Expat insurance and health insurance in Mauritania

Nouakchott concentrates most of the care offering: public general hospitals, private clinics and medical practices coexist there, with equipment generally better in the private sector according to France Diplomatie. The Centre hospitalier national (CHN) is the capital's main reference public facility, supplemented by specialised structures: an ophthalmology hospital, a national cardiology centre, a national oncology centre, a neuropsychiatry centre and a military hospital. According to the most recent available data, the country had around 645 health facilities including 18 general hospitals, spread notably across Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Kaédi and Atar. The ambulance service remains very underdeveloped and the availability of medicines at pharmacies is described as generally irregular. In a serious emergency, once the patient is stabilised, France Diplomatie recommends considering medical evacuation abroad, given the lack of sufficient technical facilities locally.

• Mandatory visa since 5 January 2025, under a two-step process: an electronic pre-authorisation to obtain on anrpts.gov.mr before boarding, then the visa itself (30 days, single entry, 55 € and biometric data) issued on arrival at one of the international border points open to all travellers.
• Mandatory yellow fever vaccination when arriving from an endemic area, and strongly recommended for every traveller; ACWY meningitis vaccination recommended during the dry season.
• No health insurance formally required for the visa or entry, but France Diplomatie calls comprehensive cover for medical costs, surgery, hospitalisation and repatriation / medical evacuation essential, as the French state covers no health costs abroad.
• Alcoholic beverages, cannabis and pork-based food are banned on entry: possessing these products at the border risks detention and legal proceedings.
• The CFE recommended by the embassy, with an assisted category on consular application for households with modest resources.

Security situation, covered here solely from the angle of access to care: France Diplomatie formally advises against the country's northern and eastern regions, and advises against, unless for an essential reason, certain border areas (Assaba, Gorgol, Guidimaka, around Nouadhibou); the lack of healthcare infrastructure and evacuation resources there makes rapid medical care uncertain.

The France-Mauritania social security agreement, signed on 22 July 1965 (in force since 1 February 1967), coordinates the disability, old-age-survivors, workplace accidents / occupational diseases and family benefits branches.

• The agreement contains no coordination provision for the sickness-maternity and death branches — unlike Mali or Senegal, it doesn't even provide for totalling insurance periods to open sickness rights in the new country of employment.
• An annex protocol only provides for maintaining sickness benefits for a limited 6 months when transferring residence with authorisation, with no mechanism for reimbursing care received in Mauritania.
• Unemployment insurance is out of scope of the agreement.
• An employee who suffers a workplace accident or occupational disease benefits from the export of the corresponding benefits.

• Before departure: apply for the electronic visa pre-authorisation on anrpts.gov.mr, yellow fever vaccination, and an assistance contract covering hospitalisation and repatriation / medical evacuation.
• On arrival: visa issued at the international border point (30 days, biometric data, 55 €), then residence procedures if needed.
• Before any trip outside Nouakchott: check France Diplomatie's travel advice, updated regularly given the security situation.
• On arrival: registration with the roll of French nationals living abroad recommended (Nouakchott embassy).
• Voluntary CFE registration recommended, as the France-Mauritania agreement doesn't coordinate the sickness branch.