Step-by-step procedure · 2 min read

Cameroonian nationality certificate: who issues it, what it proves

One section of the 1968 Nationality Code deals with the certificate: who may issue it, and what it is worth. Not what to bring, what it costs, or how long it takes.

By Talla Naoussi Arnold, translator — Master II in translation, ASTI, Buea · Updated 25 September 2026

What the Code says

Only magistrates of the civil courts sitting at sub-divisional headquarters may issue a certificate of Cameroonian nationality, to anyone who shows they hold that nationality. The certificate states the legal provision that makes you Cameroonian and the documents used to establish it, and it stands until proven otherwise (section 42). Disputes over nationality go to the ordinary civil courts (section 41).

From abroad, and translation

The Consulate General of Cameroon in Marseille takes applications and publishes its list: a handwritten request to the consul, the original birth certificate, copies of an identity document and of proof of address, and fifteen euros in revenue stamps. That list is Marseille’s own; ask your consulate for its version.

The certificate rests on your birth certificate — see birth certificates in Cameroon. I do not issue certificates or deal with the court. I translate one when the receiving office cannot read its language; see official documents.

Official sources

Consulted on 11 September 2026. Official instructions change: when they differ from this page, they prevail.

Law No. 1968-LF-3 of 11 June 1968 on the Cameroonian Nationality Code (official text, Refworld – UNHCR copy, in French) — sections 41 to 43
Consulate General of Cameroon in Marseille — documents for a nationality certificate (in French) — that consulate’s own list