Mauritania visa guide: eVisa and residence

Mauritania's visas and residence documents are handled by the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Documents (ANRPTS). Foreigners wishing to visit can apply for an electronic entry visa on the agency's website; the request is passed to the competent authorities and, once approved, the visitor prints the eVisa and travels with it. The technical part of the process is completed by the authorities at the border crossing on arrival.

Visas stuck into passports have been discontinued and replaced by electronic visas. Holders of passports valid for less than six months may not obtain an entry visa without prior authorisation from the competent authorities. Only diplomatic and service passports and passports issued by the United Nations to its staff can obtain free or courtesy visas.

Under reciprocal agreements, nationals of Mali, The Gambia, Niger, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Tunisia, Libya, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Chad and Burkina Faso are exempt from visas. Foreigners living in Mauritania obtain a residence card for work, study, marriage to a Mauritanian or family ties, through ANRPTS residents' reception centres.

The ANRPTS eVisa form offers 30-day, 90-day and 360-day packages, all issued electronically and valid for entry through every international port of entry. Applications can be tracked online, and a WhatsApp help centre answers questions. The legal basis for residence cards is Decree No. 031/2012 of 25 January 2012, which amended the 1964 immigration decree, together with a 2024 residence card decree listed among the agency’s regulatory texts.