How to Get Mauritania CitizenshipKey facts
- Residence for naturalisation
- 10 years
- Language
- Required, no test
- Dual citizenship
- Accepted
- Civic test
- No civic knowledge requirement
- Criminal record
- A criminal record or good character condition applies
- Income condition
- Income or economic resources must be shown
- Dual citizenship in detail
- Accepted in both directionsNew citizens do not have to give up their previous citizenship.Citizens who naturalise abroad keep their citizenship.
- Available routes
- Region
- Africa
- Law in force as of
- 1 January 2024
- Last checked
- Not yet checked by our team
The rule text in the sections below was coded for the law on 1 January 2024. A November 2026 search found no later change for this country, but this has not been verified.
Naturalisation (residence)
For foreign nationals living in Mauritania, this is the ordinary route based on residence. Meeting the legal conditions does not guarantee approval, since authorities retain final discretion.
- Residence
- 10 years
Person has lived in Mauritania for at least 10 years.
- Previous citizenship
- New citizens do not have to give up their previous citizenship
- Language
- Required, no test or certificate specified
Person must be fluent in one of the official languages.
- Civic knowledge
- No civic knowledge requirement
- Criminal record
- A criminal record or good character condition applies
Person must be of good character.
- Income or economic resources
- Income or economic resources must be shown
Person must be of good physical health.
Marriage or civil partnership
For spouses of citizens of Mauritania, the rules below set out what this route requires.
Person is the female spouse of a male citizen, has been married for at least five years, and has resided in Mauritania for at least five years.
Person is the male spouse of a female citizen follows (conditions under the rules for ordinary naturalisation apply except that residence requirement is reduced to five years).
Descent (citizen parent)
This route covers children of a citizen of Mauritania, subject to the conditions below.
Descent (born in country)
Person is born in Mauritania to a citizen.
Descent (born abroad)
Person is born abroad and father is a citizen.
Descent (born abroad)
Person is born abroad and mother is a citizen. Registration required during the year before he/she reaches the age of majority. Authorities may oppose registration.
Other family members of citizens
A family tie to a citizen, former citizen or new citizen of Mauritania is the basis of this route. Meeting the legal conditions does not guarantee approval, since authorities retain final discretion.
Person's paternal grandfather was a citizen of Mauritania.
Stateless persons
For people without any citizenship, the rules below show what the law of Mauritania provides. Mauritania grants citizenship by operation of law, requiring no decision from any authority.
Person born in Mauritania to unknown parents.
Special achievements
This route covers people recognised for special achievements or for contributions to Mauritania, subject to the conditions below. Meeting the legal conditions does not guarantee approval, since authorities retain final discretion.
Person has special skills. Other conditions: see the rules for ordinary naturalisation (except that residence requirement is reduced to five years).
Not available in Mauritania: Birth in the country, Child of a new citizen, Adoption, Former citizens (reacquisition), Citizens of specific countries, Ethnic or cultural affinity, Residence during childhood, Very long residence, Refugees, Public or military service, Investment. Based on the GLOBALCIT coding of the law, updated with in-force changes.
Dual citizenship
Mauritania accepts dual citizenship in both directions.
- New citizens
- New citizens do not have to give up their previous citizenship
- Citizens who naturalise abroad
- Citizens who naturalise abroad keep their citizenship
Compare with neighbours
Mauritania requires 10 years, more years than the most common requirement of 5 years across Western Africa.
Compare Mauritania with all countries in the residence ranking
| Country | Residence | Language | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
 Benin | 5 years | Assimilation only | Accepted |
 Burkina Faso | 10 years | None | Accepted |
 Cabo Verde | 5 years | None | Accepted |
 Guinea-Bissau | 6 years | Assimilation only | Accepted |
 Mali | 10 years | Assimilation only | Accepted |
 Niger | 10 years | None | Accepted |
Official sources
This page was located by search and has not yet been checked by our team.
Naturalisation provisions: Nationality law: MAUR 18, 19.
Cite this page
TravelDecl. (n.d.). How to Get Mauritania Citizenship. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://traveldecl.com/citizenship/mauritania/
<a href="https://traveldecl.com/citizenship/mauritania/">How to Get Mauritania Citizenship</a> (TravelDecl, retrieved 5 November 2026)
Sources and licence
Vink, van der Baaren, Bauböck, Džankić, Honohan, Manby (2025). GLOBALCIT Citizenship Law Dataset v3.1. Global Citizenship Observatory, https://hdl.handle.net/1814/73190. CC BY 4.0. Modified by TravelDecl.
Modified by TravelDecl: updated with changes after 1 January 2024.
GLOBALCIT codes the law as written. Fees, processing times, quotas and how officials apply the rules in practice are not in this dataset: check them with the official authority.
FAQ
How many years to become a Mauritanian citizen?
10 years of residence is required for ordinary naturalisation in Mauritania, plus further conditions.
Does Mauritania allow dual citizenship?
Yes. The law of Mauritania accepts dual citizenship for new citizens and for citizens who naturalise abroad.
Do I need a language test for Mauritanian citizenship?
Knowledge of the language is required, yet no formal test is defined.
Is there a civic knowledge test for Mauritanian citizenship?
There is no civic knowledge requirement for Mauritanian citizenship.
Do I have to give up my current citizenship to get Mauritanian citizenship?
Your current citizenship does not need to be given up to get Mauritanian citizenship. The law of your current country may have its own rules on this.
Can I get Mauritania citizenship by marriage?
Yes, the law of Mauritania has a route for spouses. Procedure: entitlement, discretionary.
Can I get Mauritania citizenship by descent?
Yes. A child of a citizen can acquire citizenship of Mauritania by descent. Procedure: automatic, discretionary.
Can I get Mauritania citizenship by investment?
No investment route is coded in the law of Mauritania.
Related pages
Also see: Mauritania passport, visa-free access and entry rules. Latest law changes.
Corrections to this page are handled by Sarah Kim, Fact-Checker.