Family
The 1981 Civil Status Ordinance, with customary and Islamic marriage recognised
Ordinance 81/02 governs civil status, marriage and succession. Polygamous and monogamous marriage are both available and the form is elected at registration. Customary and Islamic marriage are recognised where registered, and a long-promised unified family code has not been enacted.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Civil status registrars celebrate marriage; the Tribunal de Premier Degré applies customary law where the parties are subject to it.
- Deadline — Birth registration: 90 days
- Deadline — Marriage banns: published 30 days before celebration
- Deadline — Minimum age of marriage: 18, following the 2016 Penal Code reform
Governing law
- Ordonnance n° 81/02 portant organisation de l'état civil
- Code civil (as received) — succession and matrimonial regimes
- Loi n° 2011/024 relative à la lutte contre le trafic et la traite des personnes
In practice
Cameroonian family law is the sharpest instance of the plural order in this batch: a couple elects a monogamous or polygamous regime at the point of marriage, and that election governs succession decades later. Customary courts continue to hear matters between parties subject to customary law, and the anglophone regions apply received English matrimonial rules, so the applicable law depends on region, religion and the registration choice.