Driving Permit for Mauritius
Driving in Mauritius: traffic keeps left, Mauritius is a 1949 Geneva Convention country for IDP purposes, and hire car firms often require an IDP alongside your original home licence.
- Drive on
- Left
- Convention
- Not a party
- IDP validity
- Varies
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Mauritius?
Mauritius is a 1949 Geneva Convention country, not a 1968 Vienna Convention one. United Nations depositary records list Mauritius under the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic, applied by the United Kingdom on 13 May 1959 with reservations and carrying the distinguishing sign 'MS'. Mauritius does not appear among the 1968 Convention's contracting parties, so if you carry an International Driving Permit, carry the 1949 Geneva format.
Domestic law matters more than the treaty for most visitors. Section 40 of the Road Traffic Act makes it an offence to drive without a Mauritian driving licence, but section 40(3) disapplies that requirement for the holder of an international driving permit. The Act defines that term to mean an International Driving Permit and to include a driving licence issued by a competent foreign authority that is made to have effect in Mauritius by regulations under the Act. The UK Foreign Office states you can use a UK photocard driving licence in Mauritius and should carry it when driving, and sets no time limit. We found no statutory period after which a visitor's foreign licence stops being accepted, so treat any fixed figure quoted elsewhere with caution.
In practice the hire desk sets the tighter rule. The Foreign Office notes hire car companies often impose stricter requirements than the law, such as a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age and holding an IDP. Traffic drives on the left and overtaking is on the right. Seat belts and motorcycle helmets are compulsory, hand-held phone use is a specific offence, third-party insurance is compulsory with the insurer's vignette displayed on the windscreen, and the drink-drive limit is very low.
Mauritius has not ratified either UN road-traffic convention.
Mauritius is not a contracting party to the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so no treaty obliges it to recognise an International Driving Permit. That does not automatically make an IDP useless: rental companies and police often ask for a readable translation of a foreign license, and many drivers carry one for exactly that reason. Read the country detail below and confirm the current rules with your rental company before you travel.
What you need to drive in Mauritius
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Valid original home driving licence, carried with you whenever you drive
IDP in the 1949 Geneva Convention format: not established as a universal legal requirement for visitors, but hire car firms often ask for one
Statutory minimum age to drive a car is 18 under section 43 of the Road Traffic Act; hire companies commonly set a higher minimum and expect about a year's driving experience
Compulsory third-party insurance; the insurer's vignette must be displayed on the left corner of the windscreen
Convention check: UN depositary records list Mauritius under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (United Kingdom territorial application 13 May 1959, with reservations, distinguishing sign 'MS'). Mauritius is not listed among the 1968 Vienna Convention contracting parties, so carry the 1949-format IDP.
Road Traffic Act section 40(3): the requirement to hold a Mauritian driving licence does not apply to a person who is the holder of an international driving permit. The Act's definition also covers a driving licence issued by a competent foreign authority and made to have effect in Mauritius by virtue of regulations made under the Act.
Statutory driving ages under Road Traffic Act section 43: no one under 15 may drive a motor vehicle, no one under 17 anything other than an autocycle, and no one under 18 anything other than an autocycle, motorcycle or invalid carriage. That puts the minimum car-driving age at 18. Hire company minimums are usually higher than the law requires.
Prescribed alcohol limits published by the Mauritius Police Force: 20 milligrammes per 100 ml of blood, 9 microgrammes per 100 ml of breath, 27 milligrammes per 100 ml of urine.
Speed limits are prescribed under the Road Traffic (Speed) Regulations 2011 and section 124 of the Road Traffic Act, indicated by traffic signs, and enforced partly by photographic enforcement devices. Penalty bands rise with the margin by which the limit is exceeded.
Hand-held phone use while driving is an offence under section 123AE of the Road Traffic Act; helmets are required under section 123N for riders and pillion riders of motorcycles and autocycles; and a child under 10 may not be admitted to the front seat of a vehicle other than a motorbus under regulation 40C of the Road Traffic Regulations 1954.
What to know before you turn the key
Mauritius drives on the left — the driver sits on the right, and roundabouts flow clockwise.
Carry your IDP and your original license together — rental desks and police checks will ask for both documents.
The UK Foreign Office says a UK photocard licence can be used in Mauritius and sets no time limit, but adds that hire car companies often require a year's driving experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP. Plan around the hire desk's rule, not the statutory minimum.
The sticker on the windscreen is an insurance vignette, an insurer's certificate of third-party cover required by section 57A of the Road Traffic Act, not a road-use or emissions pass.
The drink-drive limit is 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, which the Foreign Office describes as a quarter of England's legal limit. Treat it as effectively zero tolerance.
Penalties sit in the Road Traffic Act and are enforced through fixed-penalty notices and camera enforcement. Speeding under section 124 carries a fine on conviction, with a higher ceiling for a third or subsequent conviction, and fixed-penalty bands increase with the margin over the limit. Hand-held phone use (section 123AE) and failing to wear a prescribed helmet (section 123N) are separate offences. Drink-driving is treated severely: the Mauritius Police Force states that a first conviction carries a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000, imprisonment of up to 5 years and disqualification for a minimum of 12 months, with heavier fines, longer imprisonment and cancellation of the licence with a minimum 24-month disqualification for a second or subsequent conviction. Using a vehicle without compulsory third-party insurance is an offence under section 55, carrying a fine and possible imprisonment. Driving outside the terms of your licence or permit can also invalidate rental cover. Published fine amounts differ between the consolidated Act and current police guidance, so confirm current figures before travelling.
Local rules to watch in Mauritius
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
The Foreign Office warns that road accidents are common in Mauritius, that many roads are narrow and without pavements, that pedestrians and cyclists use main roads including motorways, and that motorbikes often ride without headlights at night. Allow extra time and take particular care after dark.
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Mauritius keeps.
Common questions about driving in Mauritius
Drive Mauritius, confidently.
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