CEMAC passport ranking (2026): Cameroon on top, with fewer visa-free countries than Gabon
Central Africa's best passport has fewer visa-free countries than Gabon's… and still wins. The 6 CEMAC passports ranked with Travora's visa directories.
Central Africa's best passport opens fewer visa-free countries than Gabon's… and yet it wins. Welcome to the CEMAC Passport Cup, after the ECOWAS one.
The rules of the game
- 6 passports: Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, Chad and Congo. Between them, no visa: free movement within CEMAC came into force in 2017, with a biometric passport, for stays of up to 3 months.
- One point for each country you can enter without going through an embassy: visa-free, visa on arrival or e-visa, it all counts.
- In a tie, the passport with the most visa-free countries goes ahead.
- The scores come from Travora's visa directories, checked on 4 October 2026.
The full ranking
| Rank | Passport | Visa-free | On arrival | E-visa | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameroon | 23 | 16 | 61 | 100 |
| 2 | Gabon | 29 | 14 | 54 | 97 |
| 3 | Equatorial Guinea | 24 | 15 | 58 | 97 |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 23 | 13 | 60 | 96 |
| 5 | Chad | 27 | 13 | 55 | 95 |
| 6 | Congo | 23 | 12 | 59 | 94 |
Key takeaways
Cameroon wins without the most visa-free countries
With only 23 visa-free countries, Cameroon is level with the weakest in the group on that criterion. Its weapon: 16 countries with visa on arrival, the CEMAC record, and 61 e-visas. The result: 100 points, champion.
Gabon, king of visa-free travel
Gabon has the most visa-free countries in CEMAC: 29. Tied on 97 points with Equatorial Guinea, that criterion puts it ahead, in second place.
A very tight group
Only 6 points separate first place (Cameroon, 100) from last (Congo, 94). The podium: Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea.
Why these numbers differ from the big rankings
International rankings such as the Henley Passport Index don't count e-visas. For an African traveller, they change everything: you apply for an e-visa online, with no appointment. Travora counts them, which is why Cameroon, with lots of e-visas, comes out ahead of its neighbours.
Check your passport
On Travora, choose your departure country: the visa guide shows the countries that are visa-free, visa on arrival and e-visa, with a page for each destination. For example, the Cameroon guide.
The Cameroonian passport country by country: 90 countries without going through an embassy.
Information checked on 19 October 2026 against the official sources below. Visa rules change often: confirm again before you book.
Watch the video
“Passeports de la CEMAC (2026) : le Cameroun champion avec moins de pays sans visa que le Gabon” (in French): 1:04 to remember the essentials. Follow us so you don't miss the next destination.
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Sources
- Travora: visa directories by departure country (scores checked on 4 Oct. 2026)
- Wikipedia: CEMAC (6 member states)
- CEMAC becomes a visa-free zone (Polity / AFP, Nov. 2017)
- Equatorial Guinea lifts the visa for CEMAC (Business in Cameroon, Oct. 2017)
- Wikipedia: visa policy of Cameroon
- Travelling in CEMAC: expulsions in Equatorial Guinea (Gabonreview, Oct. 2026)
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