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April 3, 2023
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Home > Mauritius Business > Mauritius Passport? HOW TO [full report]

Mauritius Passport How to Get

Mauritius has always attracted investors all over the world, mostly for its thriving economy and favorable regulations. Now, having a Mauritian passport comes with great opportunities. In fact, according to the Henley Passport Index, the Mauritius passport is the second-best in Africa, and according to the Guide Passport Ranking Index, it ranks 31st in the world.

This index is measured based on the number of countries one can travel to without a visa as long as they hold a powerful passport. In this case, you can have access to 146 countries without a visa with your Mauritian passport (opens in a new tab). This makes it one of the most desirable and powerful passports in the world.

Some of these countries include:

  • United Kingdom
  • Turkey
  • Mexico
  • China
  • Thailand
  • Schengen Area of Europe
  • Russia

However, the European Information Authorization System (ETIAS) has opted to strengthen its border security by adding an extra requirement for travelers. Therefore, for every Mauritian passport holder who wants to access the Schengen Area of Europe, they will be required to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver from late 2023.

How to Get Mauritius Passport?

There are two main options to acquire a Mauritius passport, and these include Mauritius nationality and investment routes. The easiest one is acquiring nationality, and there are few options to help you acquire Mauritius citizenship.

These include:

  • By birth
  • By adoption
  • By decent
  • By naturalization
  • By registration

Once you become a Mauritian citizen, you are eligible to apply for a passport.

If you have the investment cash required to either earn citizenship, passport, or permanent residence, then you can follow this route as well. We will give you more details about these investments below.

Mauritius Passport Requirements

Requirements to get a passport in Mauritius are quite straightforward whether you are residing in the country or abroad. The authorities involved include the Prime Minister’s office that handles all matters related to Mauritian citizenship issuance and the Passport and Immigration Office to provide passports to applicants.

Mauritius passport requirements for South African citizens, like all other foreign nationalities, are the same. They are required to either acquire citizenship first or fulfill the investment requirements as per the stipulation of the law, and then they can apply for a passport.

Traveling to the country is not one of the Mauritius passport requirements for South African citizens — they can apply online and rely on Mauritian authorities in South Africa.

However, as a South African, you are not required to obtain a visa to visit Mauritius for a period of up to 90 days. All they need is a valid South African passport.

How to Apply for A Passport in Mauritius

Have you ascertained that you are eligible to apply for a Mauritian Passport? How to obtain a passport in Mauritius is a question that gets answered in these simple steps.

The very first step includes filling a passport application form which you can acquire through:

  • Either main or sub-Passport and Immigration office in Mauritius
  • Any police station in the country
  • Any consulate or Mauritian embassy if you are not residing in the country
  • Online portal whereby you can download the editable or non-editable version

The form comes with simple guidelines on how to fill it correctly on the first page. Please read it and understand to avoid delay or denial of the passport. The form must be filled in capital letters using a black pen.

In case you are applying for the passport for an under 18 person, then a parent or legal guardian should sign different segments on the application form. In case these are not available, the consent to apply for a passport to Mauritius can be completed under the watch of a police officer, official embassy, or a solicitor in the country of residence.

Documents required include:

  • A properly filled application form
  • Birth certificate
  • National ID
  • Certificate of citizenship in Mauritius or foreign country or both depending on the requirement
  • Two passport photos are taken under the requirements of the office
  • The old passport in case of renewal and a police certificate in case of lost passport
  • For minors, additional documents are required, such as parent’s national IDs, birth certificates, and if found necessary, an order from a judge
  • For married people, additional documents required include a divorced decree or a marriage certificate

Mauritius Passport from South Africa

Mauritius passport application from south Africa is quite easy as long one has fulfilled citizenship or investment requirements to acquire a Mauritius passport. To get the passport application form, they can visit the nearest Mauritius consulate office or the embassy or download directly the

Application for a Mauritius Passport ( opens in a new tab) and here the editable version ( opens in a new tab) .

Mauritius passport application from south Africa where to submit forms: After filling the form, they must submit it together with a copy of relevant documents in the Mauritius High Commission, embassy, or consulate.

The applicant must also carry with them the original documents for verification purposes. These documents must be in English or French. For document required, refer to the list provided above.

In addition:

  • For applicants born in South Africa, a certificate of foreign citizenship and that of Mauritian citizenship must be provided if they acquired it through adoption, naturalization, or registration.
  • For Mauritian citizens, including minors born in South Africa, they must provide a certificate of foreign citizenship or their parents’ residence permit and their Mauritian’s parents birth certificate
  • For minors who are non-Mauritian citizens, they must provide their parents’ passport

Mauritius Passport by Investment

The Mauritian government is the first answer to the question of how to get a Mauritius passport by investment. They believe that every investment creates more wealth and an improved country’s economy, hence, formulating schemes to attract as many foreigners as they can.

