Mauritania

Regulations on entry, stay, residence, and treatment access for people living with HIV

The categories of restriction are:

  • No restrictions on entry or staying.

Restrictions on entry to Mauritania

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Mauritania based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Mauritania does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.

The website of the Embassy of Mauritania in Washington, provides a list of supporting documents that should be included with a visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant. 

The visa application form does not contain questions or fields in relation to any health condition or status.

Restrictions on short-term stay in Mauritania

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay in Mauritania based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Mauritania does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.

The conditions to apply for a work permit and to renew it are detailed in the Decree on migrant workers and work permits (Décret fixant les conditions d’emploi de la main-d’œuvre étrangère et instituant le permis de travail pour les travailleurs étrangers). There is no reference to HIV or health conditions.

The Portal for administrative procedures and formalities provides the procedures and lists of supporting documents that should be included with a temporary residence permit application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

Restrictions on long-term stay in Mauritania

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on long-term stay in Mauritania based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Mauritania does not have any HIV-related restrictions on long-term stay.

Treatment access in Mauritania

IOM reports that Law No. 67.039 of 3 February 1967 establishing a social security system, amended by Executive Order No. 87.296 of 24 November 1967 and Law No. 72.145 of 18 July 1972,6 governing access to health services in Mauritania, do not discriminate between Mauritanian nationals and migrants. According to this law, migrants with a residence permit have equal access to public and private medical services as Mauritanian nationals.

For more information, see here.

HIV services are extremely limited. According to the Ministry of Health, such facilities are being developed. There are several NGOs working in the field of AIDS, but at the moment, they are either not active or still in the process of organisation. The Mauritanian Ministry for Health and Social Affairs has a programme called “Lutte contre le Sida”.

The HIV Justice Network's Global HIV Criminalisation Database

People living with HIV are criminalised in Mauritania. There are HIV-specific criminal laws in force which target alleged HIV ‘exposure’, non-disclosure, and/or transmission. We are aware of reported prosecutions under these or other laws.

UNAIDS Global AIDS monitoring data

This information about access to HIV services comes from UNAIDS https://lawsandpolicies.unaids.org/, a platform to view data on HIV-related laws and policies. This is information provided by national authorities and civil society and may contradict other sources.

Migrant populations

Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens No
Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens No
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Migrants are able to access HIV services Yes

Refugees and asylum seekers

Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens No
Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens No
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A

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This site focuses on information about HIV travel. Please also consult your own Foreign Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, or the local consulate of the country you are visiting, to see what restrictions there are specifically for you as a citizen of your country, regardless of your HIV status.