Here the subject is not the quay or the truck. It is the declaration in CAMCIS. If duties are already paid and the terminal refuses exit, go to blocked container at the Port of Douala (stage diagnosis) or pickup (physical exit). Confusing these three pages means sending off-topic documents and letting storage run.

Cameroon Customs control goods and revenue. An examination lane is not a fine: it is a request for evidence. In sessions of the Commission for approval of disputed files, false value declaration (FDV) and missing RVC (DRVC) rank among the most frequent offences — hence the value of treating value and formalities before the lane, not after. An importer who discovers the reason on the day of the exam has already lost the preparation days.

1. Read the CAMCIS status before calling everyone

Ask your licensed customs broker for these five answers, in writing:

  1. What is the status of the declaration?
  2. Lane (green / yellow / red)?
  3. Value challenged?
  4. HS classification challenged?
  5. Missing document or authorisation?

Without these five answers, you are treating a symptom. Chasing the PAD, the carrier and the haulier in parallel does not liquidate a declaration. CAMCIS is the Customs information system: the status is read there, not in a WhatsApp thread. « I was told it is blocked » is not a reason. The reason is written: value, HS code, origin, description, authorisatio

. A green lane does not exempt a consistent file. A yellow lane is not automatically « a document not supplied »: CAMCIS may request a value justification, more description or another check. A red lane often points towards a physical exam. In every case, extract the written reason, then answer that rea

son.2. CIF value: the most frequent hold re

son An invoice that is « too low » or an Incoterm poorly transcribed distorts CIF value. CAMCIS then liquidates duties and VAT on that base. Customs does not « invent » a price for the fun of it: it reconstitutes the elements of value (goods, freight, insurance) when the file does not carry them

learly. Operational evidence: a textile file whose FOB invoice omitted freight already paid by the buyer. Regularisation unlocked the lane; storage, however, had already started — hence the urgency of preparing the justification as soon as notification, not « after the

eekend ». What to have at hand: invoice, freight proof, insurance policy or receipt, aligned packing list. Without a file, the challenge drags on. With a complete file, it can be discussed. The calculation detail (exchange, lump-sum premium, AIR) is in the CIF value article: do not copy it here, it is anot

CIF value: the most frequent customs hold reason in CAMCIS

her angle.3. HS code: a vague descript

on = hold « Accessories », « miscellaneous parts », « electronics » often do not allow the 10 CAMCIS digits to be assigned. Consequences: a bad liquidation or a physical exam. A commercial description written for marketing is not a tariff description. Customs classifies the real product (material, function, packing), not the su

plier's slogan. Method: tariff classification and CEMAC nomenclature. If the classification is challenged, bring the technical sheet, photos of the unpacked product and, where applicable, a previous liquidation on the same reference. An HS discussion without a sample or a data sheet

goes in circles.4. DI, RVC, domiciliation and

regulated goods To stay aligned with the clearance guide: the DI is mandatory for an import with an FOB value greater than or equal to 2 million FCFA, before loading — subject to the texts, regimes and exceptions in force on the day o

the operation. The RVC (report on value and classification) is a distinct prior formality. Confirm the requirement with the licensed broker according to the ap

licable regime. Customs also recalls domiciliation with an approved intermediary when the FOB value reaches 5 million FCFA (CEMAC exchange regulations, finance law). This threshold is not

that of the DI. Sensitive products: pharmaceuticals, pesticides, plants, PECAE / ANOR. These requirements are handled before loading (7 controls before shipment). Once the vessel has sailed, the meter can run while the cert

DI, RVC and regulated goods: formalities to check according to the regime

ificate arrives.5. Regu

  1. arise, in order Extract the CAMCIS reason (not the impo
  2. ter's feeling). Complete the file or the value / H
  3. justification. Let it li
  4. uidate and pay. Only then

equence pickup. Reversing 3 and 4 means paying storage on a file that is already liquidable. Skipping 1 means sending off-topic documents. Many « Customs holds » last because step 1 was never done: the invoice is sent again and again, while CAMCIS is asking for the RVC, an authorisation or

technical sheet. The clearance guide places this regularisation in the GUCE timeline (pre-clearance, taking in charge, clearance, pickup). This page treats only

the CAMCIS reason.Frequently ask

ed questions (FAQ)Why does Cameroon C

stoms hold cargo? To check value, classification, origin, description or authorisation. It is not automatically a penalty. CAMCIS routes

according to risk.Is a commercial invoic

enough to clear? No. The whole file must be consistent: packing list, B/L, DI when the threshold applies (2 million FCFA FOB), domiciliation often from 5 million FCFA FOB, required value/classification formalities, BESC and authorisations dependi

ng on the product.What to do if the declared value is cha

lenged in CAMCIS? Evidence of price, freight and insurance, with the licensed broker.

Detail: CIF value.Is CAMCIS mand

tory in Cameroon? Yes. It is the Customs system. The file sta

us is read there. File held in customs? ALC Transit reads the CAMCIS status and prepar