Obtain recent proof of land ownership
Agency: Ministry of Urban Development
A recent proof of land ownership or property certificate can now be obtained from the Ministry of Urban Planning Development (Ministere du Developpement Urbain). This was previously obtained from the Land Registrar (Service des domaines). Although the official fee is XAF 6,000.00, applicants often must pay an informal fee to obtain the property certificate.
Time and cost: 15 days, XAF 6,000
Obtain a fire clearance certificate from the Fire Department
Agency: Fire Department
Since July 2014, it is a requirement to obtain a security instructions clearance issued by the Fire Brigade for buildings that are more than 400 sq. m, which would apply to the Doing Business case study warehouse.
Time and cost: 7 days, XAF 300,000
Obtain a certificate of urban planning (certificat d’urbanisme)
Agency: Communauté Urbaine
The Planning Certificate shows whether this is a building land, provides information on the density of permitted construction, and notifies of the existence of easements. It also provides information on whether utilities are available on this land or planned in the future (water, electricity) and finally it provides information on the rules for construction.
Time and cost: 10 days, XAF 16,200
Obtain the approval of the overall plan and the site plan by the Cadastre
Agency: Cadastre
The overall plan and the site plan must both be approved by the Registry before the request for a building permit can be submitted.
Time and cost: 10 days, XAF 100,000
Obtain geo-technical assessment
Agency: Certified companies, such as LABOGENIE, GEOFOR, APAVE
A geo-technical study is required by law (Article 3 of Loi n° 99/017 du 22 décembre 1999 régissant le contrôle de qualité des sols, des matériaux de construction et des études géotechniques). The services of a professional certified company are requested. Upon completing a soil analysis, the company will produce and sign a report, a copy of which will be included in the building permit application. The permit fee is negotiable.
Time and cost: 7 days, XAF 1,200,000
Hire an authorized supervision agency
Agency: Private Firm
For buildings with a surface area of more than 400 sq. m., contractors must hire a private company “Bureau d’Etude” to supervise the construction phase. According to Decree Nº 201/1005 PM/ of May 21, 2014, the Communauté Urbaine de Doula now requires that a contract with a Bureau d’Etude be submitted when requesting a building permit.
Time and cost: 1 day, XAF 3,119,316
Receive on-site inspection by the Douala Urban Council
Agency: Douala Urban Council
This inspection takes place before the building permit approval.
Time and cost: 1 day, XAF 15,000
Obtain building permit
Agency: Guichet Unique
To obtain a building permit, BuildCo can now submit the application to the one stop shop. The application consists of four copies of each of the following documents:
- Application (stamped, with forms provided by the Douala Urban Council). The fiscal stamp and two communal stamps (timbre fiscal et deux timbre communaux) are required.
- Certificates of ownership
- Certificates of urban planning (Certificat d’urbanisme)
- Block and location plans (plan de situation et plan de masse)
- Site, foundation, roofing, view or elevation, and septic tank plans
- Descriptive estimates
All plans must be signed by an architect accredited by the National Order of Architects (l’Ordre National des Architectes du Cameroun, ONAC).
The company hires a structural engineer, accredited by the National Order of Structural Engineers, to develop a structural design that then serves as the execution plan. Because the engineer signs this document, it is not modifiable without his express consent.
Time and cost: 21 days, XAF 416,909
Receive inspection to verify the location (implantation)
Agency: Service Technique
The Technical Committee must then inspect the site and issue a report (Proces Verbal).
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Apply for the certificate of conformity
Agency: City Hall of Douala
Under the Decree Nº2013/0042/PM of January 2013, the owner of the newly constructed warehouse must apply for a certificate of confirmity with the City Hall (La Mairie de Douala).
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Receive joint inspection from the Commite Consultatif
Agency: Comité Consultatif
Once the application for the certificate of conformity has been submitted, the Comité Consultatif must then inspect the site and issue a report (Proces Verbal).
Time and cost: 15 days, no charge
Obtain certificate of conformity
Agency: Comité Consultatif
Once the final inspection is completed, a report is made by the Advisory Committee and the certificate of conformity will be signed by the Mayor, once the record is transmitted.
Time and cost: 21 days, no charge
Request water connection
Agency: Camerounaise des Eaux
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Receive inspection by customer service for a cost estimate
Agency: Camerounaise des Eaux
Two days after the application has been received and process, customer service will visit the site to do a cost estimate. The client will be informed of the cost estimate and must pay the entire amount.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Obtain water connection after payment
Agency: Camerounaise des Eaux
Installation of the meter is done in 15 business days. If there are more than 50 meters of pipe, then there will be an extension of the network and this will take longer and cost more. The official fee is published in every agency and it is FCFA100 000 for a regular installation, of 50 meters. In the case of an extension of the network, such the Doing Business case study, then the cost can go up to FCFA 400,000
Time and cost: 50 days, XAF 400,000
Build a septic tank
Agency: Private Firm
The sewerage connection requires the installation of a septic tank.
Time and cost: 14 daysm, XAF 1,750,000
