Cameroon’s Directorate General of Customs has signed a three-year partnership agreement with Lagardère Travel Retail Cameroon to regulate and facilitate the operation of duty-free shops and bonded warehouses at the country’s airports.
Signed on Friday 6 March 2026, the agreement runs for three years and is renewable.
Under the agreement, Lagardère will handle customs clearance for goods destined for its duty-free boutiques and warehouses in Douala and Yaoundé-Nsimalen, and must maintain a digital register of all stock movements, available to customs authorities on demand.
The company further commits to comply with Cameroon’s customs and tax regulations, including the Customs Revenue Security Programme and foreign exchange rules. It must also allow unannounced inspections by customs officials on imported goods benefiting from duty and tax suspension, as well as products displayed in airport boutiques, including those located in public areas.
The company is also required to establish a general guaranteed submission covering operations in duty-free shops and bonded warehouses. A revolving bank or mutual guarantee must also be provided within the CAMCIS customs system to cover warehouse declarations. The company will assume joint responsibility in cases where buyers exceed duty-free allowances and must report any damage to goods to customs authorities in accordance with applicable regulations.
The agreement also includes provisions encouraging the promotion of locally manufactured products within duty-free shops operating in Cameroon’s airports.
Customs obligations
For its part, the Directorate General of Customs has pledged to facilitate procedures and support the company’s operations. Customs authorities will allow the use of an aggregated inventory accounting system covering stocks held in the bonded warehouses in Douala and Yaounde-Nsimalen, as well as goods stocked in duty-free boutiques and the Relay shop located in the public check-in area.
The administration will also authorise the transfer of goods between entry points such as ports, airports and railway stations, as well as bonded warehouses and airport boutiques, under the responsibility of Lagardère Travel Retail Cameroon. Shops located in the arrival zones of Douala and Yaoundé-Nsimalen airports will be authorised to operate either as duty-free outlets or as tax-inclusive sales points depending on the traveller’s status.
Customs will also permit duty-free sales in both arrival and departure areas and allow Lagardère Travel Retail Cameroon to establish a general guarantee within the CAMCIS system covering duty-free shop activities. The agreement also allows the company to use certain products destined for sale as testers, particularly perfumes when suppliers do not provide samples, provided these are declared as tax-inclusive sales within regulatory limits.
Customs authorities also retain the power to take precautionary measures in the event of a confirmed violation, including the temporary closure of the shop concerned pending the outcome of investigations.
According to officials, the protocol applies to all activities carried out by Lagardère Travel Retail Cameroon in bonded airport boutiques across the country. It aligns with provisions of the CEMAC Customs Code, regulations governing external trade and duty-free operations, concession agreements with airport managers and the Ministerial Instruction of 27 October 2025 defining the procedures for opening and operating bonded airport shops.
The agreement, Customs revealed, also seeks to facilitate trade, reduce costs and delays for goods in transit, secure customs and fiscal revenues, improve regulatory compliance and strengthen information exchange between both institutions. This, authorities say, is in a bid to support commercial activity in airport zones and reinforce the attractiveness and competitiveness of Cameroon’s international airport platforms for travellers and economic operators.
Mercy Fosoh
