Unlike countries such as the United Kingdom, Nigeria and Gabon, securing a work permit for a worker of foreign nationality in Cameroon is not such a cumbersome process, especially when your company has a retainer agreement with a local consultancy that understands the Cameroon business and labour landscape.
However, the fact that the process is not cumbersome does not mean it is straightforward. The government keeps adding elements to the application process every passing year, as part of its strategy to protect low to mid-level jobs for the locals and to encourage knowledge transfer.
At the same time, the government understands that workers of foreign nationality are relevant to businesses, organisations and the nation. It is with this understanding that the government has greatly simplified the legal process of creating a business or an NGO in Cameroon including by foreigners. To manage and run these businesses, employers and heads of enterprises need competent and trustworthy people. Such persons can come from any nationality but if they must work in Cameroon, they need government authorization. SPETIV Consulting is experienced in providing support to businesses and charities not only with registering their organisations in Cameroon but also with securing Cameroon work permit for their expatriate workers.
The Law and The Process
The issuance of work permits to workers of foreign nationality is governed by Cameroon Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992.
Section 27 of the above law states that “Every contract of employment of specified duration exceeding three months or requiring the worker to live away from his usual place of residence, shall be written. A copy of the contract shall be forwarded to the Labour Inspector of the area.” This clause is relevant to all categories of employment.
However, the law specifically indicates that “A contract of employment concerning a worker of foreign nationality must be endorsed by the Minister in charge of Labour previously to commencement thereof,” and that, “The application of endorsement shall be made by the employer. Where such endorsement is refused, the contract shall be null and void.”
Recognizing that bureaucratic bottlenecks can delay the processing of a work permit application, the law places a cap on the waiting period by insisting that “Where the Minister in charge of Labour fails to announce a decision within the two months immediately following reception of the application for endorsement, the contract shall be deemed to have been endorsed.” However, the law also permits the Minister to cancel or nullify any contract of employment concerning a worker of foreign nationality at any time.
What Represents Work Permit in Cameroon?
Cameroon work permit is simply the endorsement by the Cameroon Minister of Employment and Vocational Training of a contract of employment between a worker of foreign nationality and a company operating in Cameroon. The work permit application is deemed to have been rejected if/when the Minister of Employment refuses to countersign the contract of employment between a foreign national and a company operating in Cameroon.
Work Permit as An Instrument For Regulating Foreign Labour Flow
It should be noted that the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training is responsible for the development and implementation of Government policy on employment, vocational training and integration.
In this capacity, this ministry designs strategies and tools to combat unemployment and underemployment, carrying out manpower planning, develop skills and ensure their monitory and evaluation.
In this context, the Government stated in 2023 that one of its objectives for that year was to create at least 3,000,000 (three million) jobs in various fields of activity.
The approval of contracts of employment for workers of foreign nationality, which is the instrument for regulating foreign labour flows in the national territory and for promoting the employment of nationals is used to achieve this objective.
Work Permit Application
Article 27, paragraph 2 of the Labour Code provides that: “the contract of employment concerning a worker of foreign nationality must, before the beginning of its performance, be approved by the Minister of employment.”
Decree No. 93/575 of 15 July 1993 laying down the conditions for drawing up and approving certain contracts of employment, in its Article 5, paragraph 2, provides that the employer must attach to the application file for approval of the contracts of employment of workers of foreign nationality, all documents likely to establish the worker’s professional competence with regards to the job requested and to justify the occupation of the position by a foreign national.
Although this regulatory position lists the documents to be produced, the Minister of Employment indicated in Circular Letter No. 000000001/CL/MINEFOP/DRMO/SDIA of 13 March 2020 regarding the preparation of the application file for the approval of the contract of employment for workers of foreign nationality, that some application files submitted by company managers do not contain all the information necessary for a sound analysis of the files by the Ministry, let alone all the information which makes it possible to assess the effects made by companies in terms of the gradual promotion of jobs and skills for Cameroonians.
“Such a situation does not give room for proper regulation of foreign labour flows and mitigates the results expected by the Government in its strategy to build competitive national human capital for the needs of the national economy,” the letter stated.
