Can foreigners buy and own land in Yaoundé? (2026)

Buying property in Yaoundé as a foreigner is possible, but the type of land right you can obtain depends heavily on whether the plot already has a registered title.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about foreign land ownership rules, eligibility requirements, costs, and common scams in Yaoundé as of early 2026.

We constantly update this blog post to reflect the latest regulations and market conditions in Cameroon.

And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé.

Fact-checked and reviewed by our local expert

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Cedella Besong 🇨🇲

Co-Founder & CEO, CFB Holding

As Co-Founder & CEO of CFB Holding, Cedella Besong is focused on making a real difference in Yaoundé’s development. With a global perspective and a passion for innovation, she leads projects that enhance urban living, education, and business growth. Cedella’s approach is all about creating opportunities—helping Yaoundé’s residents and businesses thrive by ensuring that investments translate into meaningful, long-term improvements for the city.

Who is the author of this content?

THE AFRICANVESTOR

A team specialized in real estate investing in African countries

We are a team of financial experts, legal professionals, developers, and local real estate specialists dedicated to helping people like you avoid mistakes when investing in real estate in a foreign place, particularly in Yaoundé. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can check our presentation page.

Can a foreigner legally own land in Yaoundé right now?

Can foreigners own land in Yaoundé in 2026?

As of early 2026, foreigners can legally acquire property rights in Yaoundé, but the type of ownership available depends on whether the land already has a registered titre foncier (official land title) or falls within the national domain category where long-term leases are the standard path.

There is no outright ban on foreigners owning property in Yaoundé, but the 1980 amendment to Cameroon's land law (Law 80-21) steers foreign individuals toward lease-type arrangements rather than simple freehold ownership when dealing with national domain land.

If direct freehold ownership is not available for a specific plot, the closest legal alternative for foreigners in Yaoundé is a long-term emphyteutic-style lease, commonly structured for up to 99 years, which provides exclusive use and building rights during the lease period.

Cameroon's foreign ownership rules apply equally to all foreign nationalities without country-specific restrictions, so the distinction is simply between Cameroonian citizens and non-citizens rather than between different foreign passport holders.

Can I own a house but not the land in Yaoundé in 2026?

As of early 2026, Yaoundé's legal framework does allow foreigners to effectively control a building on land they do not own outright, typically through a long-term lease or concession arrangement where the structure belongs to the leaseholder during the lease term.

When a foreigner holds a building on leased land in Yaoundé, their documentation consists of the lease agreement and any associated registration, rather than a full titre foncier for the land itself.

When the underlying land lease expires in Yaoundé, the building ownership situation depends entirely on the specific lease terms, so foreigners should assume their rights are not automatically renewable and may require renegotiation or government approval to extend.

We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Cameroon. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.

Do rules differ by region or city for land ownership in Yaoundé right now?

The core land ownership laws in Cameroon are national, meaning the same legal texts (Ordonnance 74-1 and Law 80-21) apply whether you are buying in Yaoundé, Douala, or any other city.

However, the practical experience of buying land varies significantly by locality, with Yaoundé having better-documented administrative processes than many rural or less-developed areas where informal transactions and customary land claims are more common.

These regional differences exist because local land record quality, enforcement consistency, and the prevalence of informal sales vary widely across Cameroon, making Yaoundé's official eRegulations process a significant advantage for foreign buyers seeking transparency.

We cover a lot of different regions and cities in our pack about the property market in Yaoundé.

Can I buy land in Yaoundé through marriage to a local in 2026?

As of early 2026, marriage to a Cameroonian citizen does not automatically grant a foreigner the legal right to own land in Yaoundé as if they were a citizen, meaning the same land law restrictions still apply.

If a foreign spouse wants legal protection when property is purchased through a Cameroonian partner, they should ensure proper documentation of their financial contribution, consider a formal marriage contract, and understand that nominee arrangements can backfire in disputes.

In the event of divorce, a foreign spouse's interest in land registered solely in the Cameroonian partner's name may be difficult to recover, especially if there is no written agreement documenting the foreigner's contribution or ownership stake.

There is a lot of mistakes you can make, we cover 99% of them in our list of risks and pitfalls people face when buying property in Yaoundé.

