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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Daniel Rintz, Himba children, Namibia

The only impossible journey
is the one
you never begin

Photo by Daniel Rintz,
Himba children, Namibia



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 25 Sep 2012
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Mauritania and Mali VISA at Rabat

Hi,


Does anyone have recent information on how long are these embassies taking for issuing VISAs in Rabat? Last year, Mauritania was taking 3 days; any change?

And what about Mali embassy in Nouakchott? Is is it possible to take a VISA there? Does anyone have GPS coordinates for it?

Thanks,
José
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  #2  
Old 25 Sep 2012
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Accoding to this page there is a Mali consulate in Nouakchott
Ave de Palais des Congres
N18°06.48' W15°58.73'
Two photos and photo copy of passport, 6500UM. Visas issued in as little as an hour.

Ch
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  #3  
Old 26 Sep 2012
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Thanks Chris!
Should have checked the Mali page on STI...

Cheers,
José
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  #4  
Old 30 Sep 2012
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Picked up my mauri visa in Rabat 2 weeks ago. Leave your passport in the morning of day 1, pick it up in the afternoon of day 2. I managed to get 3 months. 680 dhs.
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  #5  
Old 8 Oct 2012
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Visited embassy of Mauritania today. Arrived at 8 AM. Already a long line, mostly black Africans and Moroccans driving down cars. Two Mauritanian guys, who seem to work for the embassy, were already issuing numbers. I got number 47! In the end more than 100 people were waiting. At 11 AM the embassy closed. Only about 60 people could apply, but at some days only 40, I heard. So I was lucky. The rest had to come back tomorrow, but were not guaranteed a position high on the list. That's for the people showing up first in the morning. So best go there already at 7AM.

Hopefully my visa is ready tomorrow. But I do not think I will apply again in Rabat. One Italian I met was already waiting since friday and was also today not able to apply. Next time I will opt for the Mauritanian embassy in Brussels, I think, through an agency. A lot more expensive, but a lot less hassle.
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  #6  
Old 9 Oct 2012
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hi,
let us know if you get it today/tomorrow.
thanks for informations!
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  #7  
Old 4 Nov 2012
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Mauri visa v quick in Rabat

Hi there
We just got our visa's for Mauritania in Rabat on Thursday 1 Nov. Dropped passports off early Wednesday morning, filled application form in while waiting in the queue, paid our 640dr each - picked passports complete with visa Thurs at 3pm. No problems.

Gemma
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  #8  
Old 6 Nov 2012
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640 dirham each? That is triple what I paid last time.
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  #9  
Old 7 Nov 2012
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340 dirham each

Sorry , typo. They were 340 dr each total 680. That was only option. Everyone paid the same.
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  #10  
Old 18 Nov 2012
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Mauri visa in Casablanca?

Due to bike problems we couldn't use our visa in time so need another! Boo

We are closer to Casablanca than Rabat.

anyone know if possible to get visa there rather than go back to Rabat?

Cheers
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  #11  
Old 14 Dec 2012
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HI All!

Got our Mauritanian visas in Rabat on 12.12.2012.

They are now issuing 100 visas per day.

There is a number system in place. We arrived at 0600 and were number 26 and 27 in the queue. (Quite a lot of people slept in cars outside the embassy)

Embassy opened at 0800 and a fairly orderly process of filling applications followed. Submit: application form (fill in the bits you can, we left some blank), 2 passport photos; copy of passport and copy of Morocco entry stamp (not sure if this was really needed, but anyway some seemed to think it was).

There seems to have been a change - the start date of the visa is now the date you put on the application form, rather than the date of issue. This is a big help. 30 days validity.

Picked up visa same day in the afternoon. Queue started forming before 1500, embassy opened at 1530 and we reached the front of the queue at 1545.

There is more information on our blog - please do have a look.
Obtaining visas � Kapp 2 Cape

rgds
Sheelah
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  #12  
Old 15 Dec 2012
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Thanks Sheelah!! That's an interesting improvement!! I hope it's still working next month!
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  #13  
Old 16 Dec 2012
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System for visas has broken down again.

I arrived on Wednesday to the photocopy and photo stationary shop opposite the petrol station on avenue Mohamed VI. The man in the stationary shop gave me copies of the application form.

On Thursday morning at 7:00am I arrived. A man was issuing numbers. I was 98. Two Japanese arrived at 3:00am and were numbers 27-28. The man issuing numbers does not work for the Embassy. However his fake Hugo-Boss outfit and clipboard was sufficient to hold some authority over the line. He took cash to let people go ahead of the queue. By 9:30am only 46 people had been processed, the queue was chaos, a knot of people were at the door to the embassy and the embassy decided to shut shop.

The next day, Friday, I arrived at 02:00am. I was number 48 with about 20 people hanging around. People were going on the list from 21:00 the previous night - then going home to return in the morning. Hugo-Boss was there organising his list. Then a Moroccan guy wanting a visa, tough cookie that looked military, turned up at 3am and tore up the list, announced that the age of lists is over, no scammers or agents allowed, only legitimate applications by said applicants that are prepared to slog it out in a queue. By 8am the queue was enormous. A German and American played bouncer to keep the line in order, preventing visa agents from pushing their way in. Everyone got seen but there was no list.

There was confusion as to when to collect the visa. The form says for Friday collect at 12:30. The queue began at 12:00. The doors were opened at 16:30. A throng of frustrated applicants tried to by-pass the queue and rush the door. The embassy shut the doors for another 30minutes cool down. It was not until 6:30 that everyone had collected. Some people had their visa dates wrong - the embassy made the corrections there and then which was good of them. One guy had no stamp on his visa. Another was given the wrong passport back. All mistakes were corrected.

I submitted on advise,
2 x photocopy of passport Photo/data
1 x photocopy of passport Morocco entry stamp
2 x photos in colour (and b/w for my daughter)
1 x application form filled out
My passport

Others did not submit copies of the entry stamp, or duplicate copies of the passport photo/data - this was not a problem - nobody's application was rejected.

The photos must be glued/stapled to the form.
Some sections of the form can be left blank e.g. who is your home contact in Mauritania.

For where are you staying, I put down an address of a hotel from LP.

My form had alot of crossing outs and scribbles, not a problem.

Touts standing opposite the embassy can sell copies of the form and provide ink and staples.

I guess overall there are good days and bad days.
But they do still issue visas,as Sheelah stated, on the date requested by the applicant e.g. 45 days from now.
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  #14  
Old 21 Dec 2012
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Just a tip - monday mornings are crazy. Came back tuesday at 2 a.m. Had café touba with the senegalese and became nr 3 on the list. At 8 a.m. sharp they opened and closed with no 59, as they had reached one hundred applicants.
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  #15  
Old 25 Dec 2012
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New year

any ideas on opening times at new year? and what about fridays? if they issue visas at 3:30, the embassy closes at mid day ? or?

am planning to go on monday 31st. hope for the best.
some one wrote above, visa issued same day?
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