Relocation intelligence
🇲🇷 Moving to Mauritania: tax, residency and cost of living
Quasi-territorial system. Salary tax (ITS) is progressive up to 40 percent, and that top rate is reached at a low threshold, effectively around 37 percent at a EUR 54,000 equivalent including 1 percent CNSS. Foreign income already taxed elsewhere is not re-taxed in Mauritania. VAT is 16 percent and corporate tax is 25 percent.
Thinking of moving to Mauritania? Here is the tax, residency, property and quality-of-life picture in plain numbers, with sources.
Key facts
- Top income tax
- 40%
- Corporate tax
- 25%
- Capital gains
- 25%
- Wealth tax
- No
- Inheritance tax
- No
- Cost of living index
- 40
- Safety
- 4/10
- Internet quality
- 3/10
- Visa-free destinations
- 56
- Foreigners can own property
- Yes
- Residency in
- 6 months
- Citizenship in
- 5 years
Taxes
Salary tax climbs quickly to 40 percent at a low income level, effectively about 37 percent around EUR 54,000 including 1 percent CNSS. The system is quasi-territorial, so foreign income taxed elsewhere is not re-taxed. VAT is 16 percent and corporate tax is 25 percent.
Residency and visas
Residency is usually tied to employment or investment. Administration is slow and procedures outside Nouakchott and Nouadhibou are limited.
Property ownership
Foreigners can own titled property, but the land-title system is unreliable and registrations can be disputed. Legal due diligence is essential.
Cost of living and quality of life
A large country between the Sahara and the Atlantic with a harsh desert climate. Good quality healthcare is largely confined to Nouakchott and Nouadhibou.
Passport and mobility
The Mauritanian passport is weak, ranked around 56, which sharply limits visa-free travel. Naturalization typically takes about 10 years.
Why people move to Mauritania
Quasi-territorial treatment of foreign income
Income earned abroad and taxed there is not re-taxed in Mauritania, which can appeal to those keeping earnings outside the country.
Resources and emerging energy
The economy rests on iron ore and fishing, with emerging gas production creating openings in mining, logistics and energy.
Honest trade-offs
- De salarisbelasting bereikt het toptarief van 40 procent al bij een relatief laag inkomen, effectief ongeveer 37 procent rond EUR 54.000 inclusief 1 procent CNSS.
- Het Mauritaanse paspoort is zwak met een positie rond 56, waardoor visumvrij reizen sterk beperkt is.
- Buitenlanders kunnen getiteld vastgoed bezitten, maar het systeem van landtitels is onbetrouwbaar en registraties kunnen worden betwist.
See how Mauritania scores for your situation
Get your personal Freedom Score and a full relocation comparison based on your income, family and goals.
Calculate my score