Indian Licence in Mauritius 2026: Keep Left, Drink Nothing

Can you drive in Mauritius with an Indian licence? Yes. Indian visitors regularly hire cars on the island, and the most practical package is your Indian licence plus an International Driving Permit from your RTO, with your passport. Hire companies there often ask for the permit even when a licence alone would satisfy the law, and nobody in Mauritius can issue an Indian IDP. The good news is the side of the road: Mauritius drives on the left, exactly as India does, so your position on the road and the way you take a roundabout stay the same.

Your case: Mauritius publishes no single national speed table we can stand behind, so before you book a coast-to-coast day out read the Mauritius driving guide for what the signs, the police checks and the hire paperwork actually require.

The rental desk sets the bar

The UK government’s advice for Mauritius describes how hire firms behave, and it applies to any foreign driver: companies often set stricter terms than the law, such as a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age, or an International Driving Permit. For an Indian traveller that means three checks before paying:

• Is your licence old enough for the company’s experience rule?
• Are you over its minimum age, especially if you are in your early twenties?
• Does the booking require an IDP? Assume yes, and bring one.

Keep the licence, permit, passport and rental contract together in the car.

Alcohol: 0.02, lower than at home

Older guides still quote 0.05 for Mauritius, which would make it looser than India’s 0.03. It is not. The Mauritius Police Force publishes the limit as 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, or 9 µg per 100 ml of breath: that is 0.02, below India’s line. GOV.UK says the same in its own way, warning that fines or imprisonment can follow at a quarter of England’s legal limit. In other words, Mauritius is stricter than home, not more relaxed. A rum tasting or a beach-bar drink and then the drive back is not worth testing. Drink nothing if you are driving.

Same side, different hazards

No side switch, but the roads are not like an Indian highway either. GOV.UK says accidents are common and lists the reasons:

• some roads are narrow with no pavement
• pedestrians and cyclists use main roads and even the motorway, day and night
• motorbikes often ride after dark without headlights

People walking on a road will not surprise a driver from India. People walking on a motorway might, and after dark, next to an unlit motorbike, there is very little time to react. Slow down at dusk and keep the dipped beams on early.

Mauritius does not publish one clean set of national speed figures, so follow the posted signs. They change often between coastal villages, the motorway and the sugar-cane roads inland. You can sense-check what you see against home on the Speed Limit Map.

Keep yellow chalk in the car

This rule surprises almost every visitor. Drivers in Mauritius are expected to carry yellow chalk or a similar yellow indelible marker. After an accident or breakdown, mark the position of your car and its registration number on the road before moving it out of the way, if you can do so safely. Ask the rental company whether chalk is already in the glovebox, and buy some if it is not.

Cyclone season and your insurance

Tropical cyclones usually hit between November and May. During a cyclone warning you may not be allowed to leave your accommodation, and GOV.UK notes that car insurance often stops being valid while it lasts. If your trip falls in those months, read the rental insurance terms for weather exclusions and do not drive once a warning is in force.

Numbers to save

For police, dial 112. For an ambulance, GOV.UK gives 999 or 114. In India you would dial 112, which still reaches help here, but the ambulance numbers are worth adding to your phone. Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Mauritius, safety and security (hire company terms including IDP; drink-driving penalties at a quarter of England’s limit; road conditions; yellow chalk; cyclones and insurance): gov.uk
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Mauritius, health (ambulance 999 or 114): gov.uk
• India, Motor Vehicles Act, s.185 (30 mg per 100 ml): indiacode.nic.in