Foreign workers in Mauritania need separate work and residence documents

Check the work permit before employment begins

Foreign workers preparing to take a job in Mauritania should distinguish a work permit from the documents needed for residence. This current procedural guide explains existing requirements, rather than announcing a new immigration policy. The employment ministry's published Decree 2022-022 requires prior work permission for the specified employment; the employer must hand the permit to the worker before the work begins.

The decree's category A permit covers a particular job with a particular employer for a maximum of one year, renewable once. Categories B and C have different qualifying conditions and scope; a worker should not assume that another employer's permission can be used for a new position. Renewal applications must be submitted at least one month before the permit expires. Use the decree to check the category and record that renewal date when accepting the assignment.

Use the official digital workflow for the employment application

The employment ministry's August 2024 notice directs companies to the Rokhsa service for digitised, secure work permits. It describes simplified filing and the monitoring of plans to develop Mauritanian employment. The notice identifies the official service; it is not a personal approval or evidence that a particular job is available to a foreign applicant.

The platform's published user manual explains separate company and individual account options. The company profile includes its commercial-register number, social-security identifier and contact details. The application records the worker's identity, nationality, position, contract duration and passport details. Information must match the supporting documents, with identity copied accurately from the passport.

The manual illustrates uploads including professional references, a passport copy, CV, identity document and photograph, while warning that the required list depends on the category. Uploading documents and saving the record are distinct from final submission. Once submitted, the information is no longer editable under the documented workflow. Review names, dates and files before sending; the administration may request additional evidence.

Prepare the residence-card file for the correct category

The government procedures portal publishes a separate residence-card checklist. For private-sector workers, it describes an employment certificate accompanied by a work permit signed by the labour director, or a contract certified by the labour administration. It calls for a travel document valid for more than six months. A contract signed only between the parties should not be assumed to meet an administrative-certification requirement.

The checklist distinguishes employees from company owners and associates. Owners provide commercial-registration evidence; associates have additional company documents and evidence of continuing tax payments. Public-sector staff, diplomatic staff, students and members of approved organisations have separate evidential categories. These distinctions matter when an applicant has more than one role: use the category matching the actual basis for residence and ask the receiving authority to resolve any ambiguity.

The checklist remains an official published resource but is not a newly issued November announcement. Confirm any supplementary requirements when arranging the application.

Confirm charges and protect residence during travel

The government service entry identifies ANRPTS as the responsible agency and the citizens' reception centre as the receiving and issuing service. It does not specify a processing period or the taxes payable. Ask the centre for the current charge, payment method and expected handling arrangements; an unspecified tariff does not mean the application is free. Do not substitute an older investment-guide price for a confirmed current assessment.

France Diplomatie's current entry guidance says residents holding a valid Mauritanian residence card are exempt from visa requirements for travel in and out when their absence does not exceed six months. A worker planning an extended assignment abroad should therefore check both the card's validity and the intended absence. That residence-related travel provision does not replace the employment permit or establish that either document will be renewed. Resolve renewal and re-entry questions before departure with the relevant Mauritanian authority.