Entry requirements

Not sure whether you booked your air tickets through a travel agency. If so, ask them to issue you with a "dummy" ticket that shows that you will be returning to the US in line with the date that you will be travelling to Reunion. Immigration here will always ask you for the duration of your stay, where you will be staying and then ask to see your return ticket.
You won't be able to stay longer than 3 months unless you are applying for a resident, occupation or investor permit so there is no issue when you leave after your initial stay.

Thanks Timut.

I will be buying the ticket myself. And applying promptly for the Retirement Permit.

I have also sent an email to the Mauritius Embassy in Washington, D.C. I'll be curious to see what they have to say on the subject. I'm going to print out their email response and bring it with me. I reminded them of the high cost of airfare to Mauritius and how I would much rather spend the money once on the Island, enjoying retirement, rather  than on a ticket I'm not going to be using. That's a supreme waste of money.  :-)

Sue

Oh and I'll have 3 months of apartment reservations by the time I arrive in March 2017. And a binder full of documents and medical results, etc., to prove that I'm serious about applying for the Retirement Permit. I'm hoping they will give me a break when they see I'm serious about staying for 12 months or more...

Hi,

Not trying to be intrusive but your travel plan sounds a bit ambiguous and borderline weird.

You said you are planning to retire in Mauritius for a year and you are applying for a retirement permit which is valid for 3 years. In this case, you won't have to provide a return ticket.

After one year in Mauritius, you can cancel your retirement permit and book another ticket to your preferred destination be it Europe, Malaysia or Bali as you mentioned.

Let me add my two pence.

Of course you'd require a return ticket because at the time you enter the country, without a residency permit (on any visas), you need a return ticket.  Nothing weird about that, I'm referring to the previous comment.  This is the immigration law.

Let me also add, that it requires you to have a ticket to 'leave' Mauritius and it doesn't necessarily mean that you require a ticket to your country of origin. However, the immigration can frown if you require and don't have a visa to the country where your return tickets points to.  So better have a return ticket to your country of origin. In any case, you'll be apply for a retired permit, the ticket (once you are inland and have applied for your residency) becomes irrelevant and can be cancelled.

We have worked under this formula several times ... nothing wrong or illegal about it.

Thanks very much Nadeem. There seems to be a bit of confusion on this topic. I have emails into the authorities that grant permits but they don't seem to want to respond.

Well Sue,

Buy some champagne and keep it chilled. By the time authorities reply, you'll have ice-freeze champagne....

Glad my reply has been useful. Feel free to post/send your questions. Been more than 2 decades in immigration-related services.

Thanks much Nadeem. I was under the impression that it's very easy to get the needed info from the authorities. 😆 We'll see what happens.

Thanks again. I'll get some champagne to celebrate coming to Mauritius (again)!

Nadeem, I have a follow up question. I'll send you a message.

Thanks.

Sue

Hi,

Sorry to pop into the conversation as I know it's regarding retirement but hoping you can also shed some light on the 'return ticket' / onward ticket situation for marriage to a Mauritian citizen, can I just book one way from uk to Mauritius then a flight onwards to reunion?

Any info would be useful and appreciated

Thanks a lot
Emma

Hi Emma

Yes, you can book any ticket out of Mauritius as return / onwards ticket. However, the authorities would check on whether you are eligible to enter the designated country (eg: whether you need visa and whether you have that visa). Else, if you are not eligible to enter into that country, they will impose a return ticket to your country of origin.

Regards
Nadeem