The National assembly has deliberated and adopted,
The President of the Republic hereby enacts the law set out below:
(1) A national identity card whose characteristics shall be determined by
regulations is hereby instituted.
(2) Possession of a national identity card shall be compulsory throughout the country for all
citizens aged eighteen or more,
(1) Unless proved otherwise, the identity of a person shall be established by a
national identity card. It must be presented upon request. It may not be transferred or loaned.
(2) In the event of loss, the nearest service having competence must be notified within 15
days.
The issue of national identity cards shall be subject to the payment of a stamp duty,
the amount of which shall be fixed by the finance law.
(1) Whoever forges or alters a national identity card or makes use of, transfers or
acquires such document, whether free of charge or not, shall be punished with imprisonment
for from one year to three years or with fine of from 50,000 francs to 200,000 francs, or with
both such imprisonment and fine.
(2) The penalties provided for under Section 4 (1) shall be doubled if the forger or his
accomplice is a civil servant or a State employee.
Whoever assumes
- a false civil statue in a national identity card or in an application therefore or
- makes use of a national identity card issued under any civil status other than his own
or - whoever makes use of a national identity card which is not his, or
- any keepers of common boarding houses or their agents who, whether for payment or
not, knowingly accept guests who do not possess a national identity card or passport or - whoever does not possess a national identity card shall be punished with imprisonment
for from three months to one year or with fine of from 50,000 to 100,000 francs or with both
such imprisonment and fine.
The conditions for implementing this law shall be determined by regulations
All previous provisions repugnant hereto, in particular Law No. 64-LF-22 of 13
November 1964 and Section 206 of the Penal Code concerning the national identity card, are
hereby repealed.
This law shall be registered, published according to the procedure of urgency and
inserted in the Official Gazette in English and French
Yaoundé, 19 December 1990.
Paul Biya
President of the Republic