Four things to do before you board: check the offer with the destination's own authority, know your rights, carry the right papers, and get the practical details in writing.
Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations (Employment Division)
The ministry publishes a List of Licensed Private Recruitment Agencies on its site. Check the name of the recruiter against the current edition before you pay anything.
Complaint Desk 86 003
Last checked 29 September 2026. Links go to official sites we do not control; treat each site as the authority, not this page.
What the government and the ILO publish, in plain words. Laws change: your contract and the official page always win over this summary.
Nobody may recruit a worker for an employer, or carry out recruitment activities, unless licensed as a private recruitment agency under the Mauritian Act. This applies even to a person who holds a recruitment licence from another country.
Mauritius Private Recruitment Agencies Act 2023, section 4 (in force from 16 February 2024), read 8 October 2026No recruitment agency, labour contractor or employer may charge a worker any fee for recruitment. All recruitment costs, including the worker's travel to and from Mauritius, must be borne by the employer. Breaking this rule is an offence punishable by a fine of Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million and up to 5 years in prison.
Mauritius Private Recruitment Agencies Act 2023, section 5 (as amended by Act No. 11 of 2024), read 8 October 2026Nobody, including a recruitment agency, may recruit a non-citizen who is in Mauritius, or already employed there, without a valid work permit or occupation permit for a job with another employer.
Mauritius Private Recruitment Agencies Act 2023, section 3(3), read 8 October 2026Under the Non-citizens (Employment Restriction) Act 1973, section 3(1), a non-citizen may not work in Mauritius for reward or profit unless they hold a valid permit. The Employment Division issues the Work Permit, a Certificate of Exemption, an Employment Permit for expatriates married to a Mauritian, and a Special Work Permit for victims of trafficking in persons.
Mauritius Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations, Employment Division: About Work Permit Unit, read 8 October 2026Applications for new or renewed work permits are made by the employer online through the National E-Licensing System. An employer who wants to hire a domestic worker for personal employment must also submit a letter of undertaking signed by a close relative.
Mauritius Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations, Employment Division: Application of Work Permit, read 8 October 2026The Employment Division advertises a Complaint Desk on 86 003 for people who need immediate help, and publishes the list of licensed private recruitment agencies on its recruitment licence page.
Mauritius Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations, Employment Division: recruitment licence page, read 8 October 2026Checked against the linked pages on 2026-10-08. This is general information, not legal advice.
Keep your own passport with you. If anyone asks to hold it, do not hand it over before you have checked the rights above and talked to your specialist.
Details such as pickup, housing and how pay reaches you differ by employer and city. We do not guess them for you; ask, and get the answer in a message or document you can show later.
Local practicalities such as phone plans, banking and transport are not covered here because we do not publish anything we have not verified. Your specialist and employer can tell you what applies to your city.
Full pre-departure checklist · Sending money home · When your contract ends · For your family
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