Mauritania
Warnings and insurance
Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice.
Areas where FCDO advises against travel
Eastern MauritaniaMauritania
FCDO advises advises against all travel to areas east of a line drawn between but excluding the towns of Kankossa, TichitAkhreijit, andGhallaouia, GhallaouiaZouerat, Fderîck and thenonwards west to the Western Sahara border (exceptwith forWestern the town of Zouerat in Tiris Zemmour).Sahara.
Mauritania-WesternMauritania-Mali Sahara borderborder
FCDO advises against all travel to areas within 25km of the WesternMalian Sahara border (exceptin the sectionsouth, ofincluding theKhabou.
Mauritania-Western Nouakchott-NouadhibouSahara roadborder
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to areas within 25km of the Western Sahara borderborder, andexcluding the citysection of Nouadhibou).
FCDOthe advisesNouakchott-Nouadhibou againstroad alland travel to the restcity of the Ras Nouadhibou peninsula.Nouadhibou.
Tiris Zemmour, Adrar, Tagant, Hodh el Gharbi, AssabaAssaba, Gorgol and Guidimaka provincesprovinces
FCDO advises advises against all but essential travel to areasthe rest of the provincesprovince of Tiris Zemmour, Adrar,Assaba, Tagant, Hodh el Gharbi, AssabaGorgol and GuidimakaGuidimaka, and areas of Adrar and Tagant provinces, west of a line drawn between the towns of Ghallaouia, TichitAkhreijit and Kankossa. Kankossa. This excludes:
Nouakchott-Nouadhibou road
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the
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the
andTidjikja-Tichit road -
the
cityAlegoftoNouadhibou.ZoueratTidjikjainroadTirisviaZemmourMoudjeriaProvinceFCDOandadvisesallagainstareasallofbutTagantessentialwesttraveloftothat road -
the
townBogueoftoZoueratKaediinroadTirisviaZemmourProvince.Bababe
Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.
UK government support
The British Embassy in Nouakchott cannot provide consular services in person. British nationals in Mauritania should contact the British Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, for support.
Before you travel
No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guideguide. andYou anymay specificalso travelfind adviceit thathelpful applies to you:to:
- see general advice for women travellers
- read our
disabledguidetravellerson disability and travel abroad - see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
- read about safety for solo and independent travel
- see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad
Travel insurance
If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.
About FCDO travel advice
FCDO provides advice about risks of travel to help Britishyou nationals make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.
Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also sign up to get email notifications when this advice is updated.
Update history
2025-01-24 14:57
Additional information about the introduction of e-visas to enter Mauritania (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2025-01-03 11:35
New information about the introduction of e-visas to enter Mauritania from 5 January 2025 (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2024-12-10 13:27
FCDO now advises against all travel to 25km from the Malian border and all but essential travel to 25km from the Western Sahara border and parts of Tiris Zemmour, Adrar, Tagant and Gorgol, and no longer advises against travel to parts of Tagant, Adrar, Gorgol and Dakhlet Nouadhibou (‘Warnings and insurance’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).
2024-08-02 14:47
Removal of information about the presidential election on 29 June (‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-06-10 10:54
Information about the presidential election on 29 June (see ‘Political situation’ on the ‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-03-11 14:51
This travel advice has been rewritten to make it easier to read and understand.
2023-06-22 11:10
Information about the global terrorism risks to British nationals abroad on all FCDO travel advice pages.
2023-04-03 11:19
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).
2023-03-13 09:41
Removal of information about the 5 March security incident in Nouakchott (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2023-03-08 12:22
Updated information on security incident in Nouakchott on 5 March 2023 (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2023-03-06 11:23
Information on security incident in Nouakchott, 5 March 2023 (‘Summary’, ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2022-10-19 10:26
Updated information on terrorism (‘Terrorism’ page).
2022-04-11 15:19
Updated information on entry requirements to Mauritania in relation to COVID-19 (requirement to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival) (‘Entry requirements’ and ‘Coronavirus’ pages)