Mauritius to Let Drivers Pay Traffic Fines Online From October 2026

After years of promises, Mauritius is taking a concrete step toward digitalising its public services — at least when it comes to traffic fines. From 30 October 2026, motorists will be able to settle certain road traffic fines online, without setting foot in a courthouse. The measure was approved by Cabinet on Friday, 2 October, through the promulgation of the Road Traffic (Amendment of Schedule) (No. 3) Regulations 2026. It represents one of the most visible changes yet to how ordinary Mauritians interact with the justice system on a day-to-day basis. **What changes exactly?** Until now, paying a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) — the official term for a standard traffic fine in Mauritius — meant a physical trip to the court registry, often involving long queues and lost working hours. Under the new system, payments will be processed through the Supreme Court's existing digital platform. The process will work as follows: - **Login via MauPass**: Users must authenticate through MauPass, the government's national digital identity portal. - **Enter fine details**: The FPN number and vehicle registration number must be provided. - **Police registration required**: The infraction must first have been recorded by the Mauritius Police Force before it can be paid online. - **Instant payment**: The transaction is completed digitally, using existing banking infrastructure. **What fines are covered — and what isn't?** This is where the measure reveals its limits. Only fines that carry **no penalty points** on a driver's licence are eligible for online payment. Offences that affect a driver's licence points record — typically more serious violations — are excluded from the scheme for now. This selective scope reflects a cautious, phased approach by authorities. While understandable from a legal and technical standpoint, it means the majority of more complex traffic cases will still require in-person court appearances. **What this means for drivers and the justice system** For the average motorist caught by a minor infraction — an expired vehicle licence disc, a parking violation or a minor equipment offence — this is a genuine quality-of-life improvement. No more half-days lost to courthouse visits. But the reform also highlights how much further Mauritius still has to go. Penalty-point offences, court summonses, and the broader backlog of traffic cases remain entirely outside the digital ecosystem. Observers note that the harder work — integrating police records in real time, digitising court procedures for contested cases, and modernising the FPN system end-to-end — is still ahead. Nevertheless, the launch of online fine payment marks a meaningful first step: it tests the infrastructure, builds public trust in digital government services, and sets a precedent for further reform. **The MauPass requirement** It is worth noting that online payment is conditional on having a MauPass account. MauPass is Mauritius's centralised digital identity system, designed to give citizens secure access to e-government services. Users who have not yet registered will need to do so before they can benefit from the new system. Source: ION News