Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Mauritania: 9 legal requirements + 6 other things worth knowing.
Required
Recommended
Good to know
Tick before you go
9 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP required alongside UK/EU licence
Mauritania recognises the 1949 International Driving Permit; carry it with your national licence and passport at all times for police checkpoints, which are frequent.
Carnet de Passage for own vehicle
To bring a foreign-registered vehicle in you need a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/registration document and proof of ownership; without it you must buy a temporary import permit (laissez-passer) at the border.
Local third-party insurance at border
Green Card is not valid; buy compulsory Mauritanian third-party insurance (assurance) at the PK55 border post or in Nouadhibou, typically 30-50 EUR for two weeks.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. Give way to vehicles already on roundabouts (French-style priorité).
Speed limits 100 / 80 / 50 km/h
There are no motorways; open-road limit is 100 km/h, secondary roads 80 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h. Limits are often unsigned and aggressively enforced by radar near Nouakchott.
Zero-tolerance alcohol limit
Mauritania is a dry Islamic republic and the practical BAC limit is 0.0 g/L; do not drive after any alcohol and do not transport alcohol outside diplomatic zones.
Warning triangle and hi-vis vest
Carry a warning triangle and reflective vest; police checkpoints may ask to see them along with the fire extinguisher that is mandatory on locally-registered vehicles.
Military checkpoints and fiches
Expect 10+ checkpoints per day; prepare 30 photocopied fiches with your name, passport number, licence number, profession and vehicle details to hand out rather than surrendering originals.
Declare cash over 1,000,000 MRU
Amounts above roughly 1,000,000 MRU (~23,000 EUR) equivalent must be declared at the border; export of ouguiya is technically prohibited so spend or exchange before leaving.
The FCDO advises against all travel to most of the country outside Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and the coastal road, due to terrorism and kidnap risk; check current advice before driving.
Mauritania recognises the 1949 International Driving Permit; carry it with your national licence and passport at all times for police checkpoints, which are frequent.
To bring a foreign-registered vehicle in you need a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/registration document and proof of ownership; without it you must buy a temporary import permit (laissez-passer) at the border.
Green Card is not valid; buy compulsory Mauritanian third-party insurance (assurance) at the PK55 border post or in Nouadhibou, typically 30-50 EUR for two weeks.
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. Give way to vehicles already on roundabouts (French-style priorité).
There are no motorways; open-road limit is 100 km/h, secondary roads 80 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h. Limits are often unsigned and aggressively enforced by radar near Nouakchott.
Mauritania is a dry Islamic republic and the practical BAC limit is 0.0 g/L; do not drive after any alcohol and do not transport alcohol outside diplomatic zones.
Animals, unlit vehicles, sand drifts and bandit risk make night driving extremely dangerous; FCDO and RAC advise completing journeys before dusk.
Carry a warning triangle and reflective vest; police checkpoints may ask to see them along with the fire extinguisher that is mandatory on locally-registered vehicles.
For any travel outside the Nouakchott-Nouadhibou tarmac, carry two spares, 20+ litres of water, extra fuel, sand ladders and a satellite phone or PLB; recovery is days away.
There is no motorway network, no toll roads and no vignette/sticker scheme; all paved roads are free to use.
The Nouakchott-Nouadhibou road and routes east into the Sahara are regularly blocked by sand, especially during the harmattan (Dec-Mar); check conditions locally before setting off.
Expect 10+ checkpoints per day; prepare 30 photocopied fiches with your name, passport number, licence number, profession and vehicle details to hand out rather than surrendering originals.
1 EUR is roughly 42-45 MRU; fuel is around 50 MRU (~1.15 EUR) per litre of diesel. Card payment is virtually non-existent outside top Nouakchott hotels: carry euros and small MRU notes.
Amounts above roughly 1,000,000 MRU (~23,000 EUR) equivalent must be declared at the border; export of ouguiya is technically prohibited so spend or exchange before leaving.
We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Mauritania.
Start planning →Places to add to your Mauritania road trip.
Don't get caught out
Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. Give way to vehicles already on roundabouts (French-style priorité).
There are no motorways; open-road limit is 100 km/h, secondary roads 80 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h. Limits are often unsigned and aggressively enforced by radar near Nouakchott.
Mauritania is a dry Islamic republic and the practical BAC limit is 0.0 g/L; do not drive after any alcohol and do not transport alcohol outside diplomatic zones.