Do Mauritian passport holders need a visa for France?
By Vinayak Gupta · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated
No. Mauritius holds a short-stay visa waiver agreement with the European Union, so Mauritian passport holders may visit France without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Quick facts
Visa-free- Visa required
- No, visa-free entry
- Maximum stay
- 90 days in any 180-day period
- Basis
- EU–Mauritius short-stay visa waiver agreement
- Area covered
- The whole Schengen area, not France alone
- Cost
- Free
- Work permitted
- No
Entry requirements
- A Mauritian passport valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure from the Schengen area.
- A passport issued within the last ten years.
- A return or onward ticket.
- Proof of accommodation, or an attestation d’accueil if you are staying with someone.
- Evidence of sufficient funds for the visit.
What happens when you arrive
Nothing is applied for in advance. You present your Mauritian passport at the border and are admitted as a short-stay visitor.
Direct flights from Mauritius arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle, so the entry check normally happens there. Routing through Dubai or Nairobi does not change the rule, only the airport you are checked at.
The 90 days begin on the date of the entry stamp, which is the only record of when your allowance started.
Good to know
- The 90 days belong to the Schengen area rather than to France, and the 180-day window is rolling, not a calendar half-year. Practically that means two separate three-month trips in the same year do not both fit: on arriving the second time you are assessed on the previous 180 days counted backwards from that morning, and the earlier trip is still inside it.
- Réunion is not Schengen. It is a French overseas department a short hop from Mauritius, and it runs its own entry rules, so a trip there is not covered by this waiver and does not consume the 90 days either. Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana are all outside the Schengen zone in the same way.
- The waiver is an agreement between governments rather than something you hold. It has been suspended for other countries before, so it is worth a check close to departure if you booked far ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Do Mauritians need a visa for France?
No. Under the EU–Mauritius short-stay visa waiver, Mauritian passport holders can visit France for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
How long can Mauritians stay in France without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area rather than France alone.
Do Mauritians need a visa for Réunion?
Réunion sits outside the Schengen area, so this waiver does not apply there and its own entry rules govern the trip. Check Réunion separately rather than assuming mainland France covers it.
Can Mauritians work in France on the visa waiver?
No. The waiver covers tourism, family visits and business meetings, not paid work.
How valid must a Mauritian passport be for France?
At least three months beyond the day you plan to leave the Schengen area, and issued in the last ten years.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Mauritius on the short-stay visa waiver — 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II — Mauritius is listed among the visa-exempt third countries.
- France-Visas (france-visas.gouv.fr) — short-stay visa requirement by nationality.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