We have made this infographic to give you a quick and clear snapshot of the property market in Cameroon. It highlights key facts like rental prices, yields, and property costs both in city centers and outside, so you can easily compare opportunities. We’ve done some research and also included useful insights about the country’s economy, like GDP, population, and interest rates, to help you understand the bigger picture.

What eligibility and status do I need to buy land in Yaoundé?

Do I need residency to buy land in Yaoundé in 2026?

As of early 2026, there is no formal residency requirement for foreigners to purchase land in Yaoundé, meaning the main gatekeepers are proper documentation and following the correct administrative procedure rather than having a specific visa or residence permit.

You do not need a particular type of visa to complete a land transaction in Yaoundé, but you will need valid identification documents and the ability to appear before a notary (either in person or through a properly drafted power of attorney).

It is legally possible to buy land in Yaoundé remotely using a power of attorney, but this significantly increases your exposure to fraud, so remote buyers should independently verify the titre foncier, confirm the seller's identity, and control payments through notary milestones.

Do I need a local tax number to buy lands in Yaoundé?

Yes, foreigners purchasing land in Yaoundé are expected to obtain a Cameroon tax identification number (NIU) before completing the transaction, as this is required for property-related tax filings and registration.

The good news is that Cameroon's tax authority (DGI) now offers an online process for obtaining a NIU, which can typically be completed within a few days to a few weeks depending on document verification.

While not strictly a legal requirement for ownership, opening a local bank account in Cameroon is highly practical for paying taxes and fees cleanly, documenting fund transfers, and reducing reliance on cash (which is a major fraud risk in Yaoundé property deals).

Is there a minimum investment to buy land in Yaoundé as of 2026?

As of early 2026, there is no universal minimum purchase price that foreigners must meet to buy residential land in a private-to-private transaction in Yaoundé.

However, Cameroon does set official minimum values (known as the "mercuriale") for certain land transactions, particularly those involving state-private-domain land, and taxes may be assessed on this administrative minimum rather than your negotiated price if the declared value seems too low.

Are there restricted zones foreigners can't buy in Yaoundé?

Foreigners in Yaoundé may encounter restricted zones where land purchase requires special approvals or is effectively off-limits, though the exact scope depends on the land category and its strategic classification.

Types of zones that are typically restricted or require additional approvals for foreign buyers in Cameroon include border areas, military zones, and certain protected or strategic lands managed directly by the state.

To verify whether a specific plot in Yaoundé falls within a restricted zone, a foreign buyer should work with a notary or the local land administration office (Délégation des domaines et des affaires foncières) who can check the land's classification in official records.

Can foreigners buy agricultural, coastal or border land in Yaoundé right now?

Foreigners seeking to purchase agricultural, coastal, or border land in Cameroon should treat these as "approval zones" requiring special permissions rather than straightforward purchases, even when a sale is theoretically possible.

Agricultural land in Cameroon often falls within the national domain category, which means foreigners typically cannot obtain outright freehold ownership and must pursue lease or concession arrangements that require government approval.

Coastal land restrictions apply primarily because these areas may be classified as public domain or subject to environmental and strategic protections, making foreign acquisition more complex and approval-dependent.

Land near Cameroon's national borders is particularly sensitive from a security standpoint, so foreign buyers should expect heightened scrutiny and potential refusals when attempting to purchase in these areas.

What are the safest legal structures to control land in Yaoundé?

Is a long-term lease equivalent to ownership in Yaoundé right now?

A long-term lease in Yaoundé can feel economically similar to ownership because it provides exclusive use, building rights, and sometimes a transferable interest, but legally it is not the same as freehold because your right eventually expires.

The maximum lease length commonly available to foreigners in Yaoundé is up to 99 years, though renewal is not automatic and should be assumed to be discretionary or conditional unless your specific lease contract states otherwise.

Foreigners can sometimes sell, transfer, or bequeath their lease rights in Yaoundé, but this typically requires approval and proper documentation, so treat it as a regulated transfer rather than a simple sale like you would with freehold property.

Can I buy land in Yaoundé via a local company?

Foreigners can purchase land in Yaoundé through a locally registered Cameroonian company, but this is not a magic bypass of ownership restrictions because the land administration and tax authorities still examine who ultimately controls the company and whether the underlying land right is legitimate.

