Mauritania Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Mauritania Business

TL;DR. Mauritania’s official commercial registry is the RCCM (Registre du Commerce et du Credit Mobilier), accessible via the OHADA portal at rccm.ohada.org, though Mauritania joined OHADA relatively recently (treaty ratified, effective from 2017 onward). The interface operates in French and Arabic. Mauritania is not formally on the FATF grey list as of May 2026, but its location in the broader Sahel region and proximity to conflict zones elevates the risk profile. Engage a local legal representative in Nouakchott for reliable entity verification.

What is the official Mauritania business registry?

Mauritania’s commercial registry is the Registre du Commerce et du Credit Mobilier (RCCM), established under OHADA’s Uniform Act Relating to General Commercial Law following Mauritania’s ratification of the OHADA treaty. [VERIFY: exact date Mauritania joined OHADA and when RCCM became fully operational under the OHADA framework, as Mauritania’s accession was more recent than most other member states.]

The RCCM is administered through the judicial and commercial court system, with the primary registry serving Nouakchott (the capital) and regional courts covering Nouadhibou (the commercial and fishing capital) and other regions. The Agence de Promotion des Investissements en Mauritanie (APIM) and the Centre d’Appui a la Promotion de l’Entreprise en Mauritanie (CAPEM) play roles in facilitating company formation and coordination with the registry.

Online search access is nominally provided via the OHADA federated RCCM portal at rccm.ohada.org. Coverage for Mauritania on the OHADA portal is developing; digitization of Mauritanian RCCM records is less complete than for longer-standing OHADA members such as Senegal or Ivory Coast. Physical court searches in Nouakchott remain necessary for complete entity verification.

Mauritania operates at the intersection of the Arab Maghreb and West African legal traditions. Arabic is the official national language; French is widely used in commerce, law, and government administration. Company documentation may exist in either language.

Mauritania uses the Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRU) as its currency, redenominated in 2018 (1 new MRU = 10 old MRO).

What can you search?

Where digitized records are available on the OHADA portal, searches support:

• Corporate name (denomination sociale) in French or Arabic transliteration
• Trade name
• RCCM number

Records where available include: corporate name, RCCM number, legal form, registration court, entry date, and formalities. For the majority of Mauritanian entities, particularly private companies and entities registered before digitization, a physical search at the Tribunal de Commerce de Nouakchott is the reliable pathway.

[VERIFY: current state of Mauritania’s RCCM digitization and OHADA portal coverage before relying on online searches.]

How much does it cost?

[VERIFY: current MRU/USD exchange rate at Banque Centrale de Mauritanie (bcm.mr). MRU is not freely traded internationally; the official rate and market rate should be cross-checked.]

Do you need a local account or ID?

An OHADA portal account requires only email registration. No Mauritanian national ID is required for portal access. For physical court searches and certified extract requests, a local legal representative or authorized agent in Nouakchott is effectively required. Foreign buyers cannot independently access Mauritanian court registry files without local representation.

Is the website in English?

No. The OHADA RCCM portal operates in French (with English navigation available via lang=en). Mauritanian entity data may appear in French, Arabic, or both, depending on the filing. No English-language interface is available. Compliance buyers need either French or Arabic competence, or must engage local translation services.

What’s the turnaround time?

Physical registry searches via a Nouakchott representative take 10 to 21 business days under normal conditions. Certified extracts ordered via international intermediaries carry similar timelines. The OHADA portal returns available digitized results instantly, but the practical limitation is incomplete digitization. Administrative capacity constraints mean turnaround is less predictable than in more digitized jurisdictions.

Is there an API?

No. No public API exists for Mauritanian RCCM data as of May 2026. Compliance platforms must rely on manual searches via local partners.

What you legally cannot do

OHADA registries prohibit bulk automated scraping. Commercial redistribution of RCCM records without authorization is restricted. Mauritanian data protection legislation is developing; apply international best-practice data minimization and document all access purposes for AML/KYC audit trails.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Sahel region context. Mauritania’s borders with Mali (to the south and east) and its proximity to the broader Sahel security crisis elevate operational and political risk relative to coastal West African states. Mauritania has maintained relative political stability under President Ghazouani compared to neighboring Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, but security conditions in border areas should be monitored.
• Fishing sector concentration. Mauritania has one of the world’s largest exclusive fishing zones. Many material Mauritanian companies operate in fishing, fish processing, and related logistics. EU-Mauritania fishing agreements and Chinese investment in the sector create complex ownership structures. Apply standard UBO verification for counterparties in these sectors.
• Iron ore and gas. Mauritania’s Guelbs iron ore deposits and the offshore Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project (straddling the Mauritania-Senegal border) are major commercial activities. Companies involved in extractive industries warrant heightened beneficial ownership scrutiny.
• Arabic language documentation. Official government documents and some company filings may be in Arabic. Budget for certified translation from Arabic to French or English for international compliance use.
• APIM investment promotion. APIM (apim.gov.mr) is the investment promotion agency. New company formations go through APIM’s one-stop-shop, which maintains a digital record of newly registered entities. Cross-reference APIM records for companies formed under the reformed registration system.
• Financial inclusion context. Mauritania’s formal financial system has limited penetration outside Nouakchott. Cash-based business is common in interior regions. Counterparties operating far from the capital may have weaker registry compliance and less complete documentation.

Alternatives if you cannot access the RCCM directly

• OHADA RCCM portal (rccm.ohada.org): partial coverage for Mauritania. Free at the search level.
• APIM Mauritania (apim.gov.mr): investment promotion agency with records of formally registered companies.
• Local legal firms in Nouakchott: direct engagement is the most reliable route for verified entity data.

Local data suppliers

No major international credit bureau operates a standalone Mauritania service as of May 2026. [VERIFY: local credit bureau availability.] For due diligence, international providers with MENA and West Africa coverage are the primary resources.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Mauritania registry directly?

Foreign users can access the OHADA RCCM portal for available digitized records. Physical court searches and certified extracts require a local Nouakchott representative. There is no fully open online public portal for Mauritania entity searches.

What entity types are registered with the RCCM in Mauritania?

SA (Societe Anonyme), SARL (Societe a Responsabilite Limitee), SNC, GIE, individual traders, and branches of foreign companies, all governed by OHADA Uniform Acts.

Does Mauritania have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Mauritania does not operate a publicly searchable UBO register as of May 2026. Beneficial ownership requirements exist under Mauritanian AML legislation, but UBO data is not publicly accessible. Rely on RCCM director and shareholder filings, direct counterparty declaration, and supplementary EDD documentation.

Is Mauritania on the FATF grey list?

Mauritania is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. [VERIFY: fatf-gafi.org and MENAFATF (menafatf.org) for current status.] Standard CDD applies; the Sahel regional context warrants sector-specific EDD for counterparties in higher-risk industries.

What’s the difference between the RCCM and the NIF?

The RCCM records commercial registration and corporate structure. Tax registration uses the NIF (Numero d’Identification Fiscale) administered by the Direction Generale des Impots (DGI). These systems are administered separately. A complete CDD file should verify both.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: OHADA RCCM portal (rccm.ohada.org), APIM Mauritania (apim.gov.mr), Banque Centrale de Mauritanie (bcm.mr), FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.