Table Of Contents
Paid Time Off (PTO) in Mauritius
This page was last updated on January 2, 2024.
Vacation Leave Quota (Annual Leave)
22 paid days
Employees (*) in Mauritius are entitled to 22 days of fully paid annual leave (vacation). This consists of 20 days of regular annual leave and 2 additional days. Employees become eligible for their full annual leave entitlement after completing 12 months of continuous service with the company. Annual leave can be taken in full days, half days, or even shorter increments (such as an hour or two) by mutual agreement between an employee and employer.
*“The Workers’ Rights Act of Mauritius distinguishes between a “worker” and an “employee.” A person earning MUR 50,000 or less monthly is defined as a “worker”, whereas “employee” refers to anyone who is employed, regardless of their salary. However, in this article, we used both of these terms interchangeably, without that distinction.
Mauritius leave policy is somewhat more generous than most countries in the world; leave laws in the United States do not guarantee vacation leave, Canada offers at least 10 days, and European leave laws typically provide 20 days.
Extended Vacation for Employees with Five-Year Tenure
An employee who has worked for the company for 5 consecutive years is entitled to 30 days of paid vacation, for every period of 5 consecutive years. However, the calculation of this period of 5 consecutive years starts only after October 24, 2019 (the date when the law was applied). This rule does not apply to foreigners working in Mauritius.
Accrual
Employees begin to accrue annual leave after working for the same employer for 6 consecutive months. After those first 6 months, they begin to accumulate 1 day of annual leave for each following month of work, up to the 12th month (a maximum of 6 days of annual leave). So, after 1 year, they become eligible for full annual leave. This rule does not apply to part-time workers, as explained further below.
Taking Vacation Leave
An employee must provide at least 2 days’ written notice if they wish to take more than 1 consecutive day of annual leave.
If an employer and employee cannot agree on the dates for taking annual leave, the employer will choose the dates for half of the leave period, and the employee will choose the dates for the other half.
Annual Leave for Part-Time Workers
Part-time workers who have served the company for 12 months are also entitled to fully paid annual leave calculated by the following formula:
N/W x Y
N – the number of days the employee is required to work in a week
W – the number of working days in a week for a full-time employee in a comparable position
Y – the number of days of annual leave that the full-time employee is entitled to.
For example, a part-time worker performs 2 days a week.
According to the formula: 2 / 5 x 20 = 0.4 x 20 = 8
This part-time worker would be entitled to 8 days of annual leave.
Leave not Taken Must be Cashed Out
If an employee hasn’t taken all their entitled leave, or if they haven’t been granted all of it, they will receive their regular daily pay for each day of leave that is still owed to them at the end of a 12-month period. However, an employer can make it a requirement that half of an employee’s total annual leave must be used.
Payout
Annual leave is paid by the employer. An employee continues to receive a regular salary during the leave.
Sick Leave in Mauritius
15 paid working days
Duration
Full-time employees are entitled to 15 working days of paid sick leave each year, at full pay. Part-time workers have a different entitlement, which is detailed below.
Eligibility
Employees must have completed 12 consecutive months with the same company.
Accrual
Employees accrue sick leave under the same rules as vacation leave.
So, after completing 6 consecutive months with the company, employees accrue 1 day of sick leave for each following month, up to a maximum of 6 days by the end of the 12th month. After 12 months, they become eligible for a full allocation of 15 days.
Carryover of Sick Leave
If an employee hasn’t used all the sick leave that he/she is entitled to, the remaining days can be carried over to the following year.
Accrued but Unused Leave
Employees can accrue unused sick leave, or a portion of it, with no upper limit. (Note: The previous cap of 90 days was removed in August 2022.)
Notifying the Employer and Medical Certificate
An employee absent because of illness is required to notify the employer on the first day of their absence.
If an employee is ill for more than 3 consecutive days, he/she must provide an employer with a medical certificate verifying their condition.
An employer has the right to dispatch a medical practitioner to confirm the health condition of an employee on sick leave. In the event that any irregularity is discovered during this check, the employee could face disciplinary measures according to the relevant laws.
Sick Leave for Part-Time Workers
Part-time workers who have completed 12 months with the company also qualify for paid sick leave.
Their entitlement is calculated using the same formula as for annual leave:
N/W x Y
N represents the days a part-time employee works per week.
W stands for the number of days a full-time employee works in a similar role each week.
Y is the number of days of sick leave that the full-time employee is entitled to.
