Just Landed in Cameroon? Your First 7 Days

Mobile data is how most people get online; fixed home broadband is limited outside affluent city districts. MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun have the widest 4G coverage across Douala and Yaoundé, while Camtel (branded Blue) offers the fastest fibre and 4G but only in the two main cities and a few larger towns. SIM registration against your passport is legally required, and power cuts mean a phone power bank is genuinely useful. Expect coverage and speeds to drop sharply once you leave the urban centres.

Typical cost: A SIM costs around 500–1,000 XAF, with monthly data-and-calls bundles of roughly 5,000–15,000 XAF depending on volume; heavy users often keep two SIMs to hop between MTN and Orange when one network struggles.

Cameroon uses the Central African CFA franc (XAF), which is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 655.957 to 1, so your euro budget is predictable but your dollar or pound budget swings with the euro. It is a cash-and-mobile-money economy: card payments work only at upmarket hotels, some supermarkets in Douala and Yaoundé, and airline offices, and even then you should have cash as a backup.

Opening an account: Foreigners can open an account at banks such as Afriland First Bank, Ecobank, UBA, Société Générale Cameroun (SGC) or BICEC, but expect to provide a residence permit or visa, proof of address, passport photos and sometimes a local reference or introducer. Opening often takes one to three weeks, and the residence permit requirement means many newcomers rely on Mobile Money and ATM withdrawals for the first month or two.

Cash: Carry small notes and coins, because taxis, markets and street vendors rarely break large bills, and pulling out a 10,000 XAF note for a 500 XAF ride invites a shrug or a long wait for change. Mobile Money (MTN MoMo, Orange Money) is used everywhere and often replaces cash for rent, utilities and bigger purchases; agents on almost every street corner cash it in and out for a small fee.

Tipping: Tipping is not obligatory. Rounding up or leaving 5–10% in a proper sit-down restaurant is appreciated, and a small tip to a helpful porter or guard is normal, but for shared taxis, casual eateries and street food it is neither expected nor common.

Foreigners intending to stay beyond three months must obtain a residence permit (carte de séjour) from the Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN). Short-stay visitors on a tourist or business visa do not register a home address, but long-stay residents must hold this permit and carry ID at all times, as it is checked at checkpoints and required to open a bank account and sign a formal lease. The file typically needs your passport and visa, photos, proof of address, a medical certificate, a police clearance and, for workers, an employment contract or work permit, and government fees for the permit are substantial and vary by nationality (a common minimum quoted is around 250,000 XAF).

Deadline: Start the carte de séjour application within your first three months in Cameroon, before your entry visa expires, since processing is slow and overstaying an expired visa creates problems at exit and at checkpoints.

Where: The immigration/emigration department (Service de l'Émigration-Immigration) of the DGSN, with the main offices in Yaoundé and Douala and branches in each regional capital.

City travel relies on shared yellow taxis (you hail one already heading your way and share the ride and fare with strangers), private 'course' taxis hired exclusively for a negotiated price, and moto-taxis known locally as bendskin or okada. There is no metro and no reliable public bus network within the cities. Between cities, licensed coach companies such as Touristique Express, Général Express and Buca Voyages run comfortable services linking Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam and Bamenda, and are far safer than informal transport.

From the airport: From Douala International Airport (DLA), the reliable option is a negotiated fixed-fare taxi into the city centre, usually around 5,000–10,000 XAF depending on your district and the time of day. Yaoundé Nsimalen (NSI) sits roughly 25 km south of the capital, so agree the fare firmly before you leave the terminal and expect a higher price than a Douala run. App-based rides such as Yango operate within both cities but pickup coverage at the airports themselves can be patchy, so a pre-arranged pickup through your employer or hotel is the smoothest arrival.

Most newcomers rent through personal contacts, employers or local agents rather than online portals; Facebook groups, WhatsApp and word of mouth dominate the market, and the best furnished, secure homes rarely appear on any listing site. Expats commonly settle in Bonapriso, Bonanjo, Akwa and Bonamoussadi in Douala, or Bastos in Yaoundé, where furnished flats, compound walls and generators are more common.

Typical rent: A modern, furnished one-bedroom in a good Douala or Yaoundé district runs roughly 200,000–400,000 XAF per month, while an unfurnished flat further out can fall to 80,000–150,000 XAF. Higher-end serviced apartments in Bastos or Bonapriso, especially those with a standby generator and security, cost considerably more.

Deposit norm: Landlords typically ask for two to three months' rent as a deposit (caution) plus the first month upfront, and for foreigners it is common to be asked for six months to a year paid in advance. Insist on a written lease naming the true owner, get every payment receipted, and never hand over a deposit for a place you have not physically viewed.

Public hospitals are underfunded and stretched, so most expats and better-off residents use private clinics and polyclinics in Douala and Yaoundé, which expect payment in cash up front before treatment even begins. Well-regarded options include facilities such as Polyclinique Bonanjo and the Bonapriso clinics in Douala, and the larger private clinics in Yaoundé; serious or complex cases are frequently referred abroad, which is why medical evacuation cover is not optional here.

How to access it: For anything non-emergency, go directly to a reputable private clinic as a walk-in rather than waiting for an ambulance, since the ambulance system is unreliable and slow. Carry enough cash or a loaded Mobile Money balance to cover the consultation and any admission deposit, and keep a small kit of your regular medicines, as pharmacy stock can be inconsistent and counterfeits circulate.

Insurance: There is no universal state health scheme that covers foreigners, so arrange comprehensive private international health insurance that explicitly includes medical evacuation before you arrive. Ensure your yellow fever vaccination is done (it is an entry requirement), take malaria prophylaxis, and keep routine vaccinations up to date; a good travel clinic consultation before departure will save you trouble later.

• Greet before anything else. Take time to say hello and ask after someone's health and family before getting to business; skipping this reads as cold or rude.
• Match the region's language where you can. French carries most of the country, while the Northwest and Southwest are Anglophone and proud of it, and a little Pidgin goes a long way in any market.
• Show deference to elders, chiefs and officials, and use titles such as 'chef', 'patron', 'docteur' or a professional title when addressing them.
• Dress modestly and neatly. Smart, covered clothing earns respect, especially in offices, churches and the Muslim-majority north, where women in particular should cover shoulders and knees.
• Accept hospitality graciously. If you are offered food or a drink when visiting, taking at least a little is polite; refusing outright can offend a host.
• Use your right hand for giving, receiving and eating, and take the time for small talk before transactions rather than rushing straight to the point.
• Be patient and keep your temper in public. Losing your composure over a delay or a checkpoint rarely helps and can make a situation worse.

• Do not photograph airports, bridges, ports, military, police or government buildings; this is treated as a security offence and can lead to your phone being seized or to detention.
• Avoid the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions and the Far North unless genuinely essential, due to armed conflict, kidnapping and Boko Haram activity.
• Keep politics private. Public criticism of the government or heated political debate with strangers can attract unwanted attention.
• Do not discuss or display homosexuality; same-sex relationships are criminalised in Cameroon and the social climate is hostile.
• Be discreet with wealth. Flashing cash, expensive phones or jewellery in public marks you as a target and can invite both theft and inflated prices.