Mauritian Citizenship by Naturalization, Birth or Descent

Under the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Affairs, the citizenship section deals with citizenship and naturalisation procedures.

Coupled with the passport and immigration office, the Prime Minister’s Office is where all decisions are taken.

A person is considered to be a Mauritian if he/she is born in Mauritius before September 1995 with Mauritian or foreign parents or after September 1995 if one of the parents is Mauritian. Also, a person born abroad with one of the parents being Mauritian is considered to be a Mauritian. All applicants must be above 18 years of age and sound minded to make an application and all necessary documents must be submitted in originals plus 2 copies and duly filled application forms. The citizenship section can be contacted on 201-3362.

Naturalization processes

An adopted child becomes a citizen of Mauritius if he/she is adopted by a Mauritian or the father is a Mauritian citizen and the adoption is legally approved of in Mauritius. Documents needed for this process are as follows:

• the birth certificate of the child
• birth and marriage certificates of the parents
• certificate of Mauritian nationality/foreign nationality of the parents
• morality certificate

If the spouse of a Mauritian is foreign and wishes to apply for Mauritian citizenship, he/she can do so if he/she has stayed with the spouse for at least 4 years under the same roof. Documents required in this case are:

• birth certificates of the applicant, father, father-in-law and spouse
• marriage certificate of the applicant
• first five pages of the passport
• certificate of foreign nationality of spouse if applicable
• residence permit
• morality certificate

A person in the commonwealth countries can also apply for Mauritian citizenship if he/she has stayed in Mauritius for 5 years or at least one year depending on the relevance of the application; documents needed include:

• the first 5pages of the applicant’s passport
• birth and marriage certificates
• residence permit
• morality certificate

Non commonwealth residents can also apply for Mauritian citizenship if they have resided in Mauritius for at least a year or a continuous period of 5 years in the past 7 years with the same above mentioned documents plus one copy of two daily newspapers containing the necessary information regarding his/her naturalization.

A foreign investor can apply for Mauritian citizenship provided that he has stayed on the island for at least 2 years and has invested at least $500,000 (US dollars) in Mauritius. Documents needed are the first 5 pages of the applicant’s passport, birth and marriage certificates, residence permit and morality certificate and one copy of two daily newspapers containing the necessary information regarding his/her naturalization.

Citizenship Renunciation / Resumption

A Mauritian may renounce to Mauritian citizenship if he/she is also holder of a foreign citizenship; this is done at the Supreme Court of Mauritius or in any other area in the world in the presence of a Mauritian consulate. Documents needed are the birth certificate of the applicant or the birth certificates of the parents if the applicant was not born in Mauritius, passport and ID card and proof that the applicant will be holder of a foreign citizenship upon renunciation. Conversely, resumption of citizenship (if renunciation was made based on marriage) can be made based on marriage dissolution and the intention of residing in Mauritius. Documents needed are the birth and marriage certificates of the applicant, proof of marriage dissolution and certificate of foreign citizenship.

More information regarding Mauritian citizenship can be obtained on the government of Mauritius website.