Immigration
The 1997 immigration law, with CEMAC free movement in force since 2017
Law 97/012 governs entry, residence and expulsion. CEMAC nationals have been entitled to visa-free entry since the 2017 implementation of the free-movement protocol, which is more consequential in practice than the general visa regime.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale controls entry; the administrative bench of the Cour suprême reviews expulsion.
- Deadline — Carte de séjour: applied for within three months of arrival
- Deadline — Long-stay visa: valid up to six months, converted on arrival
Governing law
- Loi n° 97/012 relative aux conditions d'entrée, de séjour et de sortie des étrangers
- Décret n° 2000/286 précisant les conditions d'entrée et de séjour
- CEMAC free movement protocol — implemented for Cameroon in 2017
In practice
Cameroon hosts substantial refugee populations from CAR and Nigeria, so the practical immigration questions are less about the visa regime than about the status of protracted refugee populations under the 2005 refugee law, whose implementing decrees were delayed for years.