Mauritania entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): Read the official visa text below
Official source: GOV.UK – Mauritania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 24 March 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Mauritania, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Mauritania with a British passport?
We quote the FCDO text word for word and do not summarise it: its first sentence has conditions or a wording we do not turn into a one-line answer.
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.
Official source: GOV.UK – Mauritania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 24 March 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter Mauritania, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Official source: GOV.UK – Mauritania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 24 March 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Mauritania
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 6 June 2025: “Updated information on visa requirements ('Entry requirements’ page).”
- 24 January 2025: “Additional information about the introduction of e-visas to enter Mauritania (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 3 January 2025: “New information about the introduction of e-visas to enter Mauritania from 5 January 2025 (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 3 April 2023: “Travellers arriving into Mauritania are no longer required to present a negative PCR test and/or proof of vaccination against COVID-19 ('Coronavirus' and 'Entry Requirements' pages).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Mauritania (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status