Background:
- read Lonely Planet Thorn Tree (LPTT) frequently, but late Dec LPTT is CLOSED, so looked for another source.
- only found this thread last night when searched for... Mauritania AND Mali ...did not find it searching on only Mauritania (probably on search results page xx)
- Before reading The Hubb comments, intended to arrive MAUR. embassy at 6:30 or 7:00h which i thought would be good enough considering this other traveler Brendan (google "Brendan's Adventures Africa Mauritania visa") who arrived at 8:00h and had no problem.

But, after reading this thread, people arriving at 5 or 3 and not getting visa...well, i headed there and arrived 4:30h.


Facts/Situation:
1. At 4:30h i was #6, but 6 people in camper van, so i was #12. At about8:00h, about 40 to 45 people there
2. 1 person does NOT equal one passport/Visa. A few people, of the people i spoke with, represented multiple passports
3. Opening time: 7:30h .... wow! (not 9h , not 8h)
4. Documents
(a) passport
(b) passport id pages ... 1 copy only
(c) photos ... 2
(d) copy of Morocco Visa registration number/stamp page ... not sure if required ... i did not hand it over at first and asked if it was needed and the Embassy officer did not even answer... and did not even look at it , just added to the other pages and stapled all together
(e) application form .... the Embassy does not hand these out (well, not before 8am). Instead, there's a man 4 metres across the street selling them for 10 MAD ... i think you can find it on internet and print
PUT SOME ANSWER IN EVERY QUESTION, especially PAGE 2 ... many Moroccans and one Spaniard were sent away as their applications were "incomplete"/"missing information". Funny thing, for a couple of us from English-speaking countries, the officer barely looked at our info
(f) Entry Date ... couldn't quite figure out on the application form if it was the Date on bottom of page 1 or middle of page 2 ... i asked and the officer hand-wrote my date at bottom of page 1... although now i am going to try to phone the embassy to change the date to earlier ...just read about mold/dirty/filthy hostels in Essouria and cockroaches in Casablanca and figure to leave Morocco sooner
(g) cost: MAD 340 for Tourist, Ordinary(30 day) visa .... apparebtly there still is a Transit Visa, but no one has mentioned the price, and why should a 3 or 5 or 7 day Transit visa cost the same as a 30 day 'full' visa ?


5. Visa/Passport collection: same day , at 15:00h


6. Transportation from Medina area to "embassies area" (Souissi) ... bus #66 , and possibly other buses. On return, took bus #26 on road Mohammed VI (main road perpendicular to the embassy road) which stops
near Medina with easy 5 or so minutes walking. Cost of bus: MAD 4.00

Taxis charge 50% surcharge from 21:00h to 06:00h (apparently factored into the meter price, because all you pay is the meter price). And after 6:00h , buses are available, so , your choice.

Ok, now for my attempt to phone the embassy to change the Entry Date