Standardising Consular Services : E-Visa Platform Underway

Cameroon now officially has an electronic visa platform. External Relations Minister, Mbella Mbella in a press statement in Yaounde on April 25, 2023 explained practical steps to be followed to obtain entry visas into the country within 72 hours after the submission of an application. In attendance were members of government and the diplomatic corps. The innovation is an output of a partnership agreement signed between Cameroon and IMPACT PALMARES R&D on April 1, 2022 for the financing, designing and ensuring the security and standardisation of consular services for a period of ten years, renewable. According to the Minister, everything being equal, as from May 1, 2023, applicants may obtain an entry visa into Cameroon less than three days after an application via the portal, www.evisacam. cm. Four major steps are expected to be respected for the online issuance procedure. Minister Mbella Mbella explained that the user has to first of all carry out an online pre-registration by creating an account. The account is validated by the platform and a confirmation message sent to the user. The user then proceeds to the online payment of visa fees which can be done through several options provided for by the system. The third stage is the processing of the application and this is done by the closest diplomatic or consular posts. For applicants in areas far from diplomatic missions or those not covered by a diplomatic mission, an online visa issuance authorisation together with a QR closes the stage. For those residing in any city with a competent diplomatic mission, a notification is generated automatically to schedule an appointment to complete the biometric registration process. Either procedure shall be completed within 72 hours and deadline shall be 24 hours for express application. The fourth and last stage is the affixing of the visa sticker which can be done rather at the border post or at the competent diplomatic or consular post. ...