To get a taxi licence in Mauritius you need two things: a driving licence for taxis from the Traffic Branch of the Mauritius Police Force, and a public service vehicle (taxi) licence from the National Land Transport Authority (NLTA). The NLTA takes taxi licence applications only when it invites them, for a named base of operation, so the Authority sets the timing, not the driver.
This guide follows the NLTA’s own procedures, its licensing policy and its recent calls for applications. It is not legal advice. Criteria change from one call to the next, and the notice for your base of operation is the one that applies.
The licences a taxi driver needs in Mauritius
| Licence | Issued by | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Driving licence for taxis | Mauritius Police Force, Traffic Branch | Driving a taxi. You must already hold a driving licence for motor cars. |
| PSV (taxi) licence | NLTA | Operating a taxi from a base of operation. Renewed every 3 years. |
| PSV (contract car) licence | NLTA | Cars hired by a hotel, tour operator, travel agency or insurance company. At least 3 cars on a first application. |
Step 1: the driving licence for taxis
The Traffic Branch issues driving licences. Its application page says that an applicant for a taxi licence must already hold a competent driving licence for motor cars. Applications are made through the Government Online Centre or at a police station, and both routes lead to the Licensing Office.
You will need this licence in hand before you apply to the NLTA: every recent NLTA call lists a valid driving licence for taxis as a condition.
Step 2: wait for the NLTA to invite applications
The NLTA’s licensing procedures say you can only apply for a taxi licence when applications are invited in the press and you meet the criteria in the advertisement. Each call is for a named base of operation.
In January 2026, for example, the NLTA invited applications to operate a taxi from NHDC Residence Glaieul, Mare Tabac, with forms available and due back at its head office between 19 and 23 January 2026. It has run calls for other bases too, such as Bois Marchand. The calls are published as communiqués on the NLTA website and in the press.
Who is eligible for a taxi licence
Each call sets its own criteria. The Mare Tabac and Bois Marchand calls asked that an applicant:
- Lives near the base: within 5 km of it for Bois Marchand, or in the estate itself for Mare Tabac, shown with a recent utility bill.
- Applies once: more than one application may lead to rejection.
- Holds a valid driving licence for taxis.
- Is not a student.
- Is unemployed and holds an Employment Service Registration Card from the Ministry of Labour. The Bois Marchand call exempts people who already hold a taxi licence.
- Has a clean criminal record for the last 3 years.
- Has never let a taxi licence lapse, had one revoked or transferred one to someone else.
- Will drive the taxi full time and provide a full-time service from the base if the licence is granted.
The NLTA’s taxi licence policy adds that an applicant may not hold a road service licence, or be a director or shareholder of a company that holds one.
Documents and the application fee
| Document | What to bring |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | Original and a photocopy |
| National Identity Card | Original and a photocopy |
| Certificate of Character | Original and a photocopy, listed in the NLTA’s taxi licence policy |
| Recent CEB, CWA or Mauritius Telecom bill in your name | Original and a photocopy |
| Driving licence for taxis | Original and a photocopy |
| Employment Service Registration Card | Original and a photocopy |
| Sketch of where you live | A rough sketch showing the exact location |
| Passport-size photographs | Two, recent |
The application fee in the recent calls is Rs 300, non-refundable, paid when you hand in the form at the Licensing Section of the NLTA’s head office, MSI Building, Les Cassis, Port Louis. Making a false statement to obtain a licence is an offence: the forms warn of a fine of up to Rs 10,000 and up to 12 months in prison.
After the deadline the Authority convenes applicants to a hearing. If yours succeeds you are told, and the Licensing Section sets out the conditions and the fees for putting the licence into use.
Renewing and transferring a taxi licence
A PSV (taxi) licence is renewed every 3 years. For a renewal the NLTA’s policy asks for:
- the vehicle’s registration book;
- its insurance certificate;
- its certificate of fitness;
- your identity card;
- a clearance certificate from the Taxi Owners Welfare Fund;
- clearance of your Certificate of Character.
Transfers are decided case by case. Section 93 of the Road Traffic Act covers the death, incapacity or bankruptcy of a licence holder. The policy also provides for a transfer to next of kin; a transfer to a full-time driver who has driven the same taxi for 5 continuous years; and a mutual transfer or temporary relocation once the holder has worked from the base for at least 3 years, with no objection from two thirds of the taxi licence holders at the proposed base.
The contract car route
A contract car licence is the other way to carry paying passengers. It is for cars hired by a hotel, tour operator, travel agency or insurance company. The NLTA’s contract car policy and its procedures ask for:
- A letter from the hirer recommending you, with its list of clients for the past three months. The hirer must be the head of the business and registered in Mauritius.
- A feasibility report with budgeted income and expenditure.
- A sworn surveyor’s report on the parking space.
- Evidence of financial means of at least 20 per cent of the car’s market value.
- Three cars on a first application, put into use together within 6 months of the NLTA’s letter, on new cars or imported second-hand cars less than 2 years old.
An applicant may not be a public officer. Further contract cars can be applied for all year, up to 10 a year and 50 in all for an individual, or 30 a year and 150 in all for a company, contract buses included. The first application costs Rs 300 per vehicle.
Taking rides through an app
Once licensed, you can take rides from your base, from hotels and through apps. Apps that work within the law take only licensed drivers: that is the rule for Uber in Mauritius and for alé.
On alé, you apply in the app with a profile photo, your national ID card and driving licence, front and back, and your PSV licence, then add your car with a photo of its plate and set your own prices, per km or as fixed fares between regions. The alé team reviews every application before a driver can go online.
For context, L’Express reported 7,802 registered taxis in July 2026, when the Minister of Land Transport announced tighter checks on licence holders who do not operate their taxis under the required conditions.
This guide is not legal advice. It was written from NLTA and Police pages read on 17 October 2026. Before applying, read the NLTA notice for your base of operation or ask the NLTA’s Licensing Section.
