Police Clearance Certificate in Cameroon: How It Links to Bulletin No. 3

What is a police clearance certificate from Cameroon?

It is the document a foreign authority uses to check your criminal background in Cameroon. For Canada, IRCC names one issuer only: the Judicial Police in Yaoundé. Other countries set their own list, so read the one for your application.

Before you can get it, Cameroonian authorities ask for your bulletin no. 3. This is the extract of your criminal record handed to you personally. According to the Ministry of Justice, it is the only one of the three bulletins delivered to the person concerned, and it lists only custodial sentences not wiped out by amnesty or rehabilitation. Bulletins no. 1 and no. 2 go only to judicial and administrative authorities.

The Ministry states that the procedure sits in sections 573 to 583 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It lists common uses of the bulletin no. 3: setting up a company, competitive entrance exams, nationality applications and certain public duties.

From bulletin no. 3 to a translated certificate: the steps

The sequence follows the Ministry of Justice page and IRCC’s Cameroon page. Translation only comes at the end, if the receiving body asks for another language.

1. 1

   Check exactly what is required

   Read your document list: police clearance certificate, bulletin no. 3, or either. Note how recent it must be and which language the body accepts.

2. 2

   Find the right office for the bulletin no. 3

   Usually the registry of the Court of First Instance where you were born. The Ministry of Justice in Yaoundé for the cases listed below.

3. 3

   Submit a written application

   Bring a written request and a photocopy of your birth certificate or national ID card. The Ministry page mentions two FCFA 1,000 fiscal stamps, so FCFA 2,000, a figure published in July 2022: confirm it at the registry.

4. 4

   Collect the bulletin

   The registry checks for recorded convictions. The bulletin is signed by the Registrar-in-Chief and the State Counsel. The Ministry page gives a usual turnaround of 24 hours.

5. 5

   Apply for the police clearance certificate

   With the bulletin no. 3, apply to the Directorate of the Judicial Police (PJ Elig-Essono) in Yaoundé, as IRCC describes.

6. 6

   Have it translated just before you submit

   If the receiving body wants another language, send us a photo of the certificate or bulletin. The sworn translator translates it in full, stamps included. You receive a PDF within 48 hours between French and English.

Where to apply, depending on your situation

Every person’s criminal record is kept in two places: at the registry of the Court of First Instance of their place of birth, and in the central record at the Ministry of Justice. So the office depends on where you were born:

• Born in Cameroon: the Court of First Instance of your place of birth, according to both the Ministry and IRCC.
• Born abroad, a foreign national whose birth was not registered in Cameroon, or place of birth unknown: the Ministry of Justice in Yaoundé, which holds the central record.
• Born in the North West or South West: the Ministry says you may also get your bulletin no. 3 at the Ministry in Yaoundé. IRCC refers to the English-speaking zone and adds people born in the Adamawa, North and Far North regions.
• Foreign nationals living in Cameroon: same process, plus a photocopy of the passport, a valid residence permit and proof of address, according to the Ministry.
• Cameroonians living abroad: IRCC says to send your original birth certificate and a power of attorney to someone in Cameroon, who applies for you. Foreign nationals who no longer live in Cameroon go through their embassy.

Online: in 2022 the Ministry wrote that going digital was under study. Its current portal lists an “Obtenir un casier judiciaire” procedure, but the page showed no content when we read it. We found no official page describing an online application.

Validity: the Ministry page mentions three months, while noting that the law sets no time limit. In practice, the body receiving your file decides how recent the document must be.

Bulletin no. 3 or police certificate: what Canada accepts

This is where most Canadian files go wrong. IRCC’s Cameroon page reads: “We only accept a Police clearance certificate issued by the Judicial Police in Yaoundé.” It adds that the bulletin no. 3 is not one.

So for permanent residence and other IRCC applications that require a police certificate, you need both documents, in order: the bulletin from the court or the Ministry, then the certificate from PJ Elig-Essono. IRCC also notes that fingerprints taken for a police certificate are separate from the biometrics collected for an IRCC application.

IRCC’s page gives no fee or processing time for the certificate. For more detail, it refers you to the Ministry of Justice of Cameroon.

Documents to translate for this procedure

The bulletin and the certificate are usually issued in French or English. They only need translating if the receiving body wants another language.

• Criminal recordThe bulletin no. 3 or the police clearance certificate, for a visa, a job or residence abroad.
• Birth certificateOften asked for in the same file, and useful to check that names match.
• Passport and ID cardPassport or ID card, when the body wants a translated copy of your identity document.
• Translating from abroadYou live outside Cameroon: everything is done remotely, photo and PDF over WhatsApp.

Translation: 10,000 FCFA per page, fixed price. Urgent 24 hours (French ⇄ English): 20,000 FCFA per page. Work out the total for my file

Mistakes that cost time

• Sending IRCC a bulletin no. 3 instead of the Judicial Police certificate.
• Going to the court where you live rather than the court of your place of birth.
• Getting the bulletin too early: the receiving body may reject it if it is too old when you submit.
• Translating before checking the language rule: a certificate in French needs no translation for a body that accepts French.
• Names spelt differently on the bulletin, the birth certificate and the passport. Tell us in your first message.
• Translating only the main text: stamps, signatures and notes must be rendered too.

What CamerTrad does, and what it does not

Our translations are done by a sworn translator of the Centre Court of Appeal. We translate your bulletin no. 3 or police clearance certificate in full, with the translator’s seal. Price: 10,000 FCFA per page, 48 hours between French and English, or 24 hours urgent at 20,000 FCFA per page. You get a PDF on WhatsApp or by email; paper copies are collected by appointment in Yaoundé, at carrefour Tam-Tam, or sent by parcel to other towns.

We do not apply for the bulletin or the certificate for you, we submit nothing to a court, the Ministry or the Judicial Police, and we give no legal advice. The receiving body sets its own requirements; we cannot promise it will accept a translation.

Frequently asked questions