Gabon Visa in Cameroon
Hi all,
Please be aware that as of 1st Feb 2013 the Gabon embassy in Yaounde has moved over to a new biometric visa system.
We have speculated about whether other embassies have also got the new system, but we don't know either way.
The new system poses issues for the average overlander, primarily because they must have a letter of invitation/certificat d'hebergement, notarized by a mayors office in Gabon (this makes the usual Photoshop solution almost impossible).
Without this, it is a simple case of 'computer says NO'.
We met with the Ambassador himself about the issue, unlike the rest of the staff there (they're a mix of nasty, arrogant and useless) he is a very reasonable and professional guy, unfortunately his hands are tied. He simply doesn't have the power to use his discretion any more (He said himself, if we'd been a few days earlier, he would just have stamped our visas and got on with something else....simple!).
He does see the issue and is trying to find a work-around (for us the best he could come up with was trying to get his daughter to write our invites!!!), but for the time being it would be best not to leave Yaounde as your last resort for Gabon visas.
Happy travels
Sam & Catherine
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