Mauritius is a small hilly tropical island in the Indian Ocean; it measures 60 km long by 40 km wide. A valid International driving permit and original driver license allow foreign drivers to drive in Mauritius during their stay there, but no longer than one month. If a foreigner needs to drive for more than 1 month, he will need to get a temporary Mauritius driver license from the Traffic Branch.

The main Mauritius road traffic rules:

• Traffic moves on the left side of the road.
• To drink of alcohol while driving is prohibited. The permitted blood alcohol level is 0.05%.
• Speed limits are 40 km/h (25 mph) in tows, 80 km/h (50 mph) on open roads and 110 km/h ( 68 mph) on some motorways.
• It is required from drivers to give way to pedestrians at marked pedestrian crossing.
• It is not permitted to overtake at pedestrian crossing.
• Children under 10 years of age are not allowed to travel in the front seat.
• Seat belts are required to be used by a driver and all car passengers.

Additional information:

• Speed is measured in kilometres per hours.
• The police use mobile speed cameras and hand held speed detectors.
• Many roads don’t have footpath, so pedestrians walk on the driveways.
• There are many buses on the roads; they stop very often.
• Night driving is not recommended as the street illumination is poor, cyclists and motorcyclists drive without lighting and numerous pedestrians on the road.
• Parking is permitted on roads, but many roads are too narrow. In towns, there is a parking fee for parking. 30 minute parking coupons are used; they may be bought at most patrol stations.
• To transport a baby, a baby car seat should be used.
• The rush hours are from 07:30 (7:30 am) to 09:30 (9:30am) and from 15:00 (3 pm) to 18:00 (6 pm).
• To hire a car, a driver must be at least 21 years old and have held a full driving license for one year or more. Drivers under 24 years may have a young driver surcharge.
• The police phone number is 999.

 Driving Overseas - Short Information