Preparation and arriving

Papers

Passport

To get a visa, your passport has to be valid for at least another 6 months, if you want to make a residency, 15 months. 

 

Visa

You get a visa easily at the border (Nouadhibou or Rosso) or at the airport (Nouakchott). At your first visit, there is only 1-month-single-entry-visa available, after that you can ask for (1-month-)multi-entry-visa. If you stay longer than a month, you can add more months (at the same price each) in Nouakchott, but the procedure is tiring and the staff sometimes insulting. 

 

Residency can be gotten if you have a working contract of at least 1 year, validated by the working ministry. The residency has to be renewed every year at the same conditions. You need: your validated working contract, a medical certificate, a local police report, an electricity bill, a confirmation of the mairie that you live here, ...

 

Costs

55 Euros per person for 1 month single entry, 45 Euros for people from African or Arab countries. Only Euros accepted

 

The residency costs 90 Euros per year. 

 

Fiches

Don't forget to bring 5-10 copies of your passport per travelling day. The page with your personal information is enough, no need of visa copies. 


Customs

Car

If you travel by car, make sure it is not older than 8 years. Otherwise you need a document from your travel insurance that you promise to bring the car back to your home country and don't sell it during your trip. If you don't have this paper, they have the legal authority to keep the car at the border (as in many Westafrican countries now). 

 

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drugs are completely forbidden in Mauritania.  To find drugs they use dogs, so if you hide it, hide it well...


Security Situation

 

At the moment, Mauritania is very secure to travel, and it looks even better for the future. The red zone has been reduced a few months ago, since years nothing has happened anymore. The probability that you don't meet any extremist is higher in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania than in France or the US. 

 

On the roads there are police control points on every entry and exit of the villages to ensure you didn't go missing somewhere. That's where you need your passport copies, otherwise you will loose a lot of time there. 

 

They introduced a new airplane line directly to Atar at a few months ago. Every week (Sunday) their is a plane landing in the Adrar now. 

 

The very north (North of Zouerate) and the East are still considered red zone, a lot of places are closed for tourists to be used by the military only. A few weeks ago, they opened a border to Algeria that can be used by anybody, but the roads are bad. The east is considered too dangerous to travel except for Nema in the south. More north it is said to exist some extremists bases hidden in the desert. 

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Health

Malaria

Most people say, there is no malaria in Mauritania. Others say, there is malaria in Mauritania. Fact is, there are people in Mauritania who have malaria. If they got it while travelling in the south as most people say or if there is also a risk of getting contaminated in Nouakchott or the north is difficult to know. If you want to be on the secure side, bring your prophylaxes, because once you got it, you'll have it for life. But don't forget that malaria prophylaxes can have a strong influence on your psyche and that you can get bad depressions from it...


Impressions