Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Cameroon: 9 legal requirements + 7 other things worth knowing.
Required
Recommended
Good to know
Tick before you go
9 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP required alongside UK/EU licence
Cameroon recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit; carry it together with your national licence and passport at all times.
Carnet de Passage for own vehicle
Bringing your own car requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/proof of ownership; without it customs will refuse entry or demand a large temporary-import bond.
Local third-party insurance (CEMAC carte rose)
Green Card is not valid; buy CEMAC third-party motor insurance (carte rose) at the border or in town, roughly 25,000-50,000 XAF (EUR 38-75) for short cover.
Warning triangle and spare wheel
A warning triangle, functioning spare wheel, jack and wheel-brace are required; gendarmerie checkpoints frequently inspect for these.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. UK right-hand-drive cars are legal but heavily disadvantaged on rural roads.
Speed limits 110 / 90 / 60 km/h
Limits are typically 110 km/h on the Douala-Yaounde expressway, 90 km/h on rural roads and 60 km/h (often 50) in built-up areas; speed bumps are common and unmarked.
BAC limit 0.8 g/L
The blood alcohol limit is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK 0.8 and EU 0.5, but enforcement is unpredictable and zero alcohol is the safe choice.
Cash toll booths (peages) on main highways
Fixed toll gates on routes such as Yaounde-Douala and Yaounde-Bafoussam charge around 500 XAF (EUR 0.75) per car per booth, payable in cash XAF only.
Declare cash over 1,000,000 XAF at border
CEMAC rules require declaring cash equivalent to 1,000,000 XAF (around EUR 1,525) or more on entry/exit; undeclared currency can be confiscated.
FCDO advises against all travel to the Far North, North-West and South-West regions and parts of Adamawa/North/East due to terrorism, kidnapping and armed clashes; driving in these areas is not realistic.
Cameroon recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit; carry it together with your national licence and passport at all times.
Bringing your own car requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/proof of ownership; without it customs will refuse entry or demand a large temporary-import bond.
Green Card is not valid; buy CEMAC third-party motor insurance (carte rose) at the border or in town, roughly 25,000-50,000 XAF (EUR 38-75) for short cover.
Police 117, gendarmerie 113, fire 118, ambulance 119; response outside Yaounde and Douala is very limited, so carry recovery contacts for your insurer.
A warning triangle, functioning spare wheel, jack and wheel-brace are required; gendarmerie checkpoints frequently inspect for these.
Not strictly mandated for private cars but strongly recommended and routinely expected at checkpoints; jerry can of fuel useful outside main cities.
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. UK right-hand-drive cars are legal but heavily disadvantaged on rural roads.
Limits are typically 110 km/h on the Douala-Yaounde expressway, 90 km/h on rural roads and 60 km/h (often 50) in built-up areas; speed bumps are common and unmarked.
The blood alcohol limit is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK 0.8 and EU 0.5, but enforcement is unpredictable and zero alcohol is the safe choice.
Unlit roads, stray livestock, broken-down trucks and armed banditry make night driving dangerous; FCDO and RAC advise completing all journeys before dusk.
Fixed toll gates on routes such as Yaounde-Douala and Yaounde-Bafoussam charge around 500 XAF (EUR 0.75) per car per booth, payable in cash XAF only.
Cameroon uses ticket-style cash tolls rather than a windscreen vignette or e-toll; foreign cars pay the same per-booth rate as locals.
Heavy rains wash out unpaved roads, especially in the West, Adamawa and East; a 4x4 is effectively required off the main tarmac routes during these months.
Central African CFA franc (XAF) is pegged at 655.957 to the EUR; petrol is roughly 840 XAF/L (EUR 1.28) and diesel 828 XAF/L (EUR 1.26), cash only at most stations.
CEMAC rules require declaring cash equivalent to 1,000,000 XAF (around EUR 1,525) or more on entry/exit; undeclared currency can be confiscated.
We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Cameroon.
Start planning →Places to add to your Cameroon road trip.
Don't get caught out
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. UK right-hand-drive cars are legal but heavily disadvantaged on rural roads.
Limits are typically 110 km/h on the Douala-Yaounde expressway, 90 km/h on rural roads and 60 km/h (often 50) in built-up areas; speed bumps are common and unmarked.
The blood alcohol limit is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK 0.8 and EU 0.5, but enforcement is unpredictable and zero alcohol is the safe choice.