Marrying and Sponsoring a Mauritanian Citizen
Listen to this article- Located in western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Senegal and Western Sahara
- The weather is mainly desert type, hot, dry and dusty
- Natural disasters include Sirocco winds that blow in March and April
Marriage to a Mauritanian Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Mauritanian citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Mauritanian spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Mauritanian spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Mauritanian Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Mauritania, you must demonstrate to the Mauritanian government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Mauritanian Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Mauritanian citizen can legally take place in Mauritania, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Mauritanian spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Mauritanian spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Mauritanian Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Mauritanian citizen.
List of Mauritanian Consulates in Canada
Calling Mauritania from Canada
- The country code is 222, so to call you dial 011 – 222 – area code – local number
There are no area codes in Mauritania. Landlines begin with 25 or 45.
Calling Canada from Mauritania
Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number
Canadian Area Codes
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
Mauritania is on Western European Time (GMT+0). Mauritania does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Mauritania is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 8 hours | 7 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 7 hours | 6 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 6 hours | 6 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 6 hours | 5 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 5 hours | 4 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 4 hours | 3 hours |
| Newfoundland | 3.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in Mauritania
Consulate of Canada in NouakchottCentre commercial Abbass, Avenue Charles de Gaulle Postal Address: Telephone: 222 45-29-26-97 or 222 46-76-63-67 (emergency only) |
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Embassy of Canada in Agdal-Rabat13 bis Jaafar As-Sadik Street Postal Address: Telephone: 212 (537) 68 74 00 |
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Emergency Numbers in Mauritania
| Fire brigade | 18 |
| Police | 17 |
| Speaking clock | 16 |
| Telephone inquiries | 12 |
The Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for Mauritania
Sponsoring Your Mauritanian Spouse to Come to Canada
The sponsorshp process is lengthy and can be frustrating and confusing. To learn more about it, click the button below:
Want to learn more about marrying in Mauritania? Let us know.