There is no specific ownership percentage requirement that automatically allows a foreign-owned company to hold land in Yaoundé, but the core rule remains the same: the transaction must be compliant and the land must have a clean titre foncier or proper lease documentation.

What "grey-area" ownership setups get foreigners in trouble in Yaoundé?

Grey-area ownership arrangements are common in Yaoundé because the gap between what informal markets sell (documents that do not actually change the land register) and what the law recognizes (properly registered rights) creates opportunities for risky shortcuts.

The most common grey-area structures foreigners use in Yaoundé include buying "customary land" with papers from chiefs or families that lack official registration, nominee arrangements where a spouse or friend holds title "for" the foreigner, and paying the full price before notary signature and registration milestones.

If Cameroonian authorities discover a foreigner using an illegal or grey-area ownership structure, the consequences can include loss of the property, inability to enforce ownership claims in court, and potential legal penalties, especially if the arrangement is viewed as deliberate circumvention.

By the way, you can avoid most of these bad surprises if you go through our pack covering the property buying process in Yaoundé.

We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Cameroon versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.

How does the land purchase process work in Yaoundé, step-by-step?

What are the exact steps to buy land in Yaoundé right now?

The step-by-step process for a foreigner buying a private plot with an existing titre foncier in Yaoundé involves: starting the mutation (title update) or morcellement (subdivision) technical file, obtaining cadastral and state-of-cession documents, getting urban planning certificates, signing the sale deed before a notary, and then collecting the updated title after the notary handles registration and taxes.

The entire land purchase process in Yaoundé typically takes between 8 and 20 weeks from initial offer to final title registration, depending on whether the plot needs subdivision and how quickly all required documents are produced.

The key document a buyer must sign during the process is the notarial deed of sale (acte de vente), along with supporting documents in the technical file including cadastral certificates and urban planning documentation.

What scams are common when it comes to buying land in Yaoundé right now?

What scams target foreign land buyers in Yaoundé right now?

Scams targeting foreign land buyers are unfortunately common in Yaoundé, with the frequency driven by the gap between informal land documents (which are easy to fake) and official registered titles (which are harder to verify without proper due diligence).

The most common scams in Yaoundé include "family land" sales where one family member sells and others later claim it was unauthorized, double-sale scams where the same plot is sold to multiple buyers with slightly different paperwork, and fake or forged title documents with altered numbers.

The top warning signs of a fraudulent land deal in Yaoundé are: pressure to pay cash before notary signature, reluctance to let you verify documents at the land office, and prices that seem too good to be true.

Foreigners who fall victim to land scams in Yaoundé have limited legal recourse because enforcing claims on unregistered or fraudulently documented land is extremely difficult, making prevention through proper due diligence far more effective than trying to recover losses afterward.

We cover all these things in length in our pack about the property market in Yaoundé.

How do I verify the seller is legit in Yaoundé right now?

The best method for verifying a land seller in Yaoundé is to ensure that the seller's identity matches the name on the official land title records (not just a photocopy), and to insist that the entire transaction runs through a licensed notary who confirms the seller's legal capacity to sell.

To confirm that a land title is clean and free of disputes in Yaoundé, you should only buy land with a verifiable titre foncier and follow the official mutation process, asking the notary or land office to check the records for any registered oppositions or claims.

Checking for existing liens, mortgages, or debts on land in Yaoundé requires requesting an encumbrance search through the notary or the land office, as any legitimate charges should appear in the official land register.

The most essential professional for verifying seller legitimacy in Yaoundé is a notary, because the notary is legally required to verify identities, check title status, and handle the official registration process.

How do I confirm land boundaries in Yaoundé right now?

The standard procedure for confirming land boundaries before purchase in Yaoundé is to use the cadastre and technical file that are required parts of the official mutation or morcellement workflow.

The official documents you should review to verify boundaries in Yaoundé include the cadastral plan, the technical file from the surveyor, and any existing boundary markers recorded in the land registry.

Hiring a licensed surveyor (géomètre) is strongly recommended for boundary verification in Yaoundé, as the technical file produced by a surveyor is actually required for the official mutation process rather than being optional.

Common boundary problems foreign buyers encounter after purchasing land in Yaoundé include discovering that fences or neighbor claims do not match official records, finding that the actual plot size is smaller than represented, and disputes with neighbors who claim parts of the land based on customary use.

