According law N° 99/001 OF 7 April 1999 relating to the exercise and organization of the profession of optician, licensing is subject to the production of a file containing the following documents
– a stamped application addressed to the guardianship authority;
– a certified copy of the birth certificate;
– an extract of the bulletin n03 of the judicial record;
– a certified copy of the diploma;
– a certificate of presentation of the original diploma;
– a certificate of registration on the roll of the National Order of Opticians of Cameroon;
– a certificate proving one year’s effective practice with a public administration or a private body within the national territory or abroad.
Apart from cases of reciprocity, opticians of foreign nationality must also produce an employment contract or an act of recruitment in a health training centre or, where applicable, a contract of association with a Cameroonian colleague who meets the conditions for setting up a private practice.
The file is submitted to the Council of the Order, in triplicate, against a receipt. The Council of the Order has a period of fifteen (15) days to forward it to the Minister of Public Health, together with its reasoned opinion.
The Minister of Public Health has a period of thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of the application to give his opinion. After this period, his silence shall constitute authorization to practice.
The authorization to practice is personal and non-transferable. It indicates the location where the applicant is to practice his art.
Licensing must be in accordance with the health map.
The optician authorized to practice has a period of twelve (12) months following the decision or the entry into force of the decision when it is implicit, to open his practice to the public. After this period, unless an extension is granted by the Council of the Order, the authorization lapses.
The optician shall fit out his practice in accordance with the regulations in force. As soon as the fitting-out work is completed, he shall inform the Minister in charge of Public Health through the Council of the Order by any means that leaves a written trace.
The Minister in charge of Public Health has, upon notification of the completion of the works, a period of thirty (30) days to visit the optician’s practice before it opens to the public. After this period, the optician may open his practice to the public.