Following the public statement released on 29th April 2025 regarding the deployment of a Mobile ID Card Enrolment Service to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) is pleased to announce that the enrolment team has successfully completed its official mission in Mauritania and returned to the shores of The Gambia on 1st May 2025.
Premised on the Government of The Gambia’s commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of Gambians at home and abroad, the GID is pleased to report that a total of 531 Gambian residents in Mauritania were successfully enrolled by the mobile enrolment team. Of this number, 389 applications have already been printed and dispatched to the Gambian Embassy in Mauritania. The remaining 142 applications are currently being printed for onward delivery. Importantly, all ID cards printed will be delivered along with corresponding payment receipts to the applicants.
During the course of the deployment in Mauritania, the GID took note of unfounded claims made by certain public and social commentators alleging that National ID Cards are not relevant for the regularization of nationality status abroad. Through this missive, the GID wishes to clarify that the bilateral cooperation between the Government of The Gambia and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania adequately recognizes the Gambian National ID Card as a valid document for the regularization of nationality status—contrary to such inaccurate assertions.
On a separate matter, the GID regrets to announce that the Amdalai Immigration Border Post received twenty-seven (27) Gambian returnees from Mauritania on 4th May 2025, escorted by Hon. Saikouba Jarjou, Deputy Head of Mission in Mauritania. These migrant returnees consist of undocumented Gambian nationals who were unable to access the services of the mobile enrolment team during the period of deployment. The returnees are currently being processed at the Migration Management Unit in Tanji and further reunited with their families and loved ones. Imperatively, the return of these stranded migrants further underscores the Government’s efforts to support Gambian migrants in regularizing their immigration status in the Republic of Mauritania through initiatives such as the deployment of the mobile team.
The GID extends its utmost appreciation to the Government of The Gambia, the Gambian Embassy in Mauritania, and the Gambian Embassy in Dakar for their invaluable support in facilitating the successful enrolment of migrants and their subsequent cooperation in the orderly return of the few undocumented migrants affected. The GID reaffirms its unwavering dedication to service and remains committed to answering the call of Gambians, both at home and abroad.
