Cameroon - West Africa - page 232

Scams and official corruption are a way of life in Cameroon; keep your guard up and
maintain a sense of humour. It's theoretically a legal requirement to carry your passport
with you at all times. In practice the police rarely target travellers, however.

TELEPHONE
All Cameroonian telephone numbers have eight digits. Mobile numbers begin with 7, 8 or
9. There are no city area codes in Cameroon - all landline numbers begin with a 2 or 3.
It's quite easy to buy a SIM card for an unlocked mobile phone to make local calls. MTN
and Orange are the main national networks.

VISAS
Visas are required for all travellers and must be bought prior to arrival in the country. At
Cameroonian embassies in neighbouring countries, visas are issued quickly for around
US$60. Applications in Europe and the US will require a confirmed flight ticket, a hotel
reservation and proof of funds for the trip (a copy of a recent bank statement should suf-
fice).

Visa Extensions
You can obtain visa extensions at the Ministry of Immigration OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP (

222 2413; Ave Mdug-Fouda Ada) in Yaoundé, where one photo plus

CFA15,000 is required.

Visas for Onward Travel
Visas available in Yaoundé for neighbouring African countries include the following:

Central African Republic A one-month visa costs FA55,000 and takes 48 hours to pro-
cess.
Chad The embassy in Yaoundé is unhelpful and generally only issues visas to residents.
The Garoua consulate is a far better place to try (CFA50,000).

Congo A 15-day visa costs CFA50,000, three months costs CFA100,000. An invitation is
required and processing takes 48 hours.

Equatorial Guinea Does not generally issue visas to nonresidents or people with an
Equatorial Guinea embassy in their home country.
Gabon A one-month visa costs CFA50,000; unlike at many Gabonese embassies, a hotel
reservation is not required here.
Nigeria In Yaoundé a one-month visa costs CFA45,000 to CFA60,000 and takes 48 hours
to process, and you'll need an invitation.