Since March 16, 2026, Cameroonian customs has implemented a new system to improve the collection of duties on mobile phones, tablets, and other digital devices. The main goal is to increase state revenue by at least 25 billion FCFA per year, compared to the 1.3 billion FCFA collected annually until now.
This new system places the responsibility for customs clearance on importers, whether they are professional traders or occasional travelers. Professional importers must now register the IMEI numbers of all imported phones in the customs database via the Camcis system. For occasional importers, a simplified declaration is available at customs offices at airports and land borders. A mobile application will also allow remote clearance and tax payments via Mobile Money or Orange Money.
Only customs-cleared phones will have access to the networks of approved operators in Cameroon. Devices not registered in the customs database will be blocked. A free service via SMS and online will allow checking the customs status of a phone before purchase by entering its IMEI number.
A tax amnesty is planned for phones already in use in Cameroon before March 16, 2026, that have connected to a local network at least once. Tourists and users in roaming are exempt from paying customs duties, with their phones placed under a tax suspension regime.
This reform follows the failure of a similar initiative in 2020, which aimed to combat smuggling by collecting customs duties on users' communication credit. Faced with criticism from operators and the public, the government suspended this measure. Customs estimates that nearly 4 million phones are imported into Cameroon each year. Smuggling has caused monthly revenues to fall from 2 billion FCFA in the 2000s to less than 100 million FCFA currently. The Director General of Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, emphasized that this reform aims to modernize customs administration, clean up the mobile device market and combat fraud. He also stated that no new tax has been created, but that the values of phones have been halved with a 50% reduction.
