Can I drive in Mauritius on my home licence?
Mauritius does not publish a single tourist licence rule on the police pages checked, so the practical answers come from foreign ministries and from the rental companies:
| Your licence | What official advice says | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| UK photocard | FCDO: can be used to drive in Mauritius; carry it while driving | Photocard licence; an IDP if the hire company asks |
| US state licence | US State Department: valid for up to 4 weeks | IDP for longer stays |
| Licence not in the Roman alphabet | SIXT Mauritius requires an IDP or a certified English translation | IDP or translation |
The FCDO adds that hire companies often set stricter rules than the law, such as a higher minimum age, a year of driving experience or an IDP. SIXT, for example, rents from age 21 with a licence held for at least 2 years and adds a young driver surcharge under 25. Ask your company for its rules in writing before you land at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport.
Driving on the left, roundabouts and the M1 and M2
Traffic drives on the left, as the FCDO notes. The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority reminds visitors that vehicles coming from the right have priority. It also gives the scale: about 45 km coast to coast east to west, around 1 hour 15 minutes, and 61 km north to south, around 1 hour 20 minutes.
The two motorways you will use most are not uninterrupted expressways. The Road Development Authority's list of classified roads describes them roundabout by roundabout:
| Motorway | Route | Roundabouts named on the route |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Port Louis to the airport at Plaine Magnien | Caudan, Pont Fer, Camp Fouquereaux, Wooton, La Vigie, Nouvelle France, Plaine Magnien, plus grade-separated junctions at Réduit and Saint Jean |
| M2 | Port Louis to Sottise in the north | Quay D, Mer Rouge, Cocoterie, Riche Terre, Terre Rouge, Calebasses, Beau-Plan, Pamplemousses, Mapou, Labourdonnais, Forbach, Vale, Sottise |
Expect to slow down repeatedly on both routes, giving way at each roundabout to traffic coming from your right. The FCDO also warns that pedestrians and cyclists use main roads, including motorways, by day and at night, and that motorbikes often ride without lights after dark.
How do speed cameras and fines work in Mauritius?
The US State Department lists the limits as 40 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside towns and 110 km/h on selected highway sections. Enforcement is largely by fixed cameras: the Mauritius Police Photographic Enforcement Device Unit lists 62 fixed camera sites, including Plaine Magnien on the airport road, Phoenix, Pailles, Trianon, Curepipe and Flic en Flac.
A camera offence produces a Photographic Enforcement Device Notice (PEDN), and the process is built around the registered owner, which for you is the rental company:
- The notice goes to the owner. A company that was not driving must fill in Part B with the driver's details and return it to the police within 14 days, and the police then serve the notice on the driver.
- The driver must pay the fine within 28 days of the notice's issue date, at any District Court. Another adult can pay with your written authority and the original documents.
- According to the Traffic Branch, a fine unpaid after 28 days leads to a notice to appear before the District Court where the offence took place.
The fine amounts are not published on the police pages checked. What that timeline means for a short trip is the useful part: a camera hit near the end of a one-week holiday can reach you only after you have left, through the rental company, and the contract decides what it charges to pass on your details.
How do the 2026 penalty points affect visitors?
The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2025 reintroduced penalty points, and the Cabinet noted on 30 January 2026 that the system would operate from 31 January 2026. The Act gives holders of an International Driving Permit the same ceiling as full licence holders: 15 points within 36 months. Going over means the court disqualifies an IDP holder from driving in Mauritius for 6 to 12 months.
Points bands from the Act's schedule for offences a visitor is most likely to commit:
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| More than 15 but not more than 25 km/h over the limit | 2 to 4 |
| More than 25 km/h over the limit | 4 to 6 |
| Not wearing a seat belt | 2 to 4 |
| Not complying with a traffic light | 2 to 4 |
| Failing to give way when joining a main road | 3 to 6 |
| Using a hand-held phone while driving | 3 to 6 |
The Cabinet agreed on 8 May 2026 to draft regulations raising the phone offence to 5 to 10 points, so check the current band if you rely on the table above.
Worked example: a two-week road trip on an IDP
A camera records you at 112 km/h on an 80 km/h road: 32 km/h over, 4 to 6 points. A week later another camera records you 20 km/h over in a 40 km/h village: 2 to 4 points. Stopped with a phone in your hand, you add 3 to 6 more. The total lands between 9 and 16 points. At the top of each band, that is over the 15-point ceiling and a ban of at least 6 months from driving in Mauritius, on top of three separate fines to pay within 28 days of each notice.
Being 15 km/h over or less carries no points in the schedule, but it is still an offence with a fine. The Act also allows a driver with 10 to 14 points to ask the court to redeem up to 3 after a rehabilitation course, which is rarely practical for a visitor.
Rental insurance and accidents
Mauritius rental contracts differ widely, and none of the official sources sets what a waiver must cover. Three official warnings should shape what you ask the rental desk:
- Cyclones. The FCDO says car insurance policies often become invalid during a cyclone, when you are not allowed to leave your accommodation. The season usually runs from November to May.
- Minor accidents. If drivers disagree on what happened, the police use a Minor Road Accident Report Form, and each party pays Rs 500 for a copy, according to the Traffic Branch.
- Drink-driving. The FCDO warns that penalties apply even at a quarter of England's legal alcohol limit, which leaves almost no margin after one drink.