I just did this crossing in a 1997 Land Rover with a CDP. Solid current information was a little hard to find so I thought I would post this for the record.

The track to Diama was not obvious but on my GPS (openstreetmaps) and the locals told us it was the right one. There is a road being built and so the first stretch is very easy. It had rained recently so we were warned it wouldn't be passable in Nouakchott, but it was fine likely even for a non 4x4. We passed a loaded motorcycle driven by a frenchman coming the other way and he didn't have issues either.

I had read horror stories about this border, but it wasn't that bad. We had to pay various people along both sides of the border, normally 10 euros each. They didn't like Mauritanian money on the Senegal side but accepted it in the end.

There were only a few touts and they weren't obnoxious.

My CDP was time stamped for entry and I got a 48 hour passavant. They said I needed to go to Dakar before then to extend the passavant and my CDP properly stamped.

At this point a customs official (the chief of the post?) Moulay stepped in.
There were already two Spanish cars waiting and so we formed a small convoy to the Douane office in St Louis where letters were written, documents were photocopied, and 2 hours and 65 euros later we had passavants for 15 days. We got the impression he does this a few times a day. After he took us to the nearby "Camping Ocean" (where we assume he gets a kickback) for us to set up camp, have a few s, and for him to ask for the money. Afterwards he went and got a large bowl of rice and fish for the group of us, and was generally a nice guy.

The total border crossing cost was around 100 euros, although I still need to go to Dakar (not within 48 hours) and get my carnet dealt with.

My friend had a newish Toyota and no CDP, but that's OK for cars less than 5 years old. He had to pay an extra 10 euros for the passavant and doesn't need to go to dakar.

A german we are traveling with had an older car and no CDP since he originally planned to go through Mali. That was a bit of a problem, but it got sorted at the same time for around 225 euros (150000 CFA). That price can vary depending on the mood of the official, your destination, and various other factors it seems.

We arrived at the border around 2:30 and left the St Louis Customs around 5:45, so a total of just over three hours.

I hope this helps somebody.

- Andrew

Hi there
Thanks for the report - really helpful.
Could you explain what the 'passavant' is? Is this simply a temporary visa? Is sounds like all your paperwork was in order so why the 100 Euros?
Sorry if these are 'stupid' questions but we're looking into a trip down west africa so collecting info and hadn't come across this term yet.
Thank you in advance.

Gemma

It's a temporary import permit.

Used instead of Carnet de Passage in some countries. It's normally not needed if you have a carnet.

In Februari last year we, after an hour or so, got our carnet stamped without having to pay for a passevant or go to Dakar.

A couple of months earlier they refused to stamp our carnet and we had to buy a cheap passevant, can't remember the price but definitely under 50€ and I think it was a couple of weeks. We didn't have to go to Dakar.

Mate, you were stitched up, in May we only had to pay 4000 CFA peage to cross the barrage (and we got a receipt).

We had the ballache of having to go to the port in Dakar (gate 8) to get out Carnet stamped but I thought the crossing was pretty painless with officials on both sides being pretty honest and professional.

maybe we were just lucky!

Our experience yesterday (at Rosso!)....yep, forget Diama for a few more days, it has been raining heavily, some vehicles abandoned in the mud.....there is a 4-5KM section, absolute hell, we couldnt get through and had to turn back. Really greasey surfac, no traction at all, skidding all over the pace. Suspect will be fine in a week or less with some sun on it to dry it but currently really thick clay, only 1 4x4 toyota got through, everybody else failed! Quite dangerous as really close to the edge to sliding into the REALLy thick goohey clay. Maybe we took the old track as it sounds like a new road being built, but this bad section was approx 30kms before Diama on the Mauri side. I have driven this road twice before and it is definitely the road we took before.

Anyways. They stamped our Carnet at Rosso. But ALSO insisted we have a time stamped passavant, valid for 48 hours. Must visit the Douane at Dakar port to surrender the passavant, and he then stamps the CDP AGAIN with the amount of time you want in Senegal (upto 90 days allowed apparently). Had to pay 2,500CFA for the passavant. Load of balls, that's the point of the CDP in the first place.

Hope that helps anybody about to do the same.

And yes, they are STILL a complete and utter bunch of crooks at Rosso, the worst scumbags you will ever have to deal with in your life.

Is a CDP or passevant needed for a vehicle registered in the ECOWAS block of countries and carrying an ECOWAS Brown Card (Carte Brun)?

We'll be driving our '82 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ60 from Sierra Leone to Germany at some point next year. Depending on political situations in these countries we may need to pass through Senegal.

Here in Sierra Leone no one drives these sorts of places and even the folks that issue the brown card can't really give me any information that sounds like they know what they are talking about.

Sorry,
i am going to enter senegal from Djema next week,i have a brand new carnet,
my toy is a 2002,i do not understand why i have to go to dakar if they stamp on the frontiere the carnet,
i did the same by motorbike last year entering from mali,the stamp the carnet there,nobady told me to go to dakar and than,after some days i went out fro Djema where they stamp again the carnet.
i think as soon as you have stamped the carnet at the entrance you should be right.
thank for your help,
Andrea.