Legal information, not legal advice. Every jurisdiction page carries its verification status and sources.

Mauritania

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Mixed (Islamic law and French civil law)Unitary presidential republicReviewed· 2026-08-03
Capital
Nouakchott
Population
4,900,000
Languages
Arabic, French
Currency
MRU

Mauritania · Business

Business in Mauritania

What the atlas records on business in Mauritania, checked against the primary sources cited below.

Business

National commercial code outside OHADA, with Islamic finance provisions

Reviewed· 2026-08-03

Mauritania is not an OHADA member, so its commercial law is genuinely national: the Code de commerce of 2000 governs companies and trade, supplemented by banking legislation that accommodates Islamic finance. There is no CCJA appeal.

Key rules

  • Jurisdiction — The Tribunal de Commerce de Nouakchott hears commercial disputes; final appeal lies to the Cour suprême, not the CCJA.
  • Deadline — Company registration: with the Registre du Commerce at the Tribunal de Commerce de Nouakchott
  • Deadline — Annual filing of accounts: per the Code de commerce

Governing law

  • Loi n° 2000-05 portant Code de commerce
  • Loi n° 2018-034 relative aux établissements de crédit
  • Loi n° 2012-052 portant Code des investissements

In practice

Mauritania's absence from OHADA is the single most important structural fact for commercial practitioners: the Uniform Acts do not apply, the CCJA has no jurisdiction, and company forms, security interests and insolvency follow the national Code de commerce. Riba prohibition also shapes lending structures, with murabaha and ijara arrangements common in place of conventional interest-bearing facilities.

Sources

Found something out of date on Mauritania · Business?

Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.

Report a correction