For instance, if a part-time worker works 3 days a week:
3 / 5 x 15 = 0.6 x 15 = 9
This part-time employee would be entitled to 9 days of sick leave.
Payout
Sick leave in Mauritius is paid by the employer.
Leave to Care for a Sick Child, Parent, or Grandparent
Up to 10 paid days.
Amendments introduced in August 2022 include provisions for childcare and family medical leave.
Workers with a monthly basic salary of MUR 50,000 or less can take up to 10 paid days a year to care for a close family member. Close family members include a child, an adopted child, a parent, a parent-in-law, a grandparent, and a grandparent-in-law.
These 10 days can be deducted from their annual, sick, or vacation allotment, based on their preference.
The rules about notifying the employer and medical certification apply the same as for standard sick leave. Employees must also present both their own birth certificate and that of the ill family member.
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Maternity Leave in Mauritius
14 paid weeks.
Duration
A pregnant employee in Mauritius is entitled to 14 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. In order to be eligible for leave, she must provide a medical certificate verifying the pregnancy.
The Workers’ Rights Act specifies two options for taking maternity leave:
- Combined Prenatal and Postnatal Leave: A pregnant female employee can take up to 7 weeks of leave before birth, and the rest immediately after birth. For example, if she takes 3 weeks of leave before the birth, she would then need to take the remaining 11 weeks after the birth. If she takes 5 weeks before the birth, she would then take the remaining 9 weeks after, and so on.
- Only Postnatal Leave: The female worker can decide to take all 14 weeks of maternity leave after the birth of the child.
Maternity Allowance
A pregnant female employee who has been with the company for at least 12 months is entitled to maternity allowance. This is a one-time allowance payment of MUR 3,000, which is paid by the employer within 7 days following childbirth. The employee must provide a medical certificate.
Leave due to a Miscarriage
A female employee who suffers a miscarriage is entitled to 3 weeks of paid leave immediately after the unfortunate event. Following those 3 weeks, she is entitled to an additional 5 days of paid leave. A medical certificate is required for verification.
Leave due to a Stillbirth
In the unfortunate event that a female employee experiences a stillbirth, she is entitled to 14 weeks of fully paid leave. A medical certificate must be provided.
Breast-Feeding Leave
Following childbirth, a female employee is entitled to regular daily breaks to breastfeed a newborn child during work hours.
This nursing can be either:
- Two 30-minute breaks
- One 1-hour break
This benefit is available for up to 6 months after childbirth, or longer if a doctor recommends it. These breaks won’t be deducted from her total work hours.
Adoption Leave in Mauritius
14 paid weeks.
If a female employee adopts a child under 12 months old, she is entitled to 14 weeks of fully paid leave. She must have been with the same employer continuously for at least 12 months to qualify. Additionally, she needs to provide a legal copy of the adoption court order and the child’s birth certificate.
Paternity Leave in Mauritius
5 working days (paid or unpaid depending on the employee’s tenure).
A male employee whose spouse gives birth is entitled to 5 working days of paternity leave. Employees are entitled to paid paternity leave after 12 continuous months of service. Employees with less than 12 months of service can take paternity leave, but it will be unpaid.
Part-time workers are also partially entitled to paternity leave. The duration of leave is determined by the same formula as for annual and sick leave: N/W x Y (i.e. N/W x 5), as detailed above.
Male employees who adopt a child are also entitled to paternity leave.
Leave must be taken within 2 weeks of the date of childbirth or adoption.
Paternity leave entitlement requires presenting:
- a medical certificate confirming that his spouse has given birth to a child (or a certified copy of the order of adoption)
- a written declaration from him stating that he resides with his spouse (mother) in the same household.
Payout
Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave in Mauritius are paid by the employer.
Bereavement Leave in Mauritius
3 paid days.
An employer is legally required to provide 3 working days of paid bereavement leave in the event of the death of an employee’s father, mother, spouse, child, sister, or brother. To qualify, the employee must have been employed by the same employer for over 12 months.
This is one of the three types of special leave defined by law (more details below).
Payout
Bereavement leave in Mauritius is paid by the employer.
Jury Duty and Court Attendance Leave in Mauritius
Juror’s Leave
Paid leave for the duration of jury duty.
An employee is legally entitled to paid leave by their employer when absent from work due to being summoned for jury duty by the Court’s order. This entitlement applies to all employees, regardless of their salary or duration of employment.
