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Doing business
Doing business in Cameroon
The official bodies a foreign company, investor or professional deals with in Cameroon – linked to their own websites – plus the treaties that matter for contracts and disputes, and law firms there that list business work.
Key facts
Key facts for business in Cameroon
The short answer
We could not confirm the company registry’s website for Cameroon. Tax authority: Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI). Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Cameroon before you act.
| Legal system | Mixed (English common law in the North-West and South-West regions, French civil law elsewhere) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | French, English |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Regional blocs | ECCAS, CEMAC |
| OHADA business law | Yes – the OHADA Uniform Acts apply |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Party – in force since 1988 |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Contracting state – in force since 1967 |
| Apostille Convention (public documents) | Not a party – documents usually need legalization |
Treaty status from the official depositary records (UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH), regional blocs from their own websites, AfCFTA from tralac – checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Official bodies
Who does what in Cameroon
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) | impots.cm |
| Central bank, currency and foreign exchange | Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC) – Bank of Central African States | beac.int |
| Work and residence permits | Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN) – Police Camerounaise | dgsn.cm |
| Courts and justice | Cour Suprême du Cameroun – Supreme Court of Cameroon | coursupreme.cm |
| Official business procedures portal | eRegulations Yaoundé | yaounde.eregulations.org |
We could not confirm an official website for: registering a company, investment promotion. We only link to sites we could open and confirm as the body’s own in October 2026.
Each link was opened and checked as the body’s own website in October 2026. Links to official sites only – never to agents or look-alike sites.
Getting started
What foreign businesses usually sort out first
- Choose how you will operate. A subsidiary, a branch, a representative office, or working through a local partner or distributor. The options and their conditions are set by the OHADA Uniform Act on commercial companies and national rules.
- Register the business. Company registration: the national company registry.
- Register for tax. Tax registration: Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI).
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: the national investment agency.
- Permits for foreign staff. Work and residence permits: Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN) – Police Camerounaise.
- Banking and foreign exchange. Rules on accounts, moving money in and out and paying dividends abroad come from the central bank (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC)) and the banks.
- Contracts and disputes. Agree the governing law, the courts or arbitration seat, and the language. Cameroon is a party to the New York Convention, so arbitral awards made in other member states can be recognized there under it.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Cameroon for business matters
Cabinet d'Avocats Henri Job
Douala
Cabinet d'Avocats Ngue & Associés
Douala
Cabinet Essomba Tsoungui & Associés
Yaoundé
Cabinet Nkoyok Ngoue
Yaoundé
Cabinet TAKAM & Associés
Yaoundé
Chazai Wamba
Douala
Fonju & Partners Law Firm
Douala
Kiyah & Partners
Douala
LPA-ITINERIZ (LPA Law)
Yaoundé, Douala
Nya & Co. Law Firm
Douala
Teumen Honorine Florence – Cabinet d'Avocats
Douala
11 firms in Cameroon list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Cameroon.
Checking a lawyer in Cameroon
Who admits lawyers: Ordre des Avocats au Barreau du Cameroun (Cameroon Bar Association)
Professional title: Avocat / Advocate
Official roll: app.barreaucameroun.org
Search the Cameroon Bar's online Bar Roll (linked from barreaucameroun.org under 'The Bar Roll').
Sources: barreaucameroun.org, barreaucameroun.org, barreaucameroun.org. Checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Questions
Doing business in Cameroon: questions
Is Cameroon a party to the New York Convention?
Yes – in force since 1988 (UNCITRAL status table, checked October 2026).
Does Cameroon accept apostilles?
Cameroon is not a party to the Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked October 2026), so foreign public documents usually need legalization – typically through the issuing country’s foreign ministry and Cameroon’s embassy or consulate. Confirm with the authority that will receive the document.
What currency is used in Cameroon?
Central African CFA franc (XAF).