What to do if someone dies in Cameroon

Cameroon is one of the more complex African repatriations. There are no direct UK flights, the court-authorised release procedure takes time, and the country’s dual-language administration means procedures differ depending on which region the death occurred in.

Step 1: Notify the British High Commission Yaoundé

Address: Avenue Winston Churchill, BP 547, Yaoundé. Phone: +237 222 220 545. FCDO 24-hour emergency: +44 1908 516666.

Cameroon is a Commonwealth member. The British High Commission Yaoundé is the consular authority.

Step 2: Centre d’Etat Civil — death registration

Deaths are registered at the local Centre d’Etat Civil (civil registrar). In Yaoundé and Douala (Francophone regions), documentation is in French. In the North West and South West regions (Anglophone), English documentation is standard. Certified translations are required for all UK-bound documents, regardless of the language of issue.

Step 3: Judicial Police and Tribunal de Grande Instance (unnatural deaths)

For unnatural deaths, the Brigade de Recherches (Judicial Police) investigates under supervision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance (court of first instance). The Tribunal must formally order any post-mortem and authorise release of the body. This court-based authorisation is the primary cause of timeline extension in Cameroon; allow 14 to 21 days for this process in typical cases.

Post-mortems are conducted at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Yaoundé or in Douala for cases in the Littoral region.

Step 4: Anglophone region considerations

If the death occurred in the North West or South West regions of Cameroon, be aware of two additional factors. First, the FCDO advises against all travel to these regions due to the ongoing security situation since 2017; deaths there may involve access constraints affecting how quickly the body can be transferred to Yaoundé for formal procedures. Second, these regions use English in official documentation, though the Tribunal process remains the same.

Contact the British High Commission immediately if the death occurred in an Anglophone region. They will advise on current conditions.

Step 5: Ministere de la Sante Publique export permit

The Ministry of Public Health issues the export permit. Required documents: Centre d’Etat Civil death certificate, Tribunal release authorisation, CHU post-mortem report (if conducted), embalming certificate, freedom from contagious disease clearance, certified French-to-English translations of all French-language documents. Allow five to eight working days for the permit.

Step 6: Routing via Paris or Addis Ababa

Cameroon has no direct UK flights. From Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport (NSI) or Douala International Airport (DLA), the primary cargo routing options are Air France via Paris CDG to Heathrow or London City, or Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa to Heathrow. Both options add at least one transit day. Source: FCDO guidance on death in Cameroon; FCDO travel advice for Cameroon (2023); British High Commission Yaoundé consular guidance (2023).