TOURIST INFORMATION
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) is the best source of information both prior to your trip and during it. They publish information booklets on the island and have a website that is packed with useful information and links. MTPA Head Office 4th Fl, Victoria Hse, Saint Louis St, Port Louis;. The MTPA has an information desk at the airport in Plaisance (% 637 3635) and a kiosk in Trou d’Eau Douce (Coastal Rd, La Pelouse; % 480 0925).
For tourist information during your stay in Mauritius, you can call the tourism 24-hour information line (% 152), which provides details of exchange rates, night-duty pharmacies, events, restaurants etc in English and French.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS To enter Mauritius, you will need a passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of your stay, proof of a return or onward ticket and the address of confirmed accommodation on the island.
Tourists and business visitors travelling on passports from the following countries are among those who do not require a visa: the UK, other European Union countries, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Norway and Sweden. Holders of passports from certain other countries are granted stays of a limited duration on arrival; for instance, visitors from Albania, Comoros and Madagascar are granted two weeks, while visitors from Russia, India, China and Fiji are granted 60 days. For those travelling on passports from some other countries, a visa is required prior to travel; for instance, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Thailand and most Latin American countries; visitors are usually granted a stay of up to 90 days, or for the duration of their visit if less. For further information on business visits. Entry requirements change so, please check with your nearest Mauritius representative or the MTPA website.
IMMIGRATION During your flight to Mauritius you should be given an international embarkation/disembarkation card and a health-related form. These need to be filled in before you join the immigration queue. Have them ready, together with your return air ticket and passport. The process may require some patience on your part.
You will be required to provide the address where you intend to stay or at least the name of your hotel. If you don’t know where you’re going to stay, expect questions, since immigration needs an address for you. If you are hoping to camp bear in mind that there are no official campsites and camping is discouraged.
You must have a return air ticket otherwise you may be asked to purchase one on the spot. You may also be asked to provide proof that you have sufficient funds to cover your stay. The amount of money that you have in your possession is not the sole criterion: your access to funds in an emergency is important too. According to the MTPA, you will be expected to have at least US$100 (around £63) per night.
The visitor who comes on a package holiday does not raise the same doubts that independent travellers do because the package tourist has prepaid accommodation and is under the auspices of the tour company. However, providing the independent traveller is a genuine tourist who will not engage in ‘profit-making activities’, which is forbidden, entry is granted after a short interview at the desk.
There is a list of undesirable types who will not be admitted to Mauritius. Anyone who is likely to be a charge on public funds will be refused entry, as will chronic alcoholics, so don’t overdo the drinks on the plane.
The second desk you come to is manned by a Ministry of Health official. You will need to hand over the health form you filled in on the aircraft and you may be asked whether you are carrying any plant or animal material and whether you have visited a farm recently. This is part of the continual campaign to prevent malaria returning to Mauritius. If you have come from a malaria-infected country you could be asked to give a blood sample for precautionary analysis within a few days of your arrival.
CUSTOMS The red and green channel system operates in Mauritius but even if you opt for the green channel, you may be questioned before being allowed through.
Incoming visitors aged 16 and over are allowed to import free of duty:
Tobacco up to 250g
Spirits 1 litre
Wine/beer 2 litres of wine, ale or beer
Perfume 10cl of perfume & 25cl of eau de toilette
Goods for personal use up to the value of Rs15,000 (Mauritian passport holder), Rs7,500 (Mauritian passport holder under 12 years of age), Rs7,500 (foreign passport holder)
Restricted and prohibited goods The following goods are either restricted or prohibited: arms and ammunition, fishing guns, drugs, publications, films or videos of an obscene nature, sugarcane cuttings, plant material, animals and animal products. It is illegal to import or possess cigarette papers.
Prescription drugs If you are carrying prescription drugs, they may be illegal for import into Mauritius. It is advisable to keep them in the manufacturer’s box with your prescription. Be prepared to present them for inspection to the customs officials.
Plants and animals All plants and plant material must be declared to customs and will be subject to inspection. A plant-import permit must be obtained in advance from the Ministry of Agriculture, including for cuttings, bulbs, fresh fruit, vegetables and seeds. It is illegal to import sugarcane, soil or micro-organisms.
The same procedure of import permits must also be followed for animals and animal material, which must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the veterinary authorities of the exporting country. Animals must be declared on arrival. The importation of invertebrates is prohibited. Dogs and cats undergo a six-month quarantine period, birds and other animals two months. The cost is met by the importer.
Animal- and plant-import permits are available from Agricultural Services (Head Office, Port Louis; % 454 1091).
Money There is no restriction on the importation or exportation of foreign or Mauritian currency.
Drugs The penalties for trafficking drugs of any kind are severe. Don’t risk it.
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