VisaMauritania travellers need eVisa approval before making the border payment
Current government instructions separate the advance electronic application from biometric arrival formalities, nationality-based charges and the documents needed for departure.
Official source date: 2026-09-28
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Obtain the electronic approval before travelling
Mauritania’s visa procedure separates advance approval from the formalities completed on arrival. The foreign ministry directs applicants to ANRPTS, the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Titles, to complete the form and supply the required documents. After validation, the electronic visa is obtained using the application number and must accompany the traveller for boarding. This current guide explains the process already in place, rather than announcing a new November arrival-visa option.
The ANRPTS application resource displays successive stages for visa options, passport, traveller details and review, with thirty-, ninety- and 360-day package choices. Use that direct government application page to select the intended duration and enter the passport actually being used. A displayed duration is an application option, not a promise that every nationality and travel purpose qualifies. Retain the application number and use the available tracking route instead of submitting repeated applications because a decision is not immediate.
Payment on arrival does not remove the advance-application requirement
The UK entry page for British-citizen passports says that, from 5 January 2025, an unarranged visa on arrival is no longer available: applicants must first obtain the eVisa. It tells travellers to bring a printed copy and pay the arrival fee in exact euro or US-dollar cash; it warns that change and receipts are not provided. Use this guidance to prepare the payment and paper authorisation before departure, rather than arriving with only a bank card.
The same British resource requires six months’ passport validity after arrival and says the London embassy does not issue visas. Technical difficulties are directed to ANRPTS through the contact address it publishes. Apply well ahead of travel because the reviewed page gives no guaranteed individual completion time. An illustrative traveller awaiting approval the evening before a flight should resolve that outstanding approval before treating the cash payment as the only remaining formality.
Match the fee and any exemption to the actual passport
The Mauritanian foreign ministry’s visa page publishes different duration-based charges for the Arab world and Africa and for the rest of the world. Its thirty-day row lists €40 or US$45 for the former group and €55 or US$60 for the latter; ninety days is €70 or US$75 versus €95 or US$100. Use that official table to confirm the category and accepted amount, rather than relying on a single price quoted for another nationality.
The ministry also lists reciprocal visa-suppression agreements, some expressly restricted to diplomatic or service passports. The existence of an agreement with a country should therefore not be extended automatically to its ordinary-passport holders. Establish any exemption through the relevant authority before skipping the application. The ministry describes biometric capture at the entry point as the final arrival stage. Neither a payment amount nor a listed diplomatic agreement proves that a traveller has already completed immigration admission.
Keep the approval and entry stamp for departure
France Diplomatie’s Mauritania entry page, updated on 28 September 2026, says the advance electronic authorisation must also be presented at departure with the entry stamp. It distinguishes international crossings from bilateral points reserved for Mauritanians and nationals of the adjoining country. Use that route-specific resource before choosing a land crossing. An approval for travel does not make every local border point available to every foreign passport holder.
The French guidance also says valid residence-card holders may travel without a visa provided the absence from Mauritania does not exceed six months. It describes regularisation after an overstay rather than an ordinary exit tax, so a delayed departure should be resolved before reaching the border. The UK safety resource separately warns that crossing can be slow, that photo-ID copies are useful at checkpoints and that taking Mauritanian ouguiyas abroad is prohibited. Prepare the departure documents and currency position before the journey, and check the actual crossing’s operating conditions.
