Getting Your Driving licence in Mauritius

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A driving licence is a document that allows the bearer to drive a vehicle. The Traffic Branch of the Mauritius Police Force is the responsible body for issuing such documents as well as maintaining records of driving offences. All applicants must be physically fit for all applications.

Applying for a Driving Licence

The minimum age for applying for a driving licence is 15 years for an auto cycle, 17 years for a motorcycle and 18 years for a motor car. Applications should be made at the nearest police station (Police Form PF 31 to be completed) or online at https://police.govmu.org/ using your MauPass GovMu account along with a non-refundable fee of Rs500. You will then be given a date (~3 months later) to finalise your application by going to Les Casernes and producing the following documents:

Birth Certificate
National Identity Card (or Student Pass)
Marriage Certificate for married women
2 Passport Photographs
Work/Residence Permit along with passport if not Mauritian

There is a lot of waiting/queuing to first submit your documents when you get there, then for payment but after the ordeal, they will ask you to come back 1 week later to finally obtain what is locally referred to as provisional learner.

From Provisional to Full Driving Licence

A provisional licence (learner) allows you to start learning to drive under the supervision of an instructor. You don't need to have passed the oral test to begin your driving lessons. However you'd need the oral before you can book your practical test and it's a good idea to understand what the different traffic signs mean if you have started learning to drive - you wouldn't want to cause an accident by turning left into a road which clearly indicates no-left-turn, would you now?

Oral Test / Highway Code

The oral driving test also known as the audio visual test is normally done in batches of 20 over 40 minutes. Candidates have to answer 40 multiple choice questions whereby only 6 mistakes are permissible for a pass and this is done in English/French over a computerised system. While the theory test/highway code/oral, whichever you want to call it, can be booked online for a fee of Rs500, the wait time is usually 3 months to be called in for the test. This can also be taken in Creole and a police officer will read out the questions to the candidate.

Road Test aka Practical Driving Test

The practical driving test is assessed on the following criteria: starting off, changing gears, turning corners, stopping at various speeds, giving signals while driving, reversing, turning the vehicle around, stopping, holding and starting the vehicle on gradient, reading traffic lights, rules of the road, understanding traffic signals by drivers and police and mechanical knowledge.

On average, 20 lessons are required to pass the road test and each lesson is roughly 30 mins and costs around Rs350. Very often driving instructors demand a test car insurance fee of around Rs2500 for you to take the test in their car. Note that if you fail, you will have to wait 2 months before you can resit the test.

The International Driving Permit

Applications are done solely at the Traffic Branch of Line Barracks Port Louis. Documents to be produced include:

The local driving licence of the applicant
National Identity Card
1 recent passport size photo
A fee of Rs800

Nonetheless, foreigners can drive in Mauritius with a valid driving licence from their respective countries once they have carried out some formalities at the police headquarters.

Driving Test Centres

There are currently 3 driving test centres around the island:

Line Barracks Driving Test Centre, Port-Louis - Tel No. 203 1422
Les Casernes Driving Test Centre, Curepipe - Tel No. 673 2824
Argy Driving Test Centre, Flacq - Tel No. 420 2165

It is estimated that only 40% of people who take the driving test in Mauritius actually end up passing and just 15% manage to get through on their first try!

gices Level 6

I'm a Software Developer and the co-founder of Clever Dodo. Born in Mauritius and now living in the UK, I usually blog about fitness, music, spirituality and driving topics to pass on my knowledge.

40 Replies

Meshuggah Level 1

Hello,
I recently learned that once u have your learner's permit, you'd need to pass your driving test within 6 months else u have to retake the oral exam! Now let us admit that u have a learner's permit for like years ago but never managed to take the test. Does that mean u have to take the oral test again or is the learner's permit valid 6 month from the day the new amendment was made official?

ManishOomajee Level 1

being a minor of 17yrs old (nearly 18) when someone obtains a provisional driving licence, can he start to learn how to drive a car? But the stamps are put on the autocycle n motorcycle. and once he's 18 should he again undergo the oral test to obtain a provisional driving licence of a car?

jevinseebah Level 1

hi everybody, thanks so much that we have clever dodo..
last year i obtained my international licence in belarus which is valid for 10 years if i come to mauritius can i convert it to mauritian licence? if not how can i apply online for the mauritius licence?

gices Level 6

Read this article to exchange a foreign licence for a mauritian one.

anishramlochun Level 1

HELLO i had forget my driving licence username what i must do

Henriv Level 1

HI,
i am applying tomorrow for the license test but i am not sure what i will do is it the practical or the theory because i am a 15 yrs old guy?? anyone know?

Lesia Level 1

how to get advanced level for driving theory skills?

Sparrow Level 1

Hi there,

What are the procedures of driving your own car for the test drive. should I be submitting the insurance policy document on the day of test?

ritesh96 Level 1

I did my online learner application at the Mauritius post and when i tried to log in on the account created for the application, i was not able to access it and after a few trial the account was blocked and it said that t ineed to contact the administrator. what should i do?
is the application blocked too?
please help

djyan23 Level 1

hi, do i need a special licence to drive a 14 seater van (for example), and carry passenger??

MuzaffarBolaky Level 1

Hello
I'm 16 year old
i already had my learner's licence for autocycle since 15
now when i'm 16,may i apply for the license itself for autocycle ??