In this case, there are three investment options one can use:

  1. Pay a non-refundable fee to attain citizenship
  2. Pay a non-refundable fee to get a passport
  3. Make an investment or start a business to attain permanent residence and then apply for citizenship after few years

1. Non-Refundable Fee to Attain Citizenship

Any foreigner who can raise $1 million is eligible to acquire Mauritian citizenship by paying this amount to the national sovereign wealth fund. For any applicant’s dependents under this scheme, he will be required to add $100,000 per person. After acquiring citizenship, the applicants will be eligible to apply for a passport through the same process detailed above.

2. Non-Refundable Fee to Get a Passport

Under this scheme, a foreigner who can raise $375,000 can contribute to Mauritius’s sovereign wealth fund and acquire a passport. For each dependent who wants to benefit from the same, an additional $50,000 will be required to get a passport.
Both contributions are non-refundable and are usually known as citizenship by investment programs (CIPs). The only criticism about these two schemes is that selling Mauritian citizenship and passport might encourage unscrupulous business people to flock to the country.

3. Passport Via Permanent Residence

A foreigner could be eligible for permanent residency in Mauritius if they can afford to make an investment amounting to $350,000 in real estate. This is the Mauritius golden passport scheme. Previously this amount stood at $500,000, but in the quest to further encourage foreign investors, the Mauritian government reduced it to the current amount.

Once an applicant obtains permanent residence, they are not required to acquire a residence or work permit in the country, and they can apply for citizenship and passport eventually. Dependents such as spouses and children also get to acquire permanent residence together with the applicant. However, for children who are 18 years and above, the applicant will be required to deposit an extra 100,000 with the national accountant general through a bank transfer.

This is a golden passport scheme and should not be confused with CIPs. The golden plan does not directly offer Mauritian citizenship or passport, but CIPs are instant once the application process is approved.

I wrote a blog post here about The reasons to invest in Mauritius, which might interest you.

Getting a Mauritius passport is possible and easy if one can follow all the relevant authorities’ laws responsible for issuance.
This may also be of interest to them about the cost of moving from South Africa to Mauritius.

How to get a Mauritius passport by investment?

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You can indeed obtain a Mauritian passport through investment schemes such as CIPs or the golden passport scheme. Through the CIP schemes, one can either contribute $1million to acquire Mauritian citizenship or $375,000 to acquire a Mauritian passport. The other option includes investing in the real estate industry with a minimum amount of $350,000. Every citizen is eligible to apply for a Mauritian passport.

How to get a Mauritius passport?

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To get a Mauritian passport, one needs to ensure that they can apply for it either by citizenship or investment. Once they are assured of eligibility, they can go ahead and fill the application form and submit all the necessary documents.

One can apply from any authorized office in Mauritius or abroad through the relevant authorities in the country of residence, such as the consulate or embassy.

How much cost the Mauritius Passport & Renewal fees

Obtaining a passport in any country attracts a cost regardless of the method you use to acquire it. In this case, the Mauritius passport price is as follows:

  1. For adults; RS 700
  2. For minors; RS 400
  3. For a disabled person (need to provide a certificate from the ministry of security); RS 400
  4. For senior citizens (must be 55 years or above); RS 400
  5. In case of renewal due to loss or damage, an applicant needs to pay RS 5,000 for the first time. However, for the second and subsequent replacements, they will need to pay RS 15,000.

Mauritius passport how to get?

  1. Download this Form
  2. Fill in the relevant sections in capital letters with black color.
  3. With the Money it cost (see above “How much cost the Mauritius Passport & Renewal fees“)
  4. Return the filled document to the Passport and Immigration Office with the following documents

DOCUMENTS TO BE PRODUCED IN ALL CASES (ORIGINAL + PHOTOCOPIES)

Birth Certificate, Two recent identical photographs (passport size)

Additional documents

  1. Adults
    • National Identity Card
    • Certificate of Citizenship (where applicable)
  2. Married person applying for own passport in spouse’s name
    • Marriage certificate
  3. Divorced person
    • Marriage Certificate
    • Divorce Decree
  4. Minor
    • Birth certificates of parents
    • National Identity Cards of parents/guardians
    • Certificate of citizenship (where applicable)
    • Copy of Judge’s Order (where applicable)
  5. Person whose name has been changed abroad otherwise than by marriage
    • Documentary evidence of change of name; (Note: Change of name to be made executory in Mauritius)
  6. Person born outside Mauritius with a parent born in Mauritius
    • Birth certificates of Mauritian parents
    • National Identity Cards of parents/guardians
    • Certificate of foreign citizenship/Residence permit of parents (where applicable)
  7. Person who is citizen of Mauritius by Registration or Naturalisation
    • Certificate of Registration/Naturalisation
  8. Lost Passport
    • Certificate from Police

The new set of discretionary powers of the Prime Minister (Page 239) (f) in section 11 of the Mauritius Citizenship Act 2022.

“Notwithstanding subsections (5), (6) and (7), the Minister may, in his absolute discretion and without giving any reason, deprive any person of his
citizenship of Mauritius, if he has reliable information and is satisfied that it is in the interest of defence, public safety or public order.”

Under this law, the Prime Minister can revoke the citizenship of a foreigner married to a Mauritian woman or a foreign woman married to a Mauritian man without giving any reason.

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Steven Author of gostartbusiness

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