Before late-2022, citizens of Mauritius didn’t need a visa or visa waiver to travel to the Schengen Zone. They were free to explore the romance of Paris, the culture of Vienna, and the history of Rome with little more than a passport and a plane ticket. But the ETIAS changes all of that and means that Mauritius passport holders will need to complete an ETIAS application before they fly.
ETIAS Visa Waiver for Mauritian Citizens
The European Travel Information and Authorization System, or “ETIAS” or short, is an electronic visa waiver program that grants automatic authorization to applicants for 60 nations, including Mauritius. The process of applying for an ETIAS is quick, easy, and cheap.
The ETIAS application form can be completed online, costs just €7, and will send you authorization via email in under 72 hours. Once you have that authorization, you can visit the Schengen Zone (including countries like Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, and Greece) and move freely across internal borders.
The ETIAS is valid for three years and allows you to stay in applicable countries for up to 90 days at a time.
Will I Be Refused an ETIAS Visa Waiver?
The ETIAS is not like the Schengen Visa. The former requires you to complete a simple online application and will grant you limited access for up to 90 days; the latter may need you to visit an embassy or consulate, has a lengthy application process, and is often used for long-term study or work.
It’s possible to be refused, but it’s rare.
Your ETIAS application will be checked against databases used by countries throughout Europe. These checks are used to determine whether you are a security risk or not. It means that you may face more issues if you have an extensive criminal record, but even then, rejections are rare.
The goal of the ETIAS is not to block everyone with minor offenses on their records. They don’t care if you shoplifted some candy when you were a kid. They’re looking for serious criminal offenses such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and violent crime.
Where Do Mauritians Go on Vacation?
In 2021, Kuoni conducted research to find every nationality’s ideal vacation destination. They used Google searches to determine where people were looking to travel post-pandemic and, unsurprisingly, they discovered that many had Mauritius in their sights.
It seems that people from Tanzania, Hungary, and Ireland would all rather visit this country than any other. And that’s not all, as people from the Maldives—a paradise in its own right—also wanted to visit Mauritius.
As for actual Mauritians, the majority were looking eastward to Australia, a popular destination for many travelers from this region.
Unfortunately, Mauritians need a visa to travel to Australia, but they have visa-free access to many nearby countries.
Can Mauritian Citizens Travel to the US Without a Visa?
If you’re a Mauritian passport holder, you will need to apply for a visa before you can visit the United States. A visa is actually required for travel across most countries in the Americas, including Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
Which Countries Can Mauritians Visit Without a Visa?
Mauritian passport holders can visit New Zealand for up to three months via the country’s Electronic Travel Authority system. Many countries in southern Africa and the Horn of Africa are also open to Mauritian citizens, as is Europe (via the ETIAS program), Russia, and China. The UK also allows Mauritians to visit without a visa.