Free import
• Travelers aged 18 or older may choose ONE of these duty-free options: (A) 250 g of tobacco products (including cigars and cigarettes), 1 L of spirits and 2 L of wine, ale or beer; (B) 250 g of tobacco products and 2 L of spirits; or (C) 250 g of tobacco products and 4 L of wine, ale or beer. Duty, excise duty and VAT are charged on anything above the chosen option.
• Other goods carried with you (not tobacco, alcohol, arms, ammunition or goods for sale): up to MUR 15,000 for foreign passport holders of any age; up to MUR 30,000 for Mauritian passport holders aged 12 or older and MUR 15,000 for those under 12. Travelers arriving from Rodrigues: up to MUR 20,000 (aged 12 or older) or MUR 10,000 (under 12).
• Clothing, toiletries and personal jewellery (including watches) for your own use, not for gift or sale. Commercial quantities are not covered.
• Tourists may also bring in tools and instruments needed for their work and one sporting firearm with up to 50 cartridges, provided the firearm is taken out again within the set period (a Police permit is also needed - see Restricted).
Currency
• There is no limit on the amount of money you may bring in.
• Cash, bearer negotiable instruments (such as traveler's cheques), precious stones and metals (including gold, diamonds and jewellery) and other high-value goods (including works of art) worth more than MUR 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency must be declared to Customs on arrival, departure or in transit. Use the declaration form at the Customs counter or declare online through the MRA e-services.
• Failure to declare, or a false declaration, is punishable by a fine of at least 20% of the amount involved (up to MUR 2 million) and up to 5 years in prison.
Prohibited
• Illegal drugs, including cannabis
• E-cigarettes and other vaping devices, e-liquids and their accessories; heated tobacco products; smokeless tobacco; flavoured tobacco; other nicotine products (except nicotine replacement therapy prescribed by a doctor)
• Roll-your-own tobacco, cigarette papers, filters and hand rolling machines
• Waterpipes (shisha) and waterpipe tobacco, with limited exceptions
• Sweets and chewing gum shaped like cigarettes
• Toy guns that fire projectiles, underwater fishing guns (spearguns) and laser pointers of 1 mW or more
• Ivory and tortoise shell
• Firecrackers known as "pétards rapés"
• Counterfeit coins and goods with false trade marks or a false place of manufacture
• Goods likely to cause outrage against any religion or against public morals
• Plants of the grass family (including sugar cane), the banana family and the arum family; bananas (including fresh fruit); fresh ginger; root vegetables; grass and wheat seeds; soil, manure and compost; "fatak" brooms. These items are destroyed at the owner's cost.
Restricted
• Plants and plant products need a Plant Import Permit from the National Plant Protection Office (NPPO) before travel. This covers fresh or dried fruit and vegetables, cut flowers, seeds, cuttings and other planting material, nuts, spices, herbs, tea and herbal infusions, coconut products, timber, wooden and bamboo or rattan articles (including handicrafts), animal feed, microbial cultures and insects. Travelers are advised not to carry fresh fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds, wooden articles or meat, and to use the quarantine bins in the arrival hall of SSR International Airport or at Port Louis harbour.
• Meat, meat products and other animal products need an import permit from the Division of Veterinary Services.
• Cats and dogs need an import permit from the Division of Veterinary Services (Réduit) issued before travel, subject to space at the quarantine station. The pet must travel in an IATA-approved container with a veterinary health certificate from the official veterinary services of the country of origin that shows the permit number and date. Tell the Division your flight number and arrival time at least 3 days before arrival; you or a broker must be at the airport when the pet lands. Pets are quarantined at Réduit for at least 5 working days or at least 1 month, depending on the country of origin. Fees: MUR 500 import permit, MUR 500 veterinary clearance and MUR 15 per day for the kennel or cattery. Animals that do not meet the permit conditions are sent back at the owner's cost or put to sleep.
• Birds and all other live animals also need an import permit from the Division of Veterinary Services.
• Endangered species of plants and animals, and products made from them, need clearance from the National Parks and Conservation Service.
• Firearms, ammunition, weapons and explosives need clearance from the Police. Fireworks and firecrackers are restricted.
• You may bring common medicines for your own use with a copy of the prescription. Tranquillisers, sleeping pills, narcotics and other strong painkillers need prior authorisation from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
• Unwrought gold, rough diamonds and telecommunications equipment able to intercept messages need an authorization from the relevant authority.
• Goods above the duty-free allowances must be declared to Customs on arrival.