Tian Tang Meng Xi Mauritius's New Road Traffic Law Takes Effect at Midnight on 30 September: Up to MUR 1 Million and a 5-Year Driving Ban for Causing Death While Unlicensed
Mauritius's Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2026 (Act No. 15 of 2026) received presidential assent on 4 September 2026. The Minister of Land and Transport, Mahomed Osman Cassam Mahomed, held a press conference in Port Louis on the afternoon of 29 September to announce 11 amendments, of which 8 took effect from midnight that night (i.e. 00:00 on 30 September).
This is the most significant traffic enforcement reform in Mauritius in recent years: new offences, fines raised several times over, “road rage” criminalised as a separate offence for the first time, and for the first time the police authorised to seize vehicles involved in drink- or drug-driving on the spot. The impact is direct for residents already living in Mauritius, for newly arrived immigrant families settling in, and for business people who often drive themselves.
First, let us correct a widely circulated misreading. One online version states that “any person who drives without a driving licence, a valid learner's licence or a valid international driving permit faces, on a first offence, a fine of MUR 200,000 to 500,000 and up to 5 years' imprisonment”. We checked the official releases of the Government Information Service (GIS) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, as well as law firms' analyses of the provisions, and in the official wording the precondition for this heavier penalty is “causing the death of another person by driving without a licence” (the new section 123BA), rather than unlicensed driving alone. In addition, the official maximum term for a repeat offence is 8 years (some circulated versions say 5 years). The text below follows the official wording throughout.
1. The heaviest provision: “causing death” while driving unlicensed becomes a separate new offence
This amendment adds a new section 123BA, which makes “driving without holding a driving licence, a provisional (learner's) licence or an international driving permit, and thereby causing the death of another person” a separate, standalone offence. In other words, both elements — “unlicensed” and “causing death” — must be satisfied at the same time for this heavier penalty to apply.
| Scenario | Fine | Imprisonment | Additional consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| First offence | MUR 200,000 – 500,000 (about USD 4,300 – 11,000) | Up to 5 years | Mandatory disqualification / prohibition from applying for a driving licence for at least 5 years; and the court may not impose a suspended sentence, probation or a community service order |
| Repeat offence or more | MUR 500,000 – 1,000,000 (about USD 11,000 – 22,000) | 12 months – 8 years |
Note the last item in particular: this offence excludes the usual routes to leniency — suspended sentences, probation and community service orders do not apply. This is fundamentally different from how minor traffic offences have been handled in the past.
2. The 11 amendments at a glance: which are in force and which are deferred
| Amendment | Core content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Causing death by driving without a licence (new 123BA) | First offence: MUR 200,000–500,000 + up to 5 years; repeat offence: MUR 500,000–1,000,000 + 12 months to 8 years; disqualification for at least 5 years | ✅ In force from 00:00 on 30 September |
| Drink-/drug-driving | Disqualification for 2–6 months on conviction; first offence: MUR 200,000–500,000 + up to 5 years; repeat offence: MUR 500,000–1,000,000 + 12 months to 8 years; disqualification for at least 5 years | ✅ In force |
| “Road rage” criminalised (new offence) | Fine of MUR 50,000 – 100,000 + up to 12 months' imprisonment | ✅ In force |
| Fine for causing death by dangerous driving doubled (123B) | Raised from MUR 50,000–100,000 to MUR 100,000–250,000; in aggravated cases raised from MUR 200,000–500,000 to MUR 400,000–800,000 | ✅ In force |
| Refusing to comply with police arrest | Fine of MUR 25,000 – 100,000 | ✅ In force |
| Modified silencer / exhaust noise | Where exhaust noise is increased by modification, a fine of up to MUR 10,000 | ✅ In force |
| Illegal racing / speed testing | Fine raised to MUR 50,000 – 100,000 | ✅ In force |
| Hand-held phone / hand-held interactive device | Using a hand-held phone or hand-held interactive device while driving a motor vehicle or riding is expressly made an offence (fixed penalty MUR 3,000) | ✅ In force |
| On-the-spot seizure of vehicles involved in drink-/drug-driving (123AP) | Enforcement officers may move the vehicle to a safe place and seal it | ⏳ Deferred |
| Safe City camera evidence | Authorises the use of surveillance cameras to detect traffic offences | ⏳ Deferred (subject to authorisation by a Finance Bill) |
| Requirement to carry a driving licence | Drivers must carry an original driving licence or a digital driving licence (DDL) | 📅 In force from January 2027 |
Two supporting services are also on the way
- Online payment of fixed penalties: for fixed penalties that do not carry demerit points, an online payment system will go live on 30 October 2026 (after the law is promulgated).
- Digital driving licence (DDL): accessible within the KOREK! app. Drivers are officially reminded to check in advance whether the DDL information in the app is complete.
3. Two details that are easily overlooked
3.1 Disqualification periods are generally extended
In addition to the new offences, the disqualification periods for existing serious offences have also been raised:
- Causing death by dangerous driving (123B): raised from a minimum of 2 years to 3 years; repeat or aggravated cases raised from 5 years to 7 years
- Causing death by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, causing death by dangerous and reckless driving, and road racing (123D): raised from a minimum of 3 years to 5 years; repeat offences raised from 5 years to 10 years
3.2 The penalty for failing to produce a driving licence on demand has also increased
Under the old law, the fine for failing to produce a driving licence on demand was “not exceeding MUR 2,000”. After the amendment, the fine range becomes MUR 2,000 – 10,000, and drivers may choose to produce a digital driving licence (DDL) instead of a paper copy. This means the cost of “forgetting your licence” has risen noticeably.
4. What this means for families who have moved, or are preparing to move, to Mauritius
Translating the legal provisions into everyday terms, the four points we most need to flag in serving our clients are these:
- A “valid licence” must genuinely be valid. The new law expressly lists “driving licence, provisional (learner's) licence and international driving permit” side by side as the test. For newly arrived families, driving long-term in Mauritius on a Chinese licence alone means that if the type of document or its validity period does not meet local requirements, you fall into the “unlicensed” category — and once a fatal accident occurs, the heavier penalty above applies, with no possibility of a suspended sentence. Planning early after arrival to convert your licence or obtain an international driving permit is the lowest-cost step.
- There is almost no room for manoeuvre on drink-driving. Although the on-the-spot vehicle seizure clause is deferred, the fine and disqualification provisions are already in force, and disqualification runs for 2–6 months.
- When renting a car, check that the insurance matches the licence. Clients visiting Mauritius to look around, view property and do business often rent a car. Please confirm that the rental contract and insurance cover the type of licence you hold, to avoid the awkward situation of “the person being lawful but the document being non-compliant”.
- From January 2027, remember to check your DDL. By then, carrying a digital driving licence will become one of the compliant options, and we suggest checking your personal details in the KOREK! app in advance.
5. Sources and notes on timing
- Act: Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2026 (Act No. 15 of 2026), passed by the National Assembly on 1 September 2026 and assented to by the President on 4 September
- Press conference and commencement arrangements: Ministry of Land and Transport press briefing on 29 September 2026, published the same day by the Government Information Service (GIS) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology
- Analysis of provisions: Mauritian law firms' analyses of sections 123BA, 123B and 123D and the disqualification periods in the Second Schedule
It should be noted that the various provisions of this amendment may be brought into force in phases, and for the items marked “deferred” in the table above, the specific implementation dates are subject to subsequent official announcements. The MUR conversions in the text are estimated at a rate of about USD 1 ≈ MUR 46 and are for reference only.
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