In early September, the Mauritian press reported that no marriages between expats and Mauritian citizens have been legally registered for the past year, due to the of such procedures pending reforms. However, the Prime Minister's Office issued clarifying that the article contained misleading information and confirmed that marriages between expats and Mauritian citizens continue to be processed by the Civil Status Division.
Contact official sources to confirm any major changes
This case of misinformation highlights the importance of verifying news about major legal amendments affecting expats directly with the authorities. It is easy to panic after reading a single newspaper or magazine article, or even a WhatsApp message or a Tweet. However, journalists may not always consult reliable sources, so it is best not to take such information at face value before confirming it with the relevant authority. Here are the authorities you should phone or email:
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The press may report not only on marriage laws but also on other important matters such as land purchase regulations, taxes applicable to expats, and visa renewal deadlines. The reliability of these reports can vary, and you should not end up making the wrong decision because of fake news, so please always double-check. If you have a Facebook account, it is advisable to follow the official page of the for important updates and communiqu茅s.
Guidelines to register a marriage between an expat and Mauritian
Registering a marriage between Mauritians and expats is quite straightforward. Unfortunately, Mauritius has not legalized same-sex marriage yet, so only marriages between heterosexual couples can be registered here for now, although non-married queer couples can live together on the island.
issued by the Prime Minister's Office on 10 September to debunk the fake news emphasized that most cases where couples struggle to register their marriage in Mauritius are because they do not provide all the required documents. All the details about the required documents and steps to take are listed in this document on the website of the . A is also available for free online.
One bureaucratic pitfall that the Mauritian or expat partner can stumble into is submitting documents (birth certificate, medical certificate, etc.) issued over 3 months ago, as the Civil Status Division will accept only documents that have recently been issued. The marriage application of French citizens might also be blocked if they fail to produce a filled 鈥淐ertificat de capacit茅 脿 mariage鈥� form from the French embassy.
If you feel overwhelmed by all the steps to take, consider hiring the services of a lawyer to guide you through it to ensure that you don't miss a step.聽
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