Can a British Driver Use Their Licence in Cameroon? — IDP Recommended, Switch to the Right

Cameroon rewards drivers who plan around its realities rather than its rulebook. A British licence is valid here with the right permit, but the things that shape an actual journey are conditions, checkpoints and timing — not the speed limit on the sign.

The licence verdict

A British driver can use their licence in Cameroon provided they carry an International Driving Permit with it and their passport. Keep all three documents within reach: police checkpoints are frequent, and being able to produce your IDP, licence and passport calmly keeps these stops short and routine. Sort the IDP at home before you travel — you cannot get one locally.

You switch to the right — and choose your timing carefully

The UK drives on the left; Cameroon drives on the right. The side switch lands on top of busy, assertive urban traffic in Douala and Yaoundé and very mixed road quality elsewhere. Main inter-city routes can be good tarmac in stretches and broken or unsealed in others, and in the rainy season surfaces deteriorate fast. The strongest single habit you can adopt is to avoid driving after dark — unlit vehicles, pedestrians and livestock on the carriageway make night driving the highest-risk choice you can make here.

Speeds, alcohol and equipment

Where limits are posted, expect about 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads and 100 km/h on the better highways, but treat these as ceilings the road will often not let you reach. The drink-drive limit is recorded at 0.08; with enforcement variable, zero alcohol before driving is the sensible rule. Vehicles are generally expected to carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher — check your hire car has them. Fuel runs around EUR 1.15/litre, and the emergency number is 112.

For the documentation side, the Driving Permit Checker confirms the IDP requirement, and our Cameroon driving guide covers the wider detail before you set out.