Have visa, will travel.

Well we’ve had an interesting day! Read lots about getting a Mauritanian visa in Rabat, about how busy it is, and how people have arrived at 7am to be 50^th in line, and have to wait until 3pm the next day to pick the visa up. We managed to get both our Mauritanian visa and our Mali visa by 2:30pm in one day. Here is a rare informative guide (from me, of all people. I’d rather talk about something more crude, but this might actually help someone).

We arrived at the Rabat Embassy at 7am and there was no one there. By 9 when it opens maybe 12 people were queuing. A man came out with the paperwork to fill in, bring a pen. We only had pencils and had to redo them, I have blanked out the info and put them here – They are in Arabic and French, no Engrish at all. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m as fluent in Arabic as a whirlpool dishwasher, so if you’re a brit traveling through Mauritania to Mali, copy this.

Apparently I’ve lost the ability to use a camera, but if you save the picture you can make out what I’ve written.

Once that is filled in, give the angry man behind the desk your best smile, 2x passport sized photos, 340 Dhm and a photocopy of your passport (as well as your actual passport, the visa is stuck to a page in there.)

Come back the same day at 2pm, with the receipt that Mr Personality gave you, and collect your passport. Check it’s yours, mistakes are made. There is parking near the embassy and touts on hand to help if you are stuck, just look gormless, worked for us. Tip them.

With that in hand, walk 500m down the road to the Mali Embassy on your left. This form I do not have a photo of, but it’s much simpler, one sided, in Engerland language. Even I could understand it, and I struggle to put my pants on the right way.

There people were genuinely nice, laughing, helping and welcoming. Took fifteen minutes and cost 250 Dhm - That one was easy, well recommended.

I’ll do a bigger update in a few days once we have moved somewhere less, er, dirty. The people though have been nice, it’s just the amount of filth everywhere. 

Onwards!