Thanking you in advance....

ashnas-avinashjauhalee Level 1

hi i'm avinash, i forgot my username and password for the application of learners licences,and now i can't create another account because it tells me that the NIC number already taken,help me please, i don't know what should i do.

gices Level 6

There's a forgotten password link but you'll need to know your username for that, so in your case, you will have to call them to reset your account.

ashnas-avinashjauhalee Level 1

how to contact them and whom to contact my friend,please help..

Keshav007 Level 1

Hi,

You have to update this article.

I'm 17 and i have a learner's license for Autocyle, Motorcycle and Motor car although i applied for Autocycle and Motorcycle only.

I was surprised to see a stamp for private car as well.

Or i just happened to have a provisional driving license for motor car by mistake?

joevanyathanas-stephane Level 1

Hello i want to say how to apply a learner for motorcycles online??

Manav_Binda Level 1

Hello I lost my Driving Licence Application today. What I can do for getting My Application for coming to do My test, In 21.09.13

krishz Level 1

i cant creat a new account in gov.mu having problen with password need help please what type of password i need to put

hemansingramrup Level 1

your password shall include small letters ,at least 1 capital letter ,numbers and symbols.

ashini Level 1

my friend has done three times oral test through a computerised system and he failed.He has done only standard six and cant pass his exams as he cant understand the english well,does that mean he won't get his learner for motorcycle?

gices Level 6

He will have to pass the oral exam to get the motorcycle learner. However the test can also be taken in creole, where a police officer will read out the questions & answers for him in creole and he just needs to select the correct answer.

phosporus Level 1

Hello , i have my driving test tomorrow and there are risk of heavy rainfall. Will i still take my test or will it be postponed?

SandrineV Level 1

hello i am from switzerland and coming soon for holidays. I already have my driving licence from my country and would like to know if i will need an international driving licence to be able to drive in Mauritius please??? Do you think i will need one?

anonymous_4 Level 1

hello,can anyone tell me if it is possible to change the date of the test to an earlier one please ?what are the procedures or conditions ? thanks

Jeff_Lebon Level 1

Hi can I know at what age can I pass the test of my personal drving liscence??? please

nilmalsing Level 1

Hi,
Someone know where to get bus oral /mechanical test questions?
thanks.

gices Level 6

Only the institutions which prepare you for the test have the practice test questions. I haven't come across any book or public question set so far.

nilmalsing Level 1

Anyway , thanks

Beegoo_Fariyad Level 1

Sarvesh_Doolub Level 1

Hello. There seems to be a problem during the online application of the mauritian provisional driving licence. The query relating to " Type or Class of Motor Vehicle Applicant wishes to be certified as competent to drive..." does not offer any valid option box. What must i do next for the online application? Please help.

MauritiusnMore Level 1

One thing really puzzles me, I have never seen Franco-European descent people ever take driving lessons and tests in Mauritius, so how do they obtain their Mauritian Licence?

gices Level 6

People who already have a licence from Europe can exchange it for a Mauritian one. Those who haven't need to pass the test over here. Funny you should ask but I saw a white person having driving lessons today. So it does happen but I understand where you're coming from and I've heard stories about getting licences through bribe but I don't know how much of that is true though.

anonymous_4 Level 1

I live in france i have no licence to drive a car. In 1977 I had a learner when I was coming to france and now i will return back to maurituis my paradise island, please tell me what can i must do to have a driving mauritius licence.

Sofiah Level 1

Ok I don't know who to listen to anymore. I have a friend who's a Policeman working at Casernes & he says that my husband cant drive unless he has an International License. I told him about your encounters with the police & his explanation was that they just decided to let u go since even if they wanna fine u they know that it will be a lost case as by the time you have to go & pay the fine you will be out of the country. So am all confused now...... :-(

gices Level 6

Different people will tell you different things. I've been to the Casernes 3 times and 3 different policemen told me 3 different things as well. I wanted to exchange my UK driving licence for a Mauritian one and they said I need to drive on my current licence for 3 years before I could exchange it. They've made an entry in their books so that they have a record of when I started driving in Mauritius.

As I've said before, I've been stopped for routine checks and so have my friends who hold foreign licences and we've never had any problems. On the Government website for Mauritius, it says "Any person holding a valid International Driving Permit or Driving Licence issued by a competent foreign authority shall not be required to pass a test". Here's a link to it : http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/police/men...

I can only tell from my own experience but at the end of the day it's upto you to decide what's best for you and your husband.

Sofiah Level 1

Hmm, thanks a lot Gices.. i think u're right, n in any case as my friend said as well by the time we ll have to go n pay the fine (in case he is right) we ll be out of Mauritius.. So i guess i'll take the chance....

Sofiah Level 1

Hey thanks a lot, that was really helpful!! :-)

vikash007 Level 1

hi sofia im vikash from mauritius and i saw your comments so was wondering how u went to quatar i think u are wrking there so me and my fiance also want to go to do wrk abroad any suggestion would be appreciated thanks for helping

Sofiah Level 1

Hi, this is my 1st post here & i find this website very useful. I am Mauritian but my husband is Pakistani & we are both living in Qatar. He has both Pakistani & Qatari Driving License. Does that mean he can drive in Mauritius? And if he can, what are the formalities that he'll have to undergo? We are planning a 1 month visit to Mauritius soon.

gices Level 6

Your husband can drive in Mauritius without any formalities. I hold a British driving licence and I've been stopped twice by the police for routine checks and never had any problems. Both Qatar and Pakistan have competent driving authorities and therefore he will not face any problems.

If you want peace of mind, you can drop into Casernes (Port-Louis Police Headquaters) and they will tell you the same thing.

Do not forget the driving licence when you come here and remember that we drive on the left hand side here.