Cameroon Imposes New Customs Duty on Imported Mobile Devices for Both Commercial and Individual Users

Cameroon has rolled out a new customs control system targeting mobile phones, tablets, and other digital devices, to increase annual revenue collection to CFA25 billion, a major jump from the roughly CFA1.3 billion currently generated.

Launched on March 16 by the Customs Administration under the Ministry of Finance, the reform requires all importers, commercial or individual, to declare and pay customs duties directly on imported digital devices.

New Customs Rules for Importers

Under the updated framework:

• Professional importers must register every device’s IMEI number in the national customs database through the Camcis platform.
• Occasional importers, including travellers, can complete a simplified declaration at airports and land borders.
• A new mobile application will allow users to clear devices remotely and pay duties via Mobile Money or Orange Money.

Network Access Now Depends on Customs Compliance

Only devices that have been properly cleared through customs will be allowed to connect to licensed telecom networks in Cameroon. Phones that are not registered in the customs database will be automatically blocked from accessing mobile services.

To protect consumers, authorities have introduced free SMS and online verification tools that allow buyers to check a device’s customs status by entering its IMEI number before purchase.

Tax Amnesty for Existing Devices

Phones and digital devices already in use before the system’s rollout will not be penalised. Any device that has previously connected to a Cameroonian network, even once, will be exempt from the new customs requirements.

Tourists and roaming users are also excluded from the duty payment process during their stay in the country.

A Second Attempt After the 2020 Setback

Officials emphasise that the reform does not introduce new taxes but changes how duties are collected. The declared customs value of devices has been reduced and further discounted by 50%, in line with the 2023 Finance Law.

This initiative follows a failed attempt in 2020, when the government tried to collect customs duties through mobile operators by deducting charges directly from users’ airtime. That approach faced widespread resistance from telecom companies and the public due to privacy concerns, technical challenges, and fears of forced disconnections. The government eventually suspended the plan.

Fighting Smuggling and Recovering Lost Revenue

Cameroon imports an estimated 4 million phones each year. However, customs data shows that rising smuggling has drastically reduced revenue, with monthly collections falling below CFA100 million, compared to around CFA2 billion per month in the early 2000s.

The new system aims to close these loopholes, improve transparency, and restore revenue lost to illegal imports.