The Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, clarifies in a note the effective start date for the deactivation of smuggled terminals on the national network as well as the measures for verifying the status of connected devices and the payment of applicable fees.
This is the final stretch before the disconnection of phones activated in violation of customs requirements. The Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, invites owners holding these phones and who have received notification messages as well as those who have not received any notification to comply with the rule. Otherwise, their phones will be deactivated starting September 1, 2026. They still have seven days left.
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The phones concerned by the upcoming deactivation are those not cleared through customs that will connect to the local telecommunications network for the first time; phones not cleared through customs that connected after April 1, 2026, received information messages but remained inactive; phones not cleared through customs that, activated in bulk by the same SIM after April 1, 2026, have not been continuously used.
Holders of these devices can check their status (compliant or non-compliant) by verifying through the indicated channels. This involves noting the phone’s IMEI by dialing *#06#; checking the status via the platform www.mpie.camcis.cm or by contacting the general customs directorate at 8044. Individuals or organizations can pay customs duties via the channel http://ept.camcis.cm/ept/longin?reason=dclrTrmn.
The Minister of Finance recalls that the reform requiring the new customs tax payment procedure for imported phones is contained in Article 6 of the Finance Law for the 2023 fiscal year. As the implementation of this provision is in its final phase, it will involve denying access to local telecommunications networks to devices activated by circumventing tax payments.
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In a communication dated April 26, 2027, nearly a month after the set start date for these payments, the Ministry of Finance reported that 700,000 new phones were connected for the first time to the local network between April 1 and April 25, 2026, without paying customs duties. The ministry, opting for awareness before enforcement, then allowed time for owners or sellers to comply with the rule.
Soon after, the Director General of Customs instructed the directors of MTN and Orange to block non-cleared phones starting May 25, 2026. With the new blocking date set for September 1, it remains to be seen whether the operation will ultimately be completed.
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