Are you looking to move to Mauritius on a short-term visa in order to scout for opportunities or to get a feel for life on the island? Here are the entry requirements for short-term visas.
A short stay is defined as any stay of up to 6 months within a 12-month period. Mauritius offers several categories of short-stay visas:
Tourist visa
A tourist visa of up to 6 months within a calendar year can be granted on a case-by-case basis, subject to immigration requirements. Holders of a tourist visa may also take advantage of their stay in Mauritius to apply for a Premium Visa or an Occupation Permit.
Good to know:
Since October 1, 2025, a tourist fee applies to overnight stays in certain types of tourist accommodation across Mauritius. The fee amounts to 鈧3 per person, per night for travelers aged 12 and above. It concerns a wide range of establishments, including hotels, tourist residences, guesthouses, and tourist estates. Children aged 12 or under are exempt from the charge.
Business visa
A business visa may be granted for up to 120 days within a calendar year. However, visa holders can stay for a maximum of 90 days per trip. They are not permitted to receive any remuneration in Mauritius, as this visa is solely intended for establishing or conducting business or investment activities in the country.
Social visa
This visa is granted for 45 days to non-citizens who have been sponsored by a religious organization (often called 鈥渟ociocultural organizations鈥 in Mauritius) to engage in cultural and religious activities.
Multiple entry visa
It is granted only to foreign business people with business interests in Mauritius who require a visa before travel. It allows a maximum stay of 120 days per calendar year, and each trip must not exceed 90 days.
Transit visa
This visa is granted to passengers on stopover in Mauritius for a maximum of 24 hours on their way to a third country. It is a visa on arrival that is issued at the port of entry in Mauritius itself.
Medical visa
Issued to non-citizens who are coming to Mauritius for medical treatment in a private(not public) healthcare institution approved by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life. Granted on arrival in Mauritius, it covers the duration of the treatment but cannot exceed 6 months.
Important:
These short-stay visas do not authorize their holders to carry out any commercial activity and generate income during their stay in Mauritius.
Visa-free travel in Mauritius (up to 90 days)
One of the benefits of Mauritius' strong diplomatic ties with various nations is that citizens from many countries can visit Mauritius without a visa for 3 months, or 90 days to be exact. However, it is important to remember that these travelers cannot conduct business, work part-time, or pursue studies during that stay, unless they apply for a work, business or student visa.
Countries with visa-free access
Citizens of the following countries enjoy short-stay visa-free travel to Mauritius:
Antigua and Barbuda
Ghana
Rwanda
Argentina
Greece
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Australia
Hungary
Saint Lucia
Austria
Iceland
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Bahamas
Ireland
Samoa
Bahrain
Israel
San Marino
Barbados
Italy
Seychelles
Belgium
Jamaica
Sierra Leone
Belize
Japan
Singapore
Benin
Kenya
Slovakia
Botswana
Kiribati
Slovenia
Brazil
Kuwait
Solomon Islands
Bulgaria
Latvia
South Africa
Burundi
Lesotho
South Korea
Canada
Liechtenstein
Spain
Cape Verde
Lithuania
Sweden
Chile
Luxembourg
Switzerland
China
Malawi
Tanzania
Costa Rica
Malaysia
Tonga
Croatia
Maldives
Trinidad and Tobago
Cyprus
Malta
Tunisia
Czech Republic
Monaco
Turkey
Denmark
Mozambique
Tuvalu
Dominica
Namibia
Uganda
Egypt
Nauru
United Arab Emirates
Estonia
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Eswatini
New Zealand
United States of America
Fiji
Norway
Uruguay
Finland
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
France
Paraguay
Vatican City
Gabon
Poland
Zambia
Gambia
Portugal
Zimbabwe
Germany
Romania
Visa on arrival
Citizens of the following countries can obtain a visa on arrival when they land at the airport or disembark from a ship in Mauritius. For the majority of these countries, the visa lasts 60 days, but it lasts only for two weeks for Algerian, Malagasy, Comorian, Nigerian and Iranian nationals as per the latest information of the Passport and Immigration Office.
