Biometric visa application portal to go operational April 30.

The announcement was made public by the Minister of External Relations, MINREX, H.E Mbella Mbella. This was through a release the member of government issued last April 6. 

Mbella Mbella, in the release, said the new system is expected to go operation April 30, 2023. He said the reform is on the instructions of Head of State, Paul Biya. 

The launch of e-Visa, Mbella Mbella noted, is the first step taken by government which “aims at the digital transformation of Cameroon's diplomatic apparatus”. 

“…as from 30 April 2023, all applications for entry visas to Cameroon shall be completed exclusively online, by accessing www.evisacam.cm,” partly read the release of Mbella Mbella. 

Mbella Mbella, through release, invited “any applicant to kindly login to the dedicated website in order to be issued an electronic visa by following the four steps. 

As detailed in the release, applicants would have to do online pre-enrolment “by creating a user account in the platform, filing out the online form and validating it, after which a notification of confirmation shall be sent to the applicant by SMS or email”. 

Applicants would then engage in the second step by doing “online payment of requisite fees, choosing from among a furry of payment options (Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, Mobile Money, Orange Money, Moov, Wave, Safarńicom, Aitel, Vodacom, Aficel)” and receive a notification of proof of payment by email or SMS.

Touching on processing of the application, the note added that processing “shall be done by the competent Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post or the closest one, geographically”.

Mbella Mbella, in the note, specified that for “applicants in areas far-flung from Diplomatic Missions or those not covered by a Mission, an online visa issuance authorisation, together with QR Code, shall round off this phase”.

It added that those “residing in cities with a competent Diplomatic Mission, a notification shall be sent to them via email or SMS, scheduling an appointment to proceed with the biometric enrolment”.

The note added that “either procedure shall be completed within 72 hours from the date of pre-enrolment” with possibilities of the deadline to 24 hours in the case of express visa applications. 

On affixing of the visa sticker, the note clarified that “it is done either at the entry Border Post for holders of the online visa issuance authorisation, or at the competent Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post for applicants having completed their biometric enrolment at the said Mission or Consular Post”. 

Mbella Mbella, in the release, noted that the “e-visa system shall, gradually but steadily, be installed at the various land and maritime border posts sooner than later”. 

The minister said the e-visa system is part of an “effort to turn Cameroon into a more attractive destination, while at the same time addressing some of the concerns of Cameroon's Diaspora and aligning our consular system with the highest international standard”.

Road to e-visa system 

President Paul Biya, had last March 2, 2023, laid the groundwork to put in place a system for the issuance of biometric visas and other identification documents for foreigners in the country through a decree.

Through Decree No. 2023/147 of 02 March 2023, Paul Biya, laid down the conditions for the implementation of Law No. 97/012 of 10 January 1997, which defines conditions for the entry, stay and exit of foreign nationals in the country. 

The law specified that biometric visa shall be a highly secured document, in the form of a self-adhesive insert, to be affixed to the passport of the holder whose request for the visa has been approved following due process of application.

The reform is compliant with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO.

Biya had indicated through the decree that the application for all types of visas to Cameroon shall be done exclusively online via a website dedicated for that purpose, and those whose visa application is granted shall be issued an electronic authorisation with a QR code.

The said decree also introduced biometric residence permits, residence cards and refugee cards, noting that the said documents shall be highly secure digital, biometric and personalised documents with an electronic chip containing the owners’ digitised photograph.