Mauritania
Mauritania is a land of desert and ocean. It is of course no wonder that the main attractions for most tourists are the desert in Adrar and Tagant areas, and the ocean in Banc d'Arguin. Wikivoyage
Cities
Cities with a full Wikivoyage guide, largest first.
Can I go? Entry and visas
From GOV.UK, for United Kingdom passports, updated 24 March 2026:
From 5 January 2025, it is no longer possible to obtain a visa on arrival in Mauritania. Before you travel, you must apply for an e-visa online via the website of the Mauritanian National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Titles (Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés), who can be contacted via email ( contact@anrpts.gov.mr ) if you face any technical difficulties with your application.
E-visa fees must be paid on arrival in Mauritania in exact cash in Euros or US dollars. Change and receipts are not given. You should also print a copy of the e-visa and be ready to provide a copy on arrival in country. For information on visa lengths and fees, read guidance on the Mauritanian government’s website (in French).
You should apply for an e-visa well in advance of your anticipated travel date to ensure that it is issued on time by the Mauritanian authorities.
The Mauritanian Embassy in London does not issue visas.
Passport validity
To enter Mauritania, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Your embassy in Mauritania
Finding embassies…
For a lost passport, an arrest or an emergency.
Mauritania's embassy in United Kingdom
Finding embassies…
For a visa before you go.
Entry rules change, sometimes overnight. Always confirm with the official source before you book or travel. This is a pointer, not legal advice.
Good to know
Emergency numbers in Mauritania
- Currency
- Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRU)
- Time
- UTC
- Tue 13:22 there now
- Plugs and power
- Type C · 220 V
- Driving
- On the right
- Calling code
- +222
- Languages
- Arabic
- Capital
- Nouakchott
From Wikidata, Unicode CLDR (currency, languages) and the IANA time zone database; checked 10 October 2026.