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia (Republic of), Micronesia, Moldova (Republic of), Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, Niger, Palau, Panama, Peru, Russia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan.
Citizens of countries not mentioned in the two lists above must apply for a visa at least a few months before flying or sailing to Mauritius. Both short-stay travelers who need a visa and those who don't must fulfill the following conditions:
Have a valid passport for the entire duration of their stay
Have a return ticket
Have proof of accommodation in Mauritius
Have proof of funds of USD 100 per day
Good to know:
The Mauritian government recently announced two new tools鈥攁 digital recognition system and an electronic travel authorization platform鈥攖o make travel procedures easier for visitors.
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Students and interns traveling to Mauritius
Student visa
First, the international student needs to submit all of the required documents to their host university in Mauritius as well as pay their tuition fee deposit (and any other fees required before the start of the semester). Then, their host institution will forward their supporting documents to the Passport and Immigration Office (PIO) in Port-Louis, which will process the student visa and issue it by email.
Visa for interns
Non-citizens can obtain an internship visa under the condition that they:
Have a degree
Have an internship agreement of a maximum of 6 months with a host company or institution in Mauritius
Will not receive a salary in Mauritius, although they can receive a stipend from their host organization for basic expenses like transport
Health requirements for traveling to Mauritius
All travelers, whether citizens or non-citizens, must complete an identification and health form upon arrival in Mauritius. To avoid long queues at the airport, these forms can also be filled out online in advance, immediately after receiving your boarding pass at your port of departure.
Application for extension of stay in Mauritius
Non-citizens holding visas, residence permits, or occupation permits are required to adhere to the conditions for extending their stay. The specific requirements for an extension are outlined below:
For tourist visas:
Proof of a return ticket
Bank statement of the last 3 months as proof of funds
A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the return date
Exact contact details of the accommodation provider, whether it be a hotel, an Airbnb, or the house of a private individual
For the residence permit:
The Permanent Residence Permit (PRP) is issued for 20 years and can be renewed for an equivalent period. Obtaining it generally requires 5 years of residence under an appropriate permit, depending on the category, and specific financial thresholds must be met. In the case of property acquisition through an approved scheme (IRS, RES, PDS, Smart City, etc.), residency depends on ownership of that property.
For the Occupation Permit:
The initial validity period of an Occupation Permit (OP) depends on the category (investor, salaried professional, self-employed). In principle, it can be renewed or converted after a certain number of years, provided that performance thresholds (turnover, income, investment) are met.
For example, for a self-employed person, an initial investment of USD 50,000 is required, with a minimum income of around Rs 750,000 in the first year and a cumulative amount of around Rs 6 million over 5 years. For investors, there is an obligation to demonstrate increasing turnover, then a minimum of around Rs 5 million per year from the 6th year onward. The exact rules vary depending on the year the permit was issued.
As elsewhere in the world, petty crimes and burglaries occur in Mauritius, especially in busy areas such as Port-Louis, Grand Bay and Flic en Flac.
Nevertheless, the majority of crimes reported to the authorities in Mauritius are nonviolent, apart from a few rare cases, serious enough to make the news headlines from time to time.
Safety tips for visitors and residents
Be careful with your bags and valuables in popular areas
Keep separate copies of important documents, such as passports
Check and upgrade the security of your accommodation, including your hotel room, if you notice any deficiencies
Avoid walking alone at night on beaches or in poorly lit areas, especially in the back alleys of Port-Louis' business district
Always be careful when withdrawing money from ATMs
Always have your local police station contact numbers handy
鈩癸笍
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
A journalist, holder of the DALF C1 and C2 and a diploma from the University of Mauritius, I have nearly twenty years of writing experience. After six years in the Mauritian press, I joined 天美麻豆, where I have been working for over a decade, including five years as editorial assistant, and now as editorial manager.