International Driving Permit in Cameroon

🗓 Facts checked against official government guidance for Cameroon and other official sources. Research last updated: 30 October 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Cameroon: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Cameroon?
• What side of the road does Cameroon drive on?
• How long can you drive in Cameroon with a foreign licence?
• Is Cameroon a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Cameroon with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Cameroon? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Cameroon tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Cameroon
• Sources

Driving in Cameroon: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Cameroon?

Cameroon is a party to neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (UN Treaty Collection status pages: Cameroon absent from both participant lists), so no International Driving Permit carries treaty force in Cameroon and no IDP type can be listed as 'accepted'. France Diplomatie states outright: 'Le permis de conduire international délivré en France n’est pas reconnu au Cameroun.' Note an unresolved conflict inside French officialdom: the French consular section in Yaoundé (page dated 19 October 2021) still says the French licence 'ou permis international délivré en France' is valid for three months; neither French page is a Cameroonian rule. UK FCDO takes a third line, advising holders of old UK paper licences to upgrade to a photocard or get an IDP. No Cameroonian text was found that says whether a foreign IDP is accepted: check with the Ministry of Transport before you travel. Do not buy a commercial 'international licence' card.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Cameroon drive on?

Cameroon drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Cameroon are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Cameroon with a foreign licence?

No visitor period is established: a Ministry of Transport order of 2000 limits any foreign licence to three months from arrival, but whether it is still in force could not be confirmed. The order (Arrêté n° 00406/A/MINT/DTT du 28 avril 2000, art. 25(2)) is available online only from a private legal database, and a 2015 Ministry of Transport order on obtaining, suspending and withdrawing driving licences could not be read. The CEMAC road code recognises licences from the other CEMAC member states (art. 8) and names no period; whether the order's three months applies to them is not stated. France Diplomatie says a French licence is valid for three months from arrival, the entry stamp being proof; UK government advice is that a UK photocard licence can be used for up to six months. Three months is the only figure a Cameroonian text gives: check with the Ministry of Transport before you rely on a longer one. (France Diplomatie Cameroun, Informations utiles (15 September 2026); UK FCDO Cameroon safety and security; Arrêté n° 00406/A/MINT/DTT du 28 avril 2000 portant réglementation du permis de conduire et des auto-écoles, art. 25(2), as published by the Camerlex legal database)

Planning to move to Cameroon? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Cameroon a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Cameroon is party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An official convention IDP cannot be issued in Cameroon, and convention rules do not bind it — licence acceptance is governed purely by local law and bilateral arrangements.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Cameroon with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Cameroon as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Cameroon is a party to neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna road-traffic convention, so neither convention obliges it to honour a foreign licence or an IDP; France Diplomatie says a French-issued IDP is not recognised in Cameroon. Under the CEMAC road code, which applies in Cameroon, licences from the other CEMAC member states (the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon) are recognised, subject to a check of their authenticity with the issuing state (art. 8). For any other licence the rule is not established. A Ministry of Transport order of 28 April 2000 says a foreign licence is valid for driving for at most three months from the holder's arrival and must be converted into a Cameroonian licence within three months, but the order is available online only from a private legal database, and whether it is still in force could not be confirmed: a 2015 ministry order on obtaining, suspending and withdrawing driving licences could not be read. France Diplomatie gives three months from the entry stamp for a French licence, and UK government advice gives up to six months for a UK photocard licence. Check with the Ministry of Transport before you travel. No Cameroonian text was found that requires a translation of a foreign licence for driving; French and English are the official languages. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: October 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] CEMAC Règlement n° 04/01-UEAC-089 du 3 août 2001 portant adoption du Code communautaire révisé de la route, scope clause and art. 8; Arrêté n° 00406/A/MINT/DTT du 28 avril 2000 portant réglementation du permis de conduire et des auto-écoles, art. 25(2), as published by the Camerlex legal database

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Cameroon? Cameroon's IDPs are issued by Ministère des Transports (MINT). Official site. Cameroon is party to neither road-traffic convention, so the permit is issued outside the UN convention framework and is not an official convention IDP — check that your destination accepts it.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Cameroon? Rules for new residents

A Ministry of Transport order of 2000, whose current force could not be confirmed, puts both on one clock: a foreign licence is valid for driving for three months from arrival (art. 25(2)) and must be converted within three months of arrival (art. 45). France Diplomatie: beyond three months from arrival it is obligatory to convert the French licence into a Cameroonian one at the Ministry of Transport. UK FCDO: a stay of more than six months requires a Cameroonian licence from the Delegation of Transport. Check the current deadline with the Ministry of Transport before you travel. Foreign-government travel advice.