Composition of Work Permit Application Files
In order to assess these files judiciously, while ensuring promotion of the employment of nationals, through the development of national skills and their integration into positions of high technical expertise, the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training instructed that from 13 March 2020, Company Managers must attach to each application file for approval of the contract of employment concerning a worker of foreign nationality, in addition to the usual documents, an explanatory statement of the manpower situation in their respective companies, highlighting the following aspects:
- Total manpower by nationality and by category (managers, supervisors, workers and labourers);
- Positions held by workers of foreign nationality, with their profiles as well as their seniority in the company;
- Recruitment carried out or planned during the current year:
- Organisational structure of the establishment updated each year;
- Technology and skills transfer mechanism put in place within the company;
- List of skills in which local applicants are deficient in their field of activity;
- Plan for promotion of Cameroonian jobs within the company.
Meanwhile, in June 2022, the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training reintegrated an important element to the work permit application process. Through Circular Letter No. 00000035/LC/MINEFOP/DRMO of 27 June 2022 related to the modalities to obtain a work permit for workers of foreign nationality, the Minister indicated that he has noticed that employers submit work permit application files without including a “Cameroonisation” plan for the position that a worker of foreign nationality will occupy, or a knowledge transfer plan from the foreigner to a local staff member.
Other than for strategic and top Management positions, the Minister insists in Circular Letter No. 00000035/LC/MINEFOP/DRMO of 27 June 2022 that his office is not supposed to approve contracts of employment between organisations operating in Cameroon and workers of foreign nationality unless it is proven that there are no competent Cameroonians for the position applied for, or when the employer who plans to hire a worker of foreign nationality proves that he has also hired a Cameroonian who assists the worker of foreign nationality, for the purpose of technology and skills transfer.
Consequently, the Minister instructed all employers to include in each work permit application file, in addition to other documents, the name and resume of a Cameroonian who will be assisting the worker of foreign nationality for whom the work permit is being requested. The approval of a work permit application is therefore dependent on the promise from employers that workers of foreign nationality will transfer competences to local workers during the validity period of the requested work permit.
Furthermore, the Finance Law of the Republic of Cameroon for the year 2023 established a fee for all employment contracts concerning workers of foreign nationality submitted to the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training for approval. This was a completely new disposition, explained further by the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training in his Circular Letter No. 000001/LC/MINEFOP/SG/DRMO of 6 January 2023, regarding the modalities of application of Article 22 of the 2023 Cameroon Finance Law related to the institution of fees for the approval of contracts of employment of workers of foreign nationality. The document details how the fees are to be calculated including when and where they must be paid and what the funds are meant for. Interestingly, even though work permit application fees apply to all workers of foreign nationality, the government instituted heavy discounts to workers from African countries.
Government Follow-up
Following the promulgation by the President of the Republic of Cameroon of the 2025 Cameroon Finance Law, which finetuned the modalities for the payment of work permit application fees, and to ensure that employers fully understand and adhere to labour regulations regarding the employment of workers of foreign nationality, the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Mr. ISSA TCHIROMA BAKARY personally facilitated a workshop on this subject in Cameroon’s economic capital of Douala on the 5-6 February 2025. As a technical adviser to companies and organisations in Cameroon that make use of expatriate labour, SPETIV Consulting was invited to this important workshop. Our participation not only enriched the workshop proceedings but equally prepared us to better support our client institutions.
Available Help
If you need assistance with the application of a Cameroon work permit, SPETIV Consulting is available to help you. We provide end-to-end technical support, from drafting the local employment contract, compiling all supporting documents, paying the application fees, submitting complete application files at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational training, and following up the files until they are approved.
We also support organisations with travel arrangements for their expatriate workforce, including helping with visa applications, processing resident permits for workers of foreign nationality, booking affordable accommodation and securing cost effective air tickets. Our consultancy can help your business with airport meet & greet of expatriate employees, conduct a tailored onboarding that will facilitate the integration of your expatriate workers and their family members in your company and the country.
