Cameroon

• The Constitution of 1996, the highest law
• Statutes, codes and the OHADA uniform acts for business law
• Civil-law codes in the French-speaking regions and the English common law in the English-speaking regions
• Customary law, in family and land matters, where it is not contrary to public order

• The Supreme Court at the top, with a Court of Cassation, a Council of State and an audit bench
• Courts of appeal and High Courts, with courts of first instance in the French-speaking regions and magistrates' courts in the English-speaking ones
• Customary courts for local disputes

A law degree, a professional training period, and registration with the Cameroon Bar Association.

• Two legal systems, civil law and common law, operate in one country.
• Both English and French are official languages in the courts.
• The status of the English-speaking regions' legal system is a subject of political debate, so check current developments.

France, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Cameroon as: Civil law, Common law, Customary. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Botswana, Cyprus, Guyana, Israel, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Northern Cyprus, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka.

• NYU GlobaLex: Cameroon legal system

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.