Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes

Valid passports required by all except nationals of some other ECOWAS countries (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone) and Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Rep), Gabon and Madagascar holding a valid national ID card.

Required by all except the following:
(a) nationals of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Rep), Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia;
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.

Tourist or Business: £42. All visas are multiple-entry.

Three months.

Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Passport/Visa Information.

(a) Valid passport. (b) Application form. (c) Two passport-size photos. (d) Fee. (e) For Business visas, a letter of invitation from sponsor may be required. (f) Stamped, self-addressed envelope if applying by post.

Usually takes 72 hours to be processed.

Applications should be made to the Home Ministry in Mauritania.

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the UK
8 Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 3AS, UK
Tel: (020) 7478 9323.
E-mail: ambarim@aol.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1630.

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the USA
2129 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 232 5700.
Website: www.ambarim-dc.org

BP 246, Nouakchott, Mauritania
Tel: 525 3572.

8 Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 3AS, UK
Tel: (020) 7478 9323.
E-mail: ambarim@aol.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1630.

2129 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 232 5700.
Website: www.ambarim-dc.org

Yes	1
2	No
3	N/A
4	N/A

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over one year of age, except travellers arriving from a non-infected area and staying less than two weeks in the country.

Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is not a condition of entry to Mauritania. However, cholera is a serious risk in this country and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination, as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness; see the Health appendix for further information.

Immunisation against typhoid is recommended and vaccination against poliomyelitis is sometimes advised.

Malaria risk, mainly in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year except in the northern areas of Dakhlet-Nouadhibou and Tiris-Zemour. In Adrar and Inchiri, there is a malaria risk during the rainy season (July through October). Resistance to chloroquine has been reported. The recommended prophylaxis in these areas is chloroquine plus proguanil.

All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised, but make sure it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products that are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) exists. Avoid swimming or paddling in fresh water; swimming pools that are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Also present are hepatitis A and E. Hepatitis B is hyperendemic. Rift Valley fever is present in the Trarza region. Epidemics of meningococcal meningitis may occur, particularly in the savannah areas and during the dry season.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.

Medical facilities are very limited. Nouakchott boasts the country’s best medical facilities with many doctors, most in private practices or clinics, and plenty of chemists stocking most existing French medicines. The hospital in the capital has 450 beds; there are fewer than 100 other beds elsewhere. Health insurance, to include cover for emergency repatriation, is essential.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2006-June 2007 period.

Jan 1 2006 New Year’s Day. Jan 10 Tabaski (Feast of the Sacrifice). Jan 31 Islamic New Year. Apr 11 Mouloud (Prophet’s Birthday). May 1 Labour Day. May 25 African Liberation Day (Anniversary of the OAU’s Foundation). Jul 10 Armed Forces Day. Oct 22-24 Korité (End of Ramadan). Nov 28 Independence Day. Dec 31 Tabaski (Feast of the Sacrifice).
Jan 1 2007 New Year’s Day. Jan 20 Islamic New Year. Mar 31 Mouloud (Prophet’s Birthday). May 1 Labour Day. May 25 African Liberation Day (Anniversary of the OAU’s Foundation).

Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Korité (Eid al-Fitr), Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Korité itself. Korité and Tabaski (Eid al-Adha) may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region. For more information, see the World of Islam appendix.