Independent reference to official photo rules

Not affiliated with any government. Always confirm with the issuing authority before you apply.

WorldPhotoSpecsOfficial photo rules for every country

Identity cards

Mauritania ID card photo requirements

The photo rules set by Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS) for the Mauritania ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

Rate this page

Quick answer

What are the Mauritania ID card photo requirements?

Mauritania publishes no photo size or background colour for its national identity card. ANRPTS lists the national identification number (NNI) and, for a replacement, a loss declaration or the damaged card; no list mentions a photo. Anyone aged 10 or over can apply at a citizen reception centre or at the Paris embassy, and ANRPTS says its Houwiyeti app can also be used.

The national identity card is a document of the Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS). The agency's portal calls it the "carte d'identité nationale", while the Paris embassy page speaks of the "carte d'identification". Both describe the same card, which is requested with the national identification number (NNI) issued through the population register.

The published procedure is about identity data, not about the picture. It covers a first card, a renewal at expiry, an early renewal and a replacement after loss, damage or a correction, and it never asks the applicant for a photo. The one place where ANRPTS mentions a photograph is the digital identity in its Houwiyeti app, which includes the holder's photograph among the data items it authenticates.

No source read for this page gives a size, a background colour or a recency rule for an ID-card portrait.

Mauritania ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS):[1]

Print sizeNo size published for an ID-card photo
Digital sizeNo upload specification published
BackgroundNot published
Print qualityNo photo listed among the items to bring: the NNI, plus a loss declaration or the damaged card where relevant

Key requirements

  • Open to everyone aged 10 or over

    The Paris embassy says every Mauritanian citizen aged ten or more may obtain the card on request. ANRPTS lists its minor-applicant file for children over 10 and for adults under guardianship.

  • First issue: NNI, in person

    At the Paris embassy a first-time applicant presents themself physically at the citizen reception centre with the NNI and pays the issue duty in cash. ANRPTS lists the NNI and the stamp duty as the whole file.

  • Renewal, early renewal and replacement

    An expired card is renewed on the NNI and the duty. A card with less than six months of validity left is renewed on presentation of the card itself. A damaged card is replaced against the card, a lost one against the NNI and a loss declaration, and a correction against the NNI.

  • A legal representative approves for minors

    For a minor over 10 or an adult under guardianship, the legal representative signs the collection order. ANRPTS names three types of representation, proved by the father's civil-status record, a court decision or a notarised deed, depending on the type.

  • Mismatched register data stalls the request

    ANRPTS recommends checking five points before applying: errors in the printed data, a surname that does not follow the father's, a place of birth that is a state rather than a town, a birth date that differs from the NNI record, and the gender. A card cannot be validated and printed until these are corrected.

  • The phone identity includes a photograph

    The digital identity shown in the Houwiyeti app carries QR codes holding the user's data, including nationality and photograph, all authenticated by ANRPTS. Users may show their own identity and those of their children over 6.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Have your NNI ready before you start.
  • Take the damaged card with you when replacing a damaged one.
  • Take a loss declaration, physical or digital, for a lost card.
  • Let the legal representative sign for a minor or an adult under guardianship.
  • Compare your names, place and date of birth with the register first.
  • Ask the centre whether a photo is wanted before printing one.

Don't

  • Do not expect an ID card for a child under 10.
  • Do not request a lost-card replacement without a loss declaration.
  • Do not assume the size used on other countries' ID cards applies here.
  • Do not apply while the register still shows a wrong name or birth date.

Babies and children

The Paris embassy gives ten as the minimum age for the card. For children over 10 and for adults under guardianship, ANRPTS asks for the legal representative's approval, given by signing the collection order. Depending on the type of representation, ANRPTS accepts the father's civil-status record, a court decision or a notarised deed as proof.

A parent who uses the Houwiyeti app can also display the digital identity of children older than 6. No source read gives a separate portrait rule for children.

No printed photo and no digital upload is specified for the card. You present yourself at a centre with the NNI, or, according to ANRPTS, use the Houwiyeti app to request and pay for the card without travelling. ANRPTS does not describe a photo step in either case.

If a centre does ask for a portrait, confirm the size first. A digital picture can then be cropped to the size required and printed several times on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

In Nouakchott, ANRPTS lists citizen reception centres in Teyarett, Dar-Naime, Sebkha, Arafat, Toujounine, Tevragh Zeina, Riyad and El Mina, and it also names interior centres. Abroad, the embassy in Paris takes identity-card requests together with passport requests, by prior appointment, and lets you collect finished documents on any working day without one.

The ANRPTS pages read do not say which other missions accept card requests, so contact your own embassy before travelling to it. The Houwiyeti app is a second channel for the same services.

How to get your Mauritania ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Mauritania ID card. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: open to everyone aged 10 or over; first issue: NNI, in person; renewal, early renewal and replacement; a legal representative approves for minors.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. No printed photo and no digital upload is specified for the card. You present yourself at a centre with the NNI, or, according to ANRPTS, use the Houwiyeti app to request and pay for the card without travelling.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Nouakchott, ANRPTS lists citizen reception centres in Teyarett, Dar-Naime, Sebkha, Arafat, Toujounine, Tevragh Zeina, Riyad and El Mina, and it also names interior centres.

Make this photo online

Mauritania ID card photo FAQ

No official size is published. ANRPTS and the Paris embassy list the documents for an application and none mentions a photo or its dimensions. Do not rely on sizes quoted elsewhere without an official source.

The published lists do not ask for one. First issue needs the NNI and the duty; a lost card also needs a loss declaration; a damaged card needs the card itself. Ask the centre how the portrait is captured.

From ten. The Paris embassy says citizens aged ten or more may obtain the card on request, and ANRPTS describes the file for minors over 10 and for adults under guardianship, with the legal representative's approval.

The Paris embassy handles first requests, renewals and replacements by prior appointment, and you must attend in person with your NNI. The ANRPTS pages read do not say which other missions do, so ask your embassy first.

Your NNI and a loss declaration, which ANRPTS accepts in physical or digital form, plus payment of the replacement duty. For a damaged card bring the card instead of the declaration.

ANRPTS presents it as an app for requesting documents such as passports and cards, paying the fees and showing a digital identity that includes your photograph. Nothing read says that the digital identity replaces the physical card.

Related photo specifications

Other Mauritania documents

Identity cards nearby

Was this page helpful?

No ratings yet. Be the first to rate this page.

Official sources

  1. Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS). Demande de carte d'identité (Titres sécurisés) anrpts.gov.mr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ambassade de la République Islamique de Mauritanie, Paris. Centre d'Accueil des Citoyens – État civil (carte d'identification) ambarimparis.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS). Houwiyeti anrpts.gov.mr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS). Vérifier une identité numérique ou un extrait numérique anrpts.gov.mr. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (ANRPTS) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Mauritania ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/mauritania/id-card-photo

Categories: