Immigration law in Mauritania

The main legal bases include Decree No. 64-169 of 15 December 1964, Law No. 65-046 of 23 February 1965 as amended by Law No. 2024-038, the work regulations in Decree No. 2022-022, the protection framework in Decree No. 2022-063 and the Nationality Code under Law No. 61-112 as amended. The Ministry of the Interior and DGAT handle general migration administration. ANRPTS handles visa and residence-card services. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment, DGE and TECHGHIL, the Ministry of Justice and DACS also have responsibilities for specific procedures. CNCRPP and UNHCR are central to refugee registration and protection practice. All visas are processed electronically through ANRPTS, and entry takes place through international border points. The passport must be valid for at least six months. Officially published visa periods include 30 days, 90 days, 3 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years and periods longer than 3 years. The current electronic portal presents 30-day, 90-day and 360-day options. Published fees differ between Arab and African nationals and nationals from other parts of the world: €40 or €55 for 30 days, €70 or €95 for 90 days, €135 or €190 for 3 to 12 months, €190 or €270 for 1 to 2 years, €270 or €405 for 2 to 3 years and €540 or €810 for periods longer than 3 years. Bilateral visa exemptions exist, but their scope depends on the passport and nationality concerned. A residence card, commonly called a carte de séjour, records a foreign national's lawful stay. Applications are made through a Centre d’accueil des citoyens or ANRPTS. The reviewed portal does not specify a general processing time or fee, and the supporting documents depend on the purpose of residence. A private-sector worker generally provides a certified employment contract or work permit. An entrepreneur may need a registre de commerce and proof of tax payments. Public-service employment requires employment evidence, while diplomatic residence requires proof of the mission. A student provides an enrolment certificate; private education may additionally require certification by the competent ministry. A mahadra student provides a certificate from the institution. An accredited NGO worker provides work or contract evidence together with the organisation's agrément. Sponsorship by a Mauritanian citizen can be arranged before a notary. Marriage-based residence may rely on a biometric marriage certificate issued through ANRPTS, a court decision or a foreign marriage document authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A minor may rely on proof of family relationship with a parent who resides in Mauritania. Work requires a work permit handled by DGE under Decree No. 2022-022. The usual file includes an attestation de travail, curriculum vitae, photograph, diploma, passport copy and employment contract. The stated processing time is 30 days and the procedure is listed as free of charge. In practice, the work permit is also central to obtaining the residence card. Foreign students receive a student number through a process involving the embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Direction d’Enseignement privé. That number is issued within 24 hours without a fee, but the student still needs separate documents for the residence card. Mauritania's reviewed procedures do not show a comprehensive standalone family-reunification procedure. Functional routes include marriage, notarised sponsorship and residence based on a family relationship with a resident parent. Civil-status documents support the immigration application, while the underlying civil-law question remains a separate matter. The reviewed immigration procedures also do not show a general integration course or language certificate requirement. Residence and purpose-specific evidence remain the main practical requirements. Refugee protection is governed by Decree No. 2022-063, which replaced Decree No. 2005-0022. UNHCR reports that Mauritania has no separate national asylum law; the decree is the current legal basis, while CNCRPP and UNHCR handle registration and status-related practice. Refugees and people recognised as requiring protection can receive protection documents, freedom of movement, access to courts, property rights and access to education, work and health care in principle on the same basis as nationals. A Convention travel document may be available. Expulsion of a protected person is limited to security grounds or a custodial sentence for a crime or offence. Protected persons must not engage in subversive activities. Refugee protection takes priority over the ordinary residence regime where both could otherwise apply. Mauritania has no separate national permanent-residence procedure identified in the reviewed official portals. Long residence does not automatically create permanent status. The practical alternatives are to renew the residence card when the conditions remain satisfied or to examine naturalisation. A naturalisation application is submitted to DACS and generally includes a written request, proof of residence or a residence card, a criminal-record certificate, a medical certificate and a moral-conduct inquiry. The listed fee is zero, but the processing time is not specified and the decision follows approval by the Presidency. The general residence threshold in the Nationality Code is typically 10 years. Privileged categories may qualify after 5 years, including certain foreign women married to Mauritanian nationals who have maintained uninterrupted residence. Marriage alone does not automatically confer nationality. Law No. 2024-038 provides penalties for unauthorised entry outside official points of passage, residence violations and breaches of professional immigration rules. These offences may lead to a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 ouguiya, imprisonment for 2 to 6 months, or both. False or forged visas, extension documents, residence cards, work permits or identity documents can lead to imprisonment for 6 months to 2 years, automatic expulsion and a re-entry ban of 1 to 10 years imposed at the competent administration's discretion. Complaints about visas or residence cards can be directed to ANRPTS. DGE handles work-permit matters and DACS handles naturalisation matters. The legal service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can assist with disputes involving foreigners in Mauritania; the reviewed information lists this service as free, without a fixed processing period. Judicial assistance is available through the regionally competent Bureau d’assistance judiciaire. It is free and is listed as taking 15 days to a maximum of one month, including for people held in administrative detention, refugees and asylum seekers. The general appeal process against a visa or residence refusal is not clearly published in the reviewed official sources, so local legal advice is appropriate when a refusal affects status, removal or re-entry. The national regime applies across Mauritania. Protection-related practice has particular relevance in Hodh Chargui and the Mbera camp area, as well as in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. No reliable separate immigration rules for an administrative region or municipality were identified. Border and arrival questions belong here only where they concern visas or entry conditions; state administration and civil-status matters appear only where they provide an immigration document or authority. Return and trafficking issues fall within this subject only when they directly concern expulsion or protection.