Civil marriages in Mauritius

The beautiful haven that Mauritius is does not only call for lazy holidays on the beach under the blazing sun but also invites people from over the world to come and tie the knot by this wonderful scenery. In fact, Mauritius is one of the best 10 places for weddings and why not enjoy a nice honeymoon while you are there! A civil marriage is the union of two people recognised by a state as per the marriage laws. Three types of regimes are recognised in Mauritius: legal sharing of property and goods, legal separation of property and goods and legal write up of a marriage under a notary.

##Mauritian to Mauritian marriages The legal age of getting married is 18 years old but someone under 18 but above 16 can do so with the consent of the parents; in all cases two witnesses are required (with ID). The date of the proposed marriage must be published 10 days before the ceremony at the civil status office of the district takes place. Documents needed by the parties include originals of birth certificates, ID cards, previous marriage certificates (if applicable) and death (widow/widower) certificates (if applicable).

##Mauritian to Foreigner marriages For a marriage between a Mauritian and a foreigner, it is requested that the non Mauritian should have stayed on the island for at least 7 days before publication of the marriage date and after 10 days, the marriage can be celebrated; such a marriage is done only at the civil status office in Port Louis. Both parties need two witnesses, the same original documents as above, medical certificates and in addition to those, the foreigner needs an affidavit of good attendance from his/her country and an affidavit sworn before the registrar of Mauritius that he/she is in employment (plus one from the country of origin as well).

##Non-Mauritian to non-Mauritian marriages For non-Mauritian marriages, the parties must send copies of the above mentioned documents one month before the proposed marriage to the civil status office in Port Louis. The marriage can be celebrated one day after publication of the marriage date once the originals have been verified at the office.

Many hotels and agencies in Mauritius offer wedding packages in terms of the perfect location, clothes, decorations, bouquets (even witnesses if you don’t have them) and parties to make the big day a memorable one. Wherever and however you choose to say “I do” in Mauritius, the friendly and helping nature of the staff will make its best for you to feel right at home!