Mauritania Travel requirements, advice , Coronavirus status and Visa Policy
2022-10-05 16:19:02
Mauritania is located in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a developing country. Current Travel Advice to visitors travelling to Mauritania is Reconsider Travel. Check Mauritania Travel Advisory, visa Requirements below.
Travel advice and advisories
Published 08.04.2022
1. Passengers must have:
- a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test result must be in Arabic, French, English or Spanish; or
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that:
- they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covishield, Covovax, Moderna (Spikevax), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm (BIBP) and Sinovac; or
- they were vaccinated at least 28 days before arrival. Vaccine accepted is Janssen; or
- they were fully vaccinated and received a booster dose at least 7 days before arrival; or
- a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days and at most 6 months before arrival.
- This does not apply to passengers younger than 11 years.
2. Passengers could be subject to a COVID-19 RT-PCR test upon arrival and quarantine for 10 days.
Travel Advisory By USA
Wed, 05 Oct 2022
Last Update: Reissued with updates to health information.
Reconsider travel to Mauritania due to crime and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Do Not Travel To:
- Areas designated as off limits by the Mauritanian military due to crime and terrorism.
Country Summary: Violent crimes, such as mugging, armed robbery, and assault, are common. Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crimes.
Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting places frequented by Westerners.
The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Mauritania as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside Nouakchott. U.S. government employees may travel only during daylight hours and are prohibited from walking alone outside of designated areas and times.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Mauritania.
If you decide to travel to Mauritania:
- Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel, and read the Embassy COVID-19 page for country-specific COVID-19 information.
- Use caution when walking or driving at night.
- Always carry a copy of your U.S. passport and visa (if applicable). Keep original documents in a secure location.
- Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- Review the Country Security Report for Mauritania.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
- Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
Areas Designated Off-Limits by the Mauritanian Military – Level 4: Do Not Travel
The government of Mauritania designates certain areas off-limits to foreigners and most Mauritanians. These “No Movement Zones” are extremely dangerous due to their proximity to Mali, where armed groups engaged in an active insurgency carry out cross-border attacks into Mauritania. The government of Mauritania does not maintain a substantial presence in these areas and thus police are unable to respond to most incidents there. In addition, cell phone coverage and paved roads are nonexistent. U.S. officials are unable to travel to these places. Since the boundaries of such areas frequently change, U.S. citizens should pay attention to all posted signs and notices of restricted entry. They should presume the following areas are off-limits:
- All areas north of the Tropic of Cancer
- All areas east of 08⁰ longitude (West of Greenwich) situated within 100km of the Mali Border
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Visa Policy for Visitors travelling to Mauritania
Visa on arrival
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Visa Requirements for Mauritania Citizens
References
- U.S Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs
- Systematic dataset of Covid-19 policy, from Oxford University
- International Air Transport Association (IATA)