Leave to Attend Court
Unpaid leave when attending a court as a party or witness; paid leave when representing the employer.
Employees are entitled to unpaid leave when attending court, either as a party or a witness. The employer can ask for a court attendance certificate.
Employees are entitled to paid leave when they represent their employer in court or attend on the employer’s behalf.
As with juror’s leave, this entitlement also applies to all employees, regardless of their pay or length of employment.
Special Leave in Mauritius
3 or 6 days for various events.
The Mauritius Workers’ Rights Act 2019 defines 3 types of special leave:
- 6 paid working days in the case of an employee’s first marriage
- 3 paid working days in the case of the marriage of the employee’s son or daughter
- 3 paid working days for bereavement leave, as mentioned in the previous section
All 3 types of leave require 12 months of continuous employment.
Leave to Participate in International Sports or Cultural Events
Paid leave for the duration of the event.
The Workers’ Rights Act also defines leave to participate in international sports or cultural events, a provision unique to Mauritius. When an employee is chosen to represent Mauritius in such events, he/she is entitled to paid leave for the event’s duration. Employers have the discretion to grant additional leave if necessary.
Providing advance notice and documentation indicating the length of the absence is required.
This leave applies to all employees and is not conditioned on an employee’s salary or tenure.
Public Holidays in Mauritius for 2024
15 days of paid public holidays.
Mauritius observes 14 public holidays, totaling 15 days (because the New Year’s holiday lasts 2 days). Seven holidays have fixed dates: the New Year’s Holiday, Abolition of Slavery, Independence and Republic Day, Labor Day, All Saints Day, Arrival of Indentured Laborers, and Christmas Day. The other holidays are religious celebrations with movable dates (according to the lunar calendar or specific moon phases).
A complete list of official holidays celebrated in Mauritius in 2024:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| January 1 & 2, Mond. & Tues. | New Year’s Day |
| January 25, Thursday (movable) | Thaipoosam Cavadee |
| February 1, Thursday | Abolition of Slavery |
| February 10, Saturday (movable) (*) | Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) |
| March 8, Friday (movable) | Maha Shivratree |
| March 12, Tuesday | Independence and Republic Day (National Day) |
| April 9, Tuesday (movable) | Ugaadi |
| April 10, Wednesday (movable) ** | Eid al-Fitr |
| May 1, Wednesday | Labor Day |
| August 15, Thursday | The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (#) |
| September 8, Sunday (movable) | Ganesh Chaturthi |
| October 31, Thursday (movable) | Diwali |
| November 2, Saturday | Arrival of Indentured Laborers |
| December 25, Wednesday | Christmas Day |
* Chinese New Year (Chinese Spring Festival) falls between late January and the middle of February.
** Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. During Ramadan and the subsequent Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast, leading to potential disruptions to business and varying local restrictions that may last up to 10 days. Muslim festivals are scheduled based on local moon phase observations. The precise date is yet to be confirmed since its observance relies on the moon’s visibility."
(#) The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on August 15, but the observance doesn’t occur every year; takes place one year and then is skipped the next. It is celebrated in 2022, 2024, 2026, etc.
Holiday Pay
Employees who work on a public holiday must be paid:
- double the regular rate for work during normal working hours and
- triple the regular rate for overtime during holidays.
Sources
- Government of Mauritius > The Worker’s Rights Act & Regulations, https://labour.govmu.org/Pages/The-Workers%27-Rights-Act-2019-and-Regulations.aspx
- A Consolidated Version of the Workers’ Rights Act 2019, https://labour.govmu.org/Documents/Legislations/THE%20WORKERS%20RIGHTS%20Act%202019/A%20Consolidated%20Version%20of%20the%20Workers%27%20Rights%20Act%202019%20as%20at%202%20August%202023.pdf
- Legal highlight – new amendments to the employment legislation in Mauritius: August 4, 2022, https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/articles/2022/august/4/employment-legal-highlight-new-amendments-to-the-legislation-in-mauritius
- Globalpedia – Mauritius, https://www.globalization-partners.com/globalpedia/mauritius-employer-of-record/#gref
- Mauritius Labor Conditions and Benefits, https://workmotion.com/countries/mauritius/
- Local Laws & Regulations: Mauritius, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/mauritius
Check out our Leave Laws page to learn more about laws in various countries.
All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about this region's leave laws. The information presented is not legal advice, is not to be acted on as such, and may not be current. Please contact your local legal counsel to learn more about the leave laws in your country.