Driving rules in Cameroon tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Confirm valid third-party insurance, seat belts, lights, tyres, brakes, spare wheel, warning equipment, fuel reserve and reliable communications before any intercity trip.
• Drink-driving: Under the CEMAC road code, which applies in Cameroon, a driver whose alcohol test shows more than 0.8 g/l of blood alcohol can have the licence seized by the officer and suspended for up to a year (art. 9 and 11). The Penal Code separately punishes driving while drunk or intoxicated (art. 228). Treat the working limit as zero. Driving while drunk or intoxicated is punishable by three months to three years in prison and a fine of 5,000 to 500,000 CFA francs, or either penalty alone, and the court can withdraw the licence or bar the driver from obtaining one for up to two years (Penal Code, Loi n° 2016/007 du 12 juillet 2016, art. 228(3) and (4)). If a drunk or intoxicated driver kills or injures someone, the penalties for involuntary homicide and injury are doubled (art. 290(1)) and the court can withdraw the licence for up to three years (art. 289(4)).
• Speed limits: The CEMAC road code, which applies in Cameroon, sets 60 km/h in built-up areas (40 km/h for vehicles over 3.5 t) and, outside built-up areas unless a lower limit is set, 110 km/h for cars and motorcycles up to 3.5 t other than taxis and public transport, 90 km/h for public transport and for vehicles of 3.5 to 12.5 t, and 60 km/h for heavier vehicles and vehicles towing a trailer over 750 kg (art. 90). Obey posted km/h limits, checkpoint instructions and route closures; road conditions frequently require much lower speeds than posted.
• Carry the original licence, passport with entry stamp, vehicle registration and written insurance confirmation. Police and gendarmerie roadblocks are common; if accused of an offence, request an official ticket to settle in court rather than paying a bribe.
• Make sure any hire car is adequately insured, preferably with written confirmation from the insurance company.
• Avoid night driving. Poor surfaces, potholes, unlit vehicles, pedestrians and animals are common, and mobile coverage can be limited between cities.
• Current advice warns against travel to several regions (Far North, North-West, South-West and border areas) because of armed conflict, kidnapping and terrorism. Check the route-specific warning and your insurance exclusions immediately before departure.

Read more about driving in Cameroon

• 10 Interesting Facts About Cameroon
• Best Places to Visit in Cameroon

Watch what driving in Cameroon looks like

A few minutes of real POV footage is the fastest way to feel confident before your first drive in Cameroon:

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. France Diplomatie Cameroun, Informations utiles (15 September 2026); UK FCDO Cameroon safety and security; Arrêté n° 00406/A/MINT/DTT du 28 avril 2000 portant réglementation du permis de conduire et des auto-écoles, art. 25(2), as published by the Camerlex legal database
3. French Consular Section, Yaoundé — Permis de conduire (page dated 19 October 2021): 3-month rule and licence-authentication step; conflicts with France Diplomatie on the IDP
4. UK FCDO — Cameroon, Safety and security: UK photocard licence usable up to 6 months; Cameroonian licence required beyond that
5. UK FCDO — Cameroon, Health: 'Call 112 and ask for an ambulance'
6. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, status: Cameroon absent from the participant list
7. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, status: Cameroon absent from the participant list
8. UK Government — IDP country table: Cameroon is not listed, i.e. no IDP type is designated for Cameroon
9. US State Department — Cameroon Country Information, not reachable on 29 July 2026 (no content served)
10. Arrêté n° 00406/A/MINT/DTT du 28 avril 2000 portant réglementation du permis de conduire et des auto-écoles, as published by the private Camerlex legal database (current force unconfirmed) — foreign licences valid for three months from arrival (art. 25(2)), conversion within three months (art. 45)
11. CEMAC Règlement n° 04/01-UEAC-089 du 3 août 2001 portant adoption du Code communautaire révisé de la route, as published by the Secrétariat général du Gouvernement of the Republic of Congo — ages (art. 4), recognition of CEMAC licences (art. 8), alcohol (art. 9 and 11), speed limits (art. 90), application in every member state (art. 176)
12. Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon — Loi n° 2016/007 du 12 juillet 2016 portant Code pénal: drunk or intoxicated driving (art. 228), drivers who kill or injure (art. 289 and 290)
13. Délégation générale à la Sûreté nationale (DGSN) — contacts: 117 or 17 for the police rapid-intervention teams
14. France Diplomatie — Cameroun, Contacts utiles (updated 15 September 2026): Police Secours 17, or 117 from a mobile; gendarmerie 13, or 113 from a mobile
15. UK FCDO — Cameroon, Getting help: ambulance 112, fire 119, police 117
16. Cameroon Tribune, 18 May 2020, Corps national de sapeurs-pompiers : premier secours — the fire brigade's emergency number, 118
17. Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Corps national de sapeurs-pompiers — contribution to an ITU workshop in Yaoundé, 30 May to 1 June 2007: the fire brigade's telephone numbers 18 and 118
18. Ministère des Transports (MINT) — authorized IDP issuer in Cameroon
19. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
20. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic