Border crossing | Customs and Immigration

Senegal - Mauritania

Easy as always. We spent the night directly in the border area. Toilets were open when we arrived, but closed during the night.
There is an official pricelist (of 2018) for the bridge toll: motorbikes 4000, cars 10.000, trucks up to 10to 20.000.
Change CFA to Ougouiya before you leave, you will need it! Take screenshots of the NEW bills and compare. Good 4G network with Orange if you forgot. Senegalese money changers want to give you old bills for the old exchange rate.
Visa for Mauritania 55€.
You can buy insurance and simcard for Mauritania at the border, but we didn’t because it seemed too expensive.

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2 motorcycles, no CDP

Mauritania to Senegal:
Leaving Mauritania payed 100oug for taxes per bike. Asked for money for stamps, refused to pay.
Senegal entry:
6500cfa za most
2500cfa passeavant for 3 days
Bought 1 month insurance for 20e

Return Senegal to Mauritania:
Leaving Senegal payed nothing
This time we were charged 4000oug for the bridge (less then when entering)
Entering Mauritania we got 10days passeavant for the same money we payed when entering before from Morocco (400oug=10e)
Payed visa 55e
Bike insurance 10e for 10days
Taxes 100oug just before they lift the ramp

*NOTE: Passeavant should actually be given FOR FREE and can be given up to 30 days and later extended also for free. We learned that only later so you can ask for it and not pay

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Mauretania -> Senegal
- no CDP, car older than 8 years

Senegal:

- contact zargane +221 772775850 for Senegal entry (car older than 8 years)

- 250 € including insurance for a month and passavant for 10 days (+15 days, +15 days e.g. in Dakar)

- 4000 cfa for bridge (receipt)
- 8000 cfa SIM card + 7 GB Orange

- was asked 3000 cfa to open gate when you are all done, couldn’t give me a receipt, so he just opened the gate for us

Mauretania:

- 100 MRU communal tax (receipt)
- 200 MRU pp NP Mauretania (receipt)

- was asked money for passport stamp, I refused, got passport stamped immediately

Since I contacted Zargane on WhatsApp one day before crossing paperwork was ready and we were done after a total of one hour

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A note about the frequent police stops in Senegal: it is illegal to place anything on the benches - even a handbag. To avoid discussions: clear everything. Some police officers are mentioning that is illegal to have things stored on your roof.

If stopped, stay friendly. Ask them first how they are and about their family. Adress them as chef and always say they are right.

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Just make sure you have a Carnet or you WILL pay for the convenience of having the head of border force Diama driving out to you to provide a temporary vehicle document for the not so small sum of €250 (nobody cares what government website you read that says otherwise). Also the bridge is 10,000cfa could be BS but they say it’s rain season prices Jul 16 - Sep 30. Also Diama border is also half closed during rain season if there are heavy storms due to electrical issues on the Mauritanian side (ofc) so be careful not to waste your time, that being said I’d rather camp at Diama for a week than go to Rosso!

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We had to pay the 250 euro at the border. However, because of not immediately accepting it, we managed to negotiate that this was including the insurance costs for a month. We had to wait for around 3 hours for the big boss (his name is Zargane) to come, who had the papers to allow us in without the garnet. A few police posts further it turned out that they indeed accept this form. Our advice is to not take it to easy, and see if you can negotiate at least the insurance.

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Quiet border. Friendly staff, but not really a way to avoid paying €250. We made quite some trouble and waited for hours. At least we got the insurance and passavant included in the €250 euros. You get a lot of official paperwork from Zargane that we also needed at the police checkpoints later, so at least it's a well set-up scam....

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Frontera rápida de salir en el lado de Mauritania. Solo el último oficial ( el que sella el pasaporte de salida) pidió algo de regalo. Te haces el tonto, y te pone el sello sin problemas.
En Senegal sin problema de nada. Viajé en una Vstrom de 2005 y sin CDP y no tuve ningún problema para entrar, ni pagué absolutamente nada. Ni el seguro, que me lo saqué en Dakar, justo debajo de la oficina donde amplié mi passavant, hay una oficina de AXA que pagué 10 € por un mes, la mitad de lo que piden en frontera. No cojáis ningún fixer porque no vale la pena. Apenas tardé entre salir de Mauritania y entrar en Senegal poco más de una hora.

Para hacerlo a la inversa lo mismo. No pagué más que lo justo y necesario para entrar en Mauritania los 55€ del visado.

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Despite the road being HELL for a lorry (not made for over landing or dirt) I’m glad I did it. Pretty, quiet and a simple crossing.
Exit Mauritania, paid nothing.
Watched a ferry use the lock gate system at the bridge, cool.
Senegal, paid nothing for passport admin, I knew I was in for the €250 for older vehicle with no CDP, this took 2hrs because the hey had to come from St Louis. Border was really quiet on a Sunday.

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4000cfa per il ponte
250€ per il passavant senza avere il carnet de passage, noi lo abbiamo chiesto in anticipo ad un'agenzia. non abbiamo pagato costi aggiuntivi.
hanno provato anche a chiedere 10€ per il timbro di uscita ma non sono da pagare.
noi non abbiamo pagato neanche la tassa per aprire la sbarra.
assicurazione pagata 30€ per un mese. per 2 o 3 mesi costa 40€

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Senegal > Mauretania

Crossing is easy, everyone is friendly.
Quick and easy on the Senegalese side.
The dam fee for trucks (3,8 to - 10,0 to) is 12.500 CFA, after arguing about the price the guy showed us a paper with the printed tarifs.
On the Mauretanien side no one wanted to check the vehicle neither asked if we have alcohol with us.
Passavant only for 10 days, can be extended (+10 days) up to two times for free (visa 30 days) at the douane in every bigger city (Rosso / Atar / Kiffa / … and of course in Nouakchott.)

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Mauritania to Senegal
- No CDP, car older than 8 years -

Mauritanian side :
- stamped out the car in your passport (free)
- stamped the passport (free even they asked for something)

Bridge to cross : 4.000 CFA (you get a receipt)

Senegalese side :
- stamped in by the police (free, no visa for belgian and dutch passports)
- customs : They said you have to pay the fixed price of 250€ if you don’t have a carnet. We did a loooot of research and this is just a scam. We got several confirmations that is a scam and we even knew the applicable law by heart, but they told us there is not other way… It’s really hard because everyone is playing the game very well. While waiting we met a Mauritanian guy with a french car as he has been living in France for 30 years already. When he was talking to Zargane in hassanya we understood that Zargane was asking him only 150€ for the passavant (car older than 8 years with no CDP). We asked our friend to ask if he will also give it to us for that price and he said ok. So the 250€ is not a fixed price, and normally it should be 2.500 CFA. On one side really happy to not pay 150€ instead of 250€ but it’s still way to much…

A few weeks later at the border between Senegal and Gambia, we got a new passavant for 2.500CFA confirming again that Zargane made up a big scam…

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Easy, very friendly border.
I uploaded some of the tickets for those of you who think all fees at the border are scam. They are official and please don’t be a nasty foreigner who thinks he knows better. Those people there are doing their job.
You don’t need a fixer, everyone very friendly, smiling, helpful. I think it took us not longer than 1 hour, both sides together.
We have CdP, so no problems, no extra fees, no hassle. Got 5 days to Dakar because of weekend.

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Mauritania to Senegal (No CDP)
We slept in the park, after 18h there's not the guy Who asks for the fee.
- 100MRU "comunal tax" before opening the barrier, suported by gendarmeríe
- NO pay for stamp the passavant, ask for receipt and just wait, check the phone while he get bored after asking for money.
- NO pay for exit stamp passport
- 4000 CFA for the Bridge peage with receipt
In Diamas still good 4G+, we arranged previously with "Zargane" +221 77 277 58 50 - 250€ for passavant inicially 10 days with 2 renewal of 15 day (45days total)
Can be renewed in Dakar/Ziguinchor for free, we send by WhatsApp passport and carte gris and he came into the Douane and do everything.
- 15.000 Assurance of vehícule 1 month
- 10.500 2 Sim Cards Orange with 3G/1week (She asked inicially 10€ each one...)
No fixer needed
3h in total

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Senegal -> Mauritania

In general, crossing is easy, just a bit chaotic especially on Senegalese side. First are customs where you have to force your way to the window, otherwise you will never get it done. They stamped our CdP there without any problem, unlike most borders they actually knew what to do with it. Then immigration, we gave them the passports and after a while it was our turn. Just a fingerprint scan and they asked us about the place where we will stay in Mauritania. Passports got stamped and we went to the other side of the dam (fee is 4.000 XAF / car).

On Mauritania side, we first went to get our visas. They directed us to the right office, prepared it on a computer and printed a full-page sticker. After that immigration in the same building, fingerprint scan, photo, etc. and entry stamp into passport. Then customs, where they issue passavant for the car, it cost us 400 MRU. After that a check of luggage (they specifically asked if we have any alcohol) and we gave them first fische. After that moving a few more meters, gave another fiche and payed 100 MRU tax, then they let us go. All in all, the crossing took us 2 hours, one hour on each side.

Fee for entry to the national park is 200 MRU pp. Road to Keur-Macene is not that bad now (in the dry season), we did it with our small sedan with low ground clearance in 2 hours.

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4000 CFA for crossing the bridge
passavant for 3 days 5000 CFA for Mitsubishi l 200
tax communal diama 1000CFA. with recive the man call first parking tax but it s really communal tax

Easy to do and fast for mauritanian and Sénégal border' 1 hour.

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Smooth crossing, see Totomundo comments for the fees, still accurate

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Did not have any money with us and no ATM here so we did not pay anything , wasted about 1 hour and they let us pass with some document allowing us to be in Senegal for 1 week!

Border guys where cool , invited us in their small house and played FIFA on ps4 and they gave us some local CFA for fuel nearby!

https://youtu.be/dmIFUgOEQ8Q

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Passage à Diama possible pour les touristes. Pour arriver au poste, il faut traverser le parc par piste. Sympa mais payant. Formalités mauritaniennes de sortie, parking payant taxes communale. Après il faut payer le passage du barrage. Formalités entrée Sénégal, la douane dit qu’elle n’est pas habilitée à tamponner le carnet de passage en douane, passe avant de 2 jours seulement. il faut aller à Dakar pour tamponner le CPD.
Parking payant taxes communales encore côté Sénégal . Et il faut aussi prendre l’assurance CDAO

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Douanes sénégalaises faciles à passer et peu corrompu pas comme Rosso. Passage rapide. Coût passavant 2 jours pour aller à Dakar 2500 cfa Assurance 13 000 cfa et passage du barrage de diana 4000 cfa

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We got into Senegal from Mauretania within an hour. We needed to pay:
In mauretania:
- 400 park fee
- 100 overnight park fee (we slept in the park)
- 400 mru for the exit stamp
- 100 mru for a communal tax. We got a receipt for this and they wouldn't open the barrier if we hadn't paid. The guy wasn't in official clothing so I doubt it was really legit. But he was supported by the officials.

In senegal:
- 4000 cfa for the bridge
- 2500 cfa passevant. We got 3 days as we said our truck is very slow.

Very easy border crossing, no hassle from fixers.

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We did not get the Carnet stamped either. Had to go to Dakar in 3 Days.

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We arrived around 19:00, boarder was closed at 18:00. we could have managed to cross at that time, but decided to overnight at the boarder crossing. We didnt want to pay bribe.
No problem at all to enter Senegal with a 1975 VW Kombi. We had a Carnet, but still needed to buy a 3 day passavant. Carnet can be stamped in Dakar.
Super friendly stuff on bith sides. All payments are done with receipt. Nobody asked for bribes, just for „cadeaux“. We gave them some candies.

Opening hours: 08:00 - 18:00

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We crossed the border from Senegal to Mauritania.
First police Senegal. Very correct and quick.
Then customs. They stamp the CdP without any problem. He knows what to do!
This all wothout any payment.
Then you cross the dam for CFA4000 with receipt.
At Mauritania side first to very small office for your visa €55 pp.
Then to police. He will ask money, but we refused. Then passport was given right away back to us.
Next through the first barrier to customs. They will make a passavant for €10 for the vehicle.
Second barrier and police will ask a fiche. No money asked
All done in 50 minutes.
Whole prpcess very correct and no hassle by fixers.
You can change money there for reasable rate. Just change a little and the rest in big city.

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Heading north, super easy to exit Senegal, no fees. If they can stamp carnet out (which they did), why can't they stamp it in when going south???? 4000cfa or €10 to cross bridge (cfa is cheaper)

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Exiting to Mauretanien: everything smooth, no payments required.

Bridge costs 4000CFA toll (with receipt), but managed to pay only 2500 without receipt.

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Forgot to mention the 4000CFA tax for crossing the bridge/dam. Received a receipt.

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Going from Senegal to Mauritania, I got sent to immigrations first. Hassle free, though they had some doubts Romania was in the EU.

The guy at the customs was visibly annoyed I had a CPD for my '04 motorcycle. He tried to find something wrong in my passport and CPD and stamped me out, eventually.

No bribes, no fixers, straightforward because the two buildings (immigration and customs) are one next to the another.

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Immigration on the right and customs on the left. Do immigration first.

3 USA passports.

Immigration police wanted passport, drivers license and vehicle registration. They wanted 10 euro per Moto (30 euro) We politely said no. After about 30 minutes of waiting they gave all of our documents back and we went to customs.

Customs was straight forward and easy. It’s 2500 CFA each for passavant. (We have no carnet) They gave us 5 days which can extend in Dakar. They said we needed to buy insurance next door but we just went to St. Louis to buy it (on the app)

Took about 1 hour. Mostly just waiting for immigration police to give up on their bribe. I feel like I can say TIA now haha.

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Totally agree with previous post, happened the same to us, we paid 250 EUR, 7 days passavant, extension possibillity in Dakar (15 more days, should be free, but some say 2500 CFA, dont know yet). BUT later, we found out, that on official website of senegales customs (in french only) is a statement, that the 8 year old rule only apply if you want permanently import your car there, and as a tourist, you obviously not gonna do that. So in my opinion, the possibillity could be showing them this statement, not sure if they would accept though...

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Spent a day on this border observing the procedures, saw 6 vehicles older than 8 years cross. No problems for one with Carnet. For the others, it required "special permission" from the chef, who is either directly from or related to the St.Louis office. The going rate is €250 per vehicle, not negotiable (only one managed to get it a bit cheaper, not sure how).
This gets you a 7 day Passavant, with option for free extension in St.Louis or from Zebrabar (and Dakar, obviously). You essentially prepay the bribes for the St.Louis office and the service of someone diving to the border to give you your documents.

Note that it is not the border police that is asking money here! They just claim they cannot stamp you in unless you have the correct document, and they do not have them for you. Not even for a substantial "cadeaux".

The way to avoid paying is to drive into Mali first, and from there to Senegal.

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Not as lucky as the previous post!
Got to the border pretty late and were the only tourists around, had to go with a transiteur who never let us speak directly with the officials. Had to pay total of 350€ for temporary import permit, insurance and one visa (for a non-European passport). However was processed fairly quickly but there is definitely room for negotiation I would say.
Never had to deal with the escort, got 7 days right away and possibility to extend in Dakar

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Because our Nissan X-trail is older then 8 years we’re not aloud to enter the country with it, unless we pay for a temporary permit which allows us to drive through the country within 3 to 5 days.
Luckily we had very sweet border officials, young guys that just started working at the border and were eager to help us out. They called their chef and anyone they could reach, and within an hour there were regular people trying to help us as long as we paid for the temporary permit; Martin kept on saying we only had 50 euros to spend and so of course, nobody wanted to help us for that price.

With the language barrier, we talked with the sweet border official and asked him what the possibilities were? Was the temporary permit really the only possibility?
He said that two weeks prior to our arrival, other travelers had the same problem and they left their car at the border and talked to the chef in St. Louis personally; this way they managed to figure something out.
But he did not know which price they paid or anything else about them.

We took a cab to St.Louis (2000 CFA when shared) and got a hotel in St.Louis, got on the public WIFI and call as many offices as possible as well as the Dutch Embassy. Martin found the government website of Senegal and filed a complaint because the website stated that tourists can get a temporary permit easily at the border; which obviously did not happen easily.

On Monday we decided to talk to the chef at the Duane Regional Point Nord, he was extremely friendly and first asked us to explain everything. Because we saw he was Muslim due to the Arabic paintings hanging around we used as much ‘Bismillah’ ‘ Inshaallah’ and ‘Alhamdullilah’ as possible.
He gave us two options; either a free five days to Dakar and back to the Diama border crossing, or an escort that would guide us, around Gambia, to the Guinee border.
The escort normally costs 150 euros, but because he ‘wanted to help other Muslims out’, he wouldn’t mind paying half of it. After Martin only put a 50 euro note on the table, he put 100 euros worth of CFA on the table, said that we should take all the money to the border where we’d pay for the escort.
Afterwards, the escort would come with us and we’d have to get an official document at the Duane Regional Point Sud before we could drive south to Guinee.

It was too good to be true, but when we returned at the border, everything was arranged, we paid; the officials got the official document for us and we were able to drive off to Guinee with an escort in our car.
Before we left, the border officials were mad at us and asked us why we filed a complaint on the government website stating they’re corrupt and were asking money, and why we called the embassy.
Martin kept on saying that he’s dad is ambassador so that he might have called.
In the end, we don’t know why everything happened quickly and easily; was it all just because of the complaint that Martin filed or really because we grew up Muslim?
We managed to get our car, older then 2008, through Senegal with an escort for only 50 euros.

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