More than 1,000 non-customs-cleared phones and digital devices have already been blocked on Cameroonian networks since the measure took effect on September 1, 2026, according to a tally released in early September. The system, announced by Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze, identifies devices by their IMEI number, registered on the customs platform.
It wasn't the first attempt: an initial blocking effort planned for May 25 was frozen at the last minute by the telecoms regulator, after MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon warned that blocked customers could migrate to Camtel, the third operator, which couldn't apply the measure on the same timeline.
The measure covers undeclared devices connecting to a local network for the first time after April 1, 2026, those whose owners ignored warning messages sent since that date, and certain batches of devices activated in bulk on a single SIM card and not individually kept in use afterward. Users can check their phone's customs status on the Douane MPIE platform (mpie.camcis.cm) by dialing *#06# to get their 15-digit IMEI number.
The duty owed varies across eight device categories, from 1,670 FCFA for the most basic models up to 135,000 FCFA, and as high as 400,000 FCFA for high-end smartphones. Since April, 386,000 devices have been regularized through the mechanism, generating around 1.8 billion FCFA in customs revenue — compared to roughly 400 million FCFA over the same period the previous year, before IMEI-based control began.
