twelve months and normally used before applying for residence documentation where the stay continues in Cameroon.

Up to twelve months for the long-stay visa, according to MINREX.

Ministry of External Relations of Cameroon (MINREX) · reviewed 2026-07-25

Short-term / business

Short-Stay eVisa

Short-term / business

Online Cameroon visa route for short stays, with ordinary and express options valid up to six months and issued through MINREX/eVisaCam pre-enrolment.

Up to six months for the short-stay visa, according to the MINREX eVisa page.

Ministry of External Relations of Cameroon (MINREX) · reviewed 2026-07-25