Driving in Antigua and Barbuda with a Mauritius Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A Mauritius licence holder can drive in Antigua and Barbuda only after obtaining the destination's temporary visitor driver licence. The Mauritius licence is used to support that application but does not itself provide the local authority to drive. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not the substitute for the local permit. The visitor licence may be granted for up to three months.
Quick answer
For a normal visitor renting a private car, bring the original Mauritius licence and obtain the local Antigua and Barbuda visitor licence before driving. The official tourism site says visitors should bring a valid driver licence and pay the local permit fee. The statutory Mauritius licence card is in English, which removes the usual translation issue for checked rental terms.
Legal treatment of a Mauritius licence in Antigua and Barbuda
The Vehicles and Road Traffic Act requires a driver to hold a driver licence. Section 40 lets the licensing authority grant a bona fide visitor a temporary driver licence, other than a chauffeur licence, for a period not exceeding three months. It can be issued with or without a driving test and may carry conditions. This is a destination-level visitor rule, not a special bilateral privilege for Mauritius.
Mauritius law shows its licence card in English and lists categories including A and A1 for two-wheelers and B for a private car. Those Mauritius categories do not automatically establish equivalent Antigua and Barbuda permissions. The conditions written on the local visitor licence control the vehicle you may drive there.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
No legal requirement for an IDP was established for this trip. Government of Canada travel guidance states that the International Driving Permit is not recognised in Antigua and Barbuda and that a temporary local driver licence is required for its visitors. Mauritius Police does issue official IDPs, but the destination still requires its local visitor licence.
The exact convention model applicable to this trip was not established by the authoritative sources checked. The United Nations treaty record shows the 1949 Convention was extended to Mauritius before independence, but that does not by itself prove which IDP model Antigua and Barbuda would accept today.
Visitor and resident rules
The statutory visitor licence can be granted for no more than three months and is expressly for a bona fide visitor. Because the law states the period in months rather than a fixed number of days, this page does not convert it to a numeric day limit.
The visitor provision does not establish a continuing right once a person is no longer a bona fide visitor. No Mauritius-specific exchange or conversion route for residents was verified in the authoritative sources checked, so a person taking up residence should confirm the current process with the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board before driving beyond the visitor arrangement.
Rental-car requirements
SunCars Rentals Antigua requires the original driver licence from the country of issue and a local Antigua and Barbuda driver permit. Its published policy says an IDP is not required for an English-language home licence. It recommends an IDP for a non-English licence written in Latin letters and requires an IDP or professional translation when the licence uses a non-Latin alphabet. Because the statutory Mauritius licence card is in English, the standard Mauritius card does not trigger that language rule.
Police documents and insurance
Section 41 requires a driver to produce the driver licence when a police officer requires it. The destination document to keep available is the temporary visitor licence. Carrying the original Mauritius licence too is sensible practical advice because it supports the visitor permit and is required by checked rental terms.
No destination-wide insurance condition specific to Mauritius licence holders was verified. SunCars states that its vehicles are insured and offers optional Extra Protection. Those provisions are rental contract terms rather than a general rule of Antigua and Barbuda licensing law.
Relevant exceptions
The temporary visitor licence cannot be a chauffeur licence. The licensing authority may grant it with or without a driving test and may impose conditions on the licence. Travellers should therefore check the actual local licence before assuming that every category shown on a Mauritius licence is covered.
Official sources used
- Antigua and Barbuda Laws, Vehicles and Road Traffic Act Cap. 460, visitor driver licence and police production rules, checked 2026-10-06: official law
- Visit Antigua and Barbuda, visitor driving permit guidance, checked 2026-10-06: official tourism guidance
- Mauritius Police Force Traffic Branch, official IDP issuer and application information, checked 2026-10-06: Traffic Branch
- Attorney General of Mauritius, Road Traffic Act Tenth Schedule showing the English-language Mauritius driving licence card and vehicle categories, checked 2026-10-06: Mauritius Road Traffic Act
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic status record, checked 2026-10-06: treaty status
- Government of Canada travel advice for Antigua and Barbuda, IDP non-recognition statement, checked 2026-10-06: travel advice
- SunCars Rentals Antigua, terms of hire and driver permit policy, checked 2026-10-06: terms of hire and driver permit policy
Practical recommendation
Travel with the original valid Mauritius licence and obtain the local temporary visitor licence before taking the wheel. For an ordinary private-car rental, confirm that the local permit covers the car and that the rental company accepts your licence history and age. An IDP does not replace the local permit and, for the standard English-language Mauritius card, no translation need was identified in the checked rental policy.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the listed legal, government and first-party rental sources on 2026-10-06. Driving-licence, rental and residency rules can change, so verify any resident conversion issue or unusual vehicle category directly with the responsible authority before relying on it.