What will it cost me, all-in, to buy and hold land in Yaoundé?

What purchase taxes and fees apply in Yaoundé as of 2026?

As of early 2026, the total purchase taxes and fees for a residential land transaction in Yaoundé typically add up to approximately 13% to 15% of the purchase price, making it essential to budget well beyond just the land cost.

The typical closing cost percentage range for land purchases in Yaoundé falls between 13% and 15%, though this can vary slightly depending on the property value and whether subdivision is required.

The main individual costs that make up total closing costs in Yaoundé include: registration duties at 10% of the purchase price (the largest single cost), land register inscription fees at 2%, notary emoluments on a sliding scale (around 0.5% to 0.75% for mid-range properties), plus smaller fixed costs for stamps, forms, and cadastral certificates.

These taxes and fees generally apply equally to foreign and local buyers in Yaoundé, though foreigners may face additional administrative complexity if their documentation is not in order.

What hidden fees surprise foreigners in Yaoundé most often?

Hidden or unexpected fees in Yaoundé typically add 1% to 3% beyond the standard closing cost estimate, and these surprises often catch foreign buyers who only budgeted for the obvious taxes and notary charges.

The top hidden fees that foreigners overlook in Yaoundé include: taxes assessed on the official minimum value (mercuriale) rather than your negotiated price, extra notary handling charges for document pickup and follow-ups, and additional technical file costs if the plot needs subdivision or has unclear boundaries.

These hidden fees typically appear at different stages: the mercuriale surprise hits when registration duties are calculated, notary add-ons appear at the signing stage, and technical surprises emerge during the initial cadastral and surveying work.

Foreign buyers can protect themselves from unexpected fees in Yaoundé by getting a detailed cost breakdown from their notary upfront, asking whether the declared price might trigger a mercuriale adjustment, and budgeting an extra 2% to 3% contingency above the standard closing cost estimate.

We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Cameroon compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.

What sources have we used to write this blog article?

Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Yaoundé, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can … and we don't throw out numbers at random.

We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.

Source	Why It's Authoritative	How We Used It
Cameroon Land Tenure Ordinance (Ordonnance 74-1) via FAOLEX	Official legal text hosted by a UN agency (FAO).	We used it as the backbone for how land is classified (private, national domain, state domain). We cross-checked its concepts against Yaoundé procedure guidance.
UNEP LEAP Portal Entry for Ordonnance 74-1	Official UN platform cataloguing national legislation.	We used it to confirm the ordinance is the correct core text. We treated it as a sanity check against the full FAOLEX PDF.
MINDCAF Ministry Land Procedure Guidance	Published by the ministry that administers land tenure.	We used it to interpret how the law applies in real life for foreigners. We explained "what you can actually do" in plain language.
Decree on Land Certificates (Décret 76-165)	Direct scan of the presidential decree defining titre foncier.	We used it to explain what a land title is and why it's the gold standard. We cross-checked practical steps with the Yaoundé portal.
Yaoundé eRegulations Portal	Government-facing portal documenting official procedures.	We used it to map the real step-by-step process in Yaoundé. We named the exact offices a buyer will visit locally.
Cameroon General Tax Code (CGI 2024)	Official tax code published by the tax authority (DGI).	We used it for the legal tax rates affecting property transfers. We cross-referenced it with the Yaoundé portal for payment procedures.
DGI Guidance on NIU Registration	Official tax authority process note for obtaining a tax ID.	We used it to explain how foreigners can get the tax ID needed for transactions. We confirmed the online process is available.
Prime Minister's Decree on Minimum Land Prices (2014/3211/PM)	Official decree hosted on the Prime Minister's website.	We used it to explain the mercuriale concept affecting declared prices. We flagged how this can surprise foreign buyers at tax time.
Notary Fee Tariff (Décret 95/038)	Official fee schedule used by notaries in practice.	We used it to estimate notary costs using actual bracket schedules. We avoided vague percentage claims by using the real tariff.
Yaoundé Land Office Contact Page	Official addresses and hours for land administration offices.	We used it to provide concrete "where to go" details in Yaoundé. We reduced guesswork and scam exposure with verified locations.