Cameroon

Cameroon visa guide: every visa, card and procedure

  • 12 visa types
  • checked 24 October 2026

How visas for Cameroon work

Since 30 April 2023 every Cameroonian entry visa is requested and paid for online. Decree No. 2023/147 of 2 March 2023, which implements Law No. 97/012 on the entry, stay and exit of foreigners, makes the platform run by the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) the only channel: you pre-enrol on evisacam.cm (or the mirror evisacam.com), upload scanned supporting documents, pay by card or mobile money, and the Cameroonian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence takes the decision. The National Security service (DGSN) gives its security opinion within 24 hours, and the decree sets a three-day decision time, cut to 24 hours for the paid express procedure.

The law knows three entry visas only: a transit visa (at most five days), a short-stay visa valid for up to six months with multiple entries for visitors such as tourists, private guests, business people, event participants and medical evacuees, and a long-stay visa valid for up to twelve months for anyone who will work, study, train, join family or otherwise stay beyond six months. Only the long-stay visa allows paid work or studies, and a visa cannot be switched to another category inside Cameroon. A visa is not an e-visa in the sense of a printout: approval produces an online authorisation with a QR code, and the biometric sticker is printed either at the mission or on arrival, for example at Douala or Yaoundé-Nsimalen airport.

Once in the country, foreigners admitted for a long stay obtain a two-year renewable residence card (carte de séjour) from the DGSN emigration-immigration services. After six consecutive years of lawful stay, or on marriage to a Cameroonian national, a ten-year renewable resident card (carte de résident) becomes possible. Refugees recognised under Law No. 2005/006 receive a two-year refugee card. Foreigners living in Cameroon also need an exit visa to leave, either single or for multiple trips.

Which mission decides depends on where you live: the file goes to the Cameroonian embassy or consulate competent for your place of residence, or to the nearest one if Cameroon has no mission in your country. Applicants living in the city where that mission is located are called in for fingerprints, photograph and the sticker; those living elsewhere receive an online authorisation with a QR code and have the visa affixed by the border police on arrival.

Which visa do I need?

Holiday, visiting friends or relatives, meetings, trade fairs, conferences or medical treatment for up to six months: short-stay visa, ordinary (3 days) or express (24 hours).

Changing planes or passing through to a third country: transit visa, free of charge for up to four days.

Employment, self-employment, studies, long internships, joining a family member who lives in Cameroon, or any stay longer than six months: long-stay visa, then a two-year residence card in Cameroon.

Spouse of a Cameroonian citizen: long-stay visa on proof of marriage, then the ten-year resident card. Fear of persecution: report to the authorities within 15 days of entry to request refugee status.

Visa types for Cameroon

Visits and short stays

  • Tourist visa Short-stay visa (visa court séjour) for tourism and private visits

    Tourists and private visitors enter Cameroon on the short-stay visa, valid for up to six months and usually issued for multiple entries.

    Maximum stay: Within the visa's validity of up to six months; the stay may not exceed the period authorised on the sticker.
  • Transit visa Transit visa (visa de transit)

    Travellers who pass through Cameroon on the way to another country apply for a transit visa on evisacam.cm.

    Maximum stay: Five days at most under the decree.

Business and self-employment

  • Business visa Short-stay visa (visa court séjour) for business people, promoters and event participants

    Business travellers, investors exploring projects and people invited to conferences, fairs, sports or cultural events in Cameroon use the short-stay visa, valid for up to six months.

    Maximum stay: Within the visa's validity of up to six months.

Study and training

  • Student visa Long-stay visa (visa long séjour) for students and long-term trainees

    Foreigners admitted to a Cameroonian university or vocational school, and trainees on placements longer than three months, are classed as foreigners in residence and need the long-stay visa, valid up to 12 months.

    Maximum stay: Visa up to 12 months; the stay then continues on a two-year renewable carte de séjour.

Work

  • Work visa Long-stay visa (visa long séjour) for contract and independent workers

    To work in Cameroon a foreigner needs the long-stay visa, the only visa that gives access to a gainful or professional activity.

    Maximum stay: Visa up to 12 months, then a two-year renewable carte de séjour.

Family

  • Family reunification visa Family accompaniment and family reunification (accompagnement familial / regroupement familial)

    Relatives of a foreigner who will stay more than three months in Cameroon can join them under two procedures in Decree No.

    Maximum stay: Accompaniment: up to three months. Reunification: long stay, then a residence card.
  • Spouse and partner visa Spouse of a Cameroonian national: long-stay visa and resident card (carte de résident)

    The foreign spouse of a Cameroonian citizen belongs to the category of foreign residents under Decree No.

    Maximum stay: Long-stay visa up to 12 months, then the resident card valid 10 years.

Residence

  • Residence permit Residence card (carte de séjour)

    The carte de séjour is the biometric identity card of foreigners admitted to stay in Cameroon: workers, the self-employed, long-term trainees, students and their families.

    Maximum stay: Two years per card, renewable.
  • Permanent residence Resident card (carte de résident)

    Cameroon's long-term status is the carte de résident, a green biometric card valid for ten years and renewable.

    Maximum stay: Ten years per card, renewable.

Online travel permits

  • e-Visa Cameroon e-Visa (online pre-enrolment and online visa authorisation on evisacam.cm)

    Cameroon's e-Visa is not a separate visa type but the compulsory online channel for all entry visas, run by the Ministry of External Relations since 30 April 2023.

    Maximum stay: Depends on the visa requested: transit up to 5 days, short stay up to 6 months, long stay up to 12 months.

Fast-track and priority services

  • Fast-track and priority visa services Express visa procedure (procédure expresse) – short-stay express visa

    Cameroon's only official priority service is the express procedure written into Decree No.

    Maximum stay: Same as the short-stay visa: up to six months.

Asylum and international protection

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Cameroon visa?

Online on evisacam.cm (or evisacam.com), the only channel since April 2023. The file is decided by the Cameroonian embassy or consulate competent for your place of residence, or the nearest one if there is none in your country. The ordinary short-stay visa costs 100,000 XAF and the decree sets a three-day decision time.

Can I get a visa on arrival in Cameroon?

Not without applying first. You must already hold either a visa sticker or the online visa authorisation with QR code issued after approval on evisacam.cm. With that authorisation, the sticker is printed at the border post, and MINREX lists Douala and Yaoundé-Nsimalen airports as operational for this.

How long does a Cameroon visa take?

Decree No. 2023/147 sets three days from online pre-enrolment for the ordinary procedure and 24 hours for express. Missions advise applying at least 10 days before travel, and an application cannot be made more than six months ahead.

Is a yellow fever certificate required?

Yes. The international vaccination certificate is one of the documents the decree lists for every visa category, and missions ask for a scan showing the yellow fever vaccine. Infants under one year are exempt in the Washington mission's checklist; a medical exemption letter is accepted when vaccination is contraindicated.

Can I extend my visa inside Cameroon?

Only exceptionally. The decree allows an extension solely in case of force majeure assessed by the Minister of External Relations after a favourable DGSN opinion. The 2024 tariff under Ordinance No. 2024/001 sets the extension at 150,000 XAF, available only to foreigners already in the country.

Is the visa fee refunded if I am refused?

No. Missions state that fees paid on evisacam.cm are not refundable, including when the visa is refused, and that paying for a long-stay visa does not guarantee one. Duplicate or excess card debits are claimed on claim.evisacam.cm.

Embassies and consulates

Last checked 24 October 2026. Each visa page lists the official sources it is based on.