Do Mauritian passport holders need a visa for the United States?
By Simran Raheja · Product Manager · SEO and Content, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes. Mauritius is not a designated Visa Waiver Programme country, so Mauritian citizens cannot use an ESTA and need a B1/B2 visitor visa before travelling to the United States. It costs 185 US dollars, is applied for online with the DS-160, and requires an in-person interview. No visa bond applies to Mauritian nationals on the current published list.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
- ESTA eligible
- No, Mauritius is not in the Visa Waiver Programme
- Cost
- USD 185, unchanged since May 2023
- Visa bond
- Not on the published bond list
- Interview
- Required, in person
- Passport validity
- Your intended stay only, Mauritius is exempt from the 6-month rule
Entry requirements
- A Mauritian passport valid for your intended period of stay. Mauritius is on the US exemption list for the six-month validity rule, so unlike most nationalities you do not need six months beyond the trip.
- An approved B1/B2 visa. There is no visa on arrival in the United States and no ESTA route for Mauritian passport holders.
- A completed DS-160 confirmation page and the 185 dollar fee receipt, both of which are checked at the interview.
- Evidence of ties to Mauritius that will bring you home, such as employment, study or family, since the officer starts from the presumption that you intend to immigrate.
- A return or onward ticket and evidence you can fund the visit.
How to apply for a B1/B2 visa
Complete the DS-160 online and pay the 185 dollar fee before booking anything. The fee is charged up front and is not returned if the visa is refused, which is the single most important thing to understand before you start.
Book the interview at the US Embassy in Port Louis, which handles nonimmigrant visa interviews for Mauritian applicants. In practice it is the appointment calendar rather than the decision that sets your timeline, so apply months ahead of a fixed travel date, not weeks.
Bring the DS-160 confirmation, your passport, the fee receipt, a compliant photograph and your evidence of ties. A refusal under section 214(b) is a finding that you did not overcome the presumption of immigrant intent, and reapplying without new evidence usually produces the same answer.
Good to know
- A Mauritian passport is strong almost everywhere except here. It gets you into France, Italy and the rest of Schengen with nothing to arrange, and into Japan on a reciprocal exemption, so travellers reasonably assume the United States is a similar formality. It is not: it is the one major destination on this passport that needs a fee, a form and a face-to-face interview, and it is worth starting months earlier than the rest of your trip planning.
- Mauritius is not on the visa bond list even though a number of African countries are, including Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. That is worth knowing precisely because the list is revised on a rolling basis with only fifteen days notice, so a Mauritian applicant should check it close to the interview rather than assume today’s position holds, and should not be talked into a bond by an agent quoting another country’s rules.
- The 185 dollars buys a decision, not a visa. It is consumed whether you are approved or refused, and it does not carry over to a second attempt, so the cost of a weak first application is another 185 dollars rather than a reschedule.
Frequently asked questions
Do Mauritians need a visa for the USA?
Yes. Mauritius is not in the Visa Waiver Programme, so a B1/B2 visitor visa is required. An ESTA is not available on a Mauritian passport.
Can Mauritians travel to the US on an ESTA?
No. The ESTA is only for nationals of designated Visa Waiver Programme countries, and Mauritius is absent from that designation list. Applying for one instead of a visa wastes the fee and the trip.
How much does a US visa cost for Mauritian citizens?
185 US dollars for the B1/B2 application, paid before the interview and not refunded if the visa is refused.
Do Mauritians have to pay a US visa bond?
Not on the current published list, which does not include Mauritius. The list is revised on a rolling basis with fifteen days notice, so check it close to your interview date.
Does a Mauritian passport need six months validity for the United States?
No. Mauritius is on the US exemption list for the six-month rule, so the passport needs to be valid only for your intended period of stay. Most other nationalities do need six months beyond.
Why is a US visa harder than a French one for Mauritians?
Because the two rest on different arrangements. Mauritius has a visa waiver with the European Union, but no equivalent with the United States, which assesses every visitor individually at an interview.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- US Department of Homeland Security — Visa Waiver Program designated countries. Mauritius is absent from the designation list. Read 2026-08-17.
- US Customs and Border Protection, Carrier Liaison Program — Exemption of the Six-Month Passport Validity Rule: "Citizens of the countries listed below are exempt from the six-month rule and need only have a passport valid for their intended period of stay." Mauritius is listed. Read 2026-08-17.
- Federal Register, 9 June 2026, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (2026-11513) — USD 185 MRV fee
- Federal Register, 3 August 2026, Visas: Visa Bond Program (2026-15726) — covered countries are published only on travel.state.gov, added on 15 days notice and modified on a rolling basis
- Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, 6 January 2026 revision: Mauritius not listed. travel.state.gov refuses automated clients, so this is taken from two independent immigration-law trackers of that revision, cross-checked against each other on 2026-08-17. NOT a browser read of the Department list.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
