Naturalisation and citizenship in Mauritius

the information is in the immigration documents in the Prime Ministers office section of the government web site

Hi Leslie Jarett,

Right! http://dha.pmo.govmu.org/English/Mandat … NSHIP.aspx

Thank you for your feedback. Perhaps you could share a few words on the last question ? If according to you, acquiring citizenship would be advantageous/worth it ?

All the very best,
Bhavna

Bhavna wrote:

Hello everyone,

What are the requirements for acquiring citizenship in Mauritius? For example, length of residence, language requirements, employment etc..

What formalities are involved in the process?

What is the policy on dual-citizenship in Mauritius? Do you have to give up your former nationality?

What are the advantages and benefits of acquiring Mauritian citizenship, in your opinion?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Bhavna

If you come from a Commonwealth country on their list then you have to apply for citizenship on a special form and in many cases you will not be allowed dual nationality if your own countries laws allow you to renounce citizenship. IF you are from the UK you cannot have both UK and Mauritian citizenship you will have to give up being "BRITISH" and if you still have family in UK you will need a visa to come to your country of birth.  Obviously depending on age and if you are working becoming a citizen does get you access to many aspects of daily life in Mauritius that otherwise you would not get.  It has to be a careful decision to become a citizen here , for one thing the process takes time and you have to remain here for most of the time if you go away for more than 6 months then your time starts again and this is 5 years. so to stay continuously for 5 years means that you firstly have to get a permit to reside here

Citizenship has always been considered as the 'ultimate' sacred paper for those who have elected Mauritius as home.  The preparation for a citizenship request should start from the first day the foreigners lands on the island - even if one would actually need to spend 7 years on the island prior to making an official application. My idea of 'preparation' is planning specifically what has to be done to strengthen an ultimate citizenship request. 

Despite having specific conditions for different cases (for marriage, for investors or long-stays), the citizenship is granted on 'discretionary' powers of the PRIME MINISTER. Therefore, this planning has to take account of realizations and achievements in order to qualify as a 'good citizen' , i.e someone who has made efforts, globally, towards the progress of country and/or its people. This could include, for instance, job creation, investment in innovative sectors, etc.

As Leslie mentions above, the application is a long process in itself and the applicant has to be on the island most of the time. Here it adds to my idea of planning. The Citizenship request is not just a mere formality like an Occupation Permit application. It has to be carefully planned, ideally from day-1.

I have been working on such applications for decades now. My advice is based on the experience gathered on the ground, while dealing with the different authorities concerned (Police, Court Magistrate, Prime Minister's Office, Passport & Immigration Office, for instance). Very often, the applicant has all the pre-requisites in terms of length of stay, clean police record, etc - but fails to get the ultimate sacred paper because their case lack value.

I thought it useful to share the 'philosophy' of the process to you potential applicants rather than the procedures.

I make an additional post to answer the question of whether acquiring citizenship is advantageous or not. Well, this question is best answered by those who want to apply. Why would they?

Mauritius as a good & rather strong passport, which opens the door to almost every country in the world. So far, we are classified as a 'friendly' little island that can do no harm (no terrorism, for example) and a good rapport with all countries. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Besides, we enjoy many advantages not found elsewhere. Relatively safe country, no violence, beautiful beaches, sun almost round the year, a small island where no long travelling to work or school is required and of course, quite a low and simple tax system.  Compared to hectic life in other major cities, Mauritius offers a peaceful and good quality of life.

What else?

When you look at the diverse culture of Mauritius it brings to mind the sign at Grand Bassin that simply sums up Mauritius.
"Many PEOPLE - One Nation"

Advantages & Benefits of acquiring the Mauritian citizenship and Mauritian passport by extension:

1. Travel visa free to Russia and China (Mauritius being one of only 3 countries to be able to do so)

2. Take advantages of the 7th most fiscally attractive jurisdiction in the world. (Bradley Hackford 2017 ranking)

3. Live in one of the most peaceful countries in the world especially in today's global context of war, conflicts and instability.

4. Live and do your business in a country ideally situated between 3 booming regions - Africa, Asia and the Gulf region.

5. Be a citizen of a country open to the outside world while still maintaining political neutrality to a large extent.

6. Become part of one of the world most complex societies - multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-gastronomic yet somehow still socially conservative!

More to come!

Hi Bhavna,
Sorry, could you give me your e-mail addresses again please. I don't know what happened the last time but I unfortunately deleted it by mistake.   Are you in Mauritius at the moment?

Blessings
Debbie

Leslie , you are wrong... your information is incorrect . My wife is born and bred British but has dual nationality with Mauritius. She does not have to give up being ' British' and never will.

No violence? Come on , that's not true. One only has to read the local newspapers to see that there is considerable violence in Mauritius

in addition to the advantages mentioned in the above posts, I would like to remind those who have been living here since years as spouse of a mauritian citizen or as an investor that their residence permits can be revoked e.g. in case of divorce, death of spouse or indeed (theoretically), without any specific reason at all. I remember the case of a widow being given some weeks notice to wind up and leave the country after having lived here half of her life. Only citizenship can protect you here.

Agree with Matt - you don't have to give up British citizenship to acquire Mauritian citizenship.
My friend had dual nationality and recently returned to the UK to live with no problems.

You're right. Mauritius no longer asks for renunciation of previous nationality.
It was the case in the past.

"DUAL NATIONALITY"
Leslie Jarrett, I would add to Matt4509, Daisy and Nadeems replies on dual British/Mauritian Nationality. I have both and as far as I'm aware (unless things have changed since I last knew, admitting I've not looked at this again in the last few years) both countries allowed for the dual nationality. I spent some time here studying over 13 years ago but then went back to UK with no issues simply on my British passport and buying a plane ticket.
Born in UK,  raised, schooled and then worked there, I was naturalised in Mauritius (became a Mauritian citizen) back in my 'study trial time' here and this was granted me through the then Prime Ministers office , facilitated easily having my parents and extended family all Mauritians and living here. (Note: The process may be quite different for citizenship applications by persons without any close relatives living here).
'Winston H' above comment gives a good list of advantages... Which help to make Mauritius appealingly attractive if those items are what one looks for. Of course Mauritius a unique place, populated with people of social and religious diversity yet relatively cohesive (noting I've heard stories of this not being the case in the country's history but which lessons have probably shaped today's currently shared cohesive understanding by the people (???). On the whole the climate is great in Mauritius, (though too hot in the peak of summer, at least for me).
There are comparative disadvantages such as corruption (is more easily felt here than in western countries), social & entertainment resources seems a bit lacking again compared to the west, but that's personal choices and Mauritius has its own flavours of entertainment and social scenes to learn about and grow into (or develop if one is creatively/entrepreneurial inclined).
Physical and structural resources, I.e. goods and places, again comparatively less is available BUT this aspect is to be expected on an island however it is improving all the time (note it's Definitely a significant improvement on available goods & resources when I was last here well over ten years ago).
Given the more recent developments and relative stability of the island its actually quite a good place to live. Although anyone resettling/migrating here, if have no former connections on the island, I'd imagine that for a year or more initially it could be quite difficult making adjustments to set up a desired lifestyle and social network. (Thumbs up to this forum site which can be of help in this regard).