Mauritius Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in mauritius, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

The Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB) is the national body that develops standards for the manufacturing and service sectors.  MSB is also responsible for providing conformity assessment services, including metrology, testing, and certification of management systems and products.  The 1993 provides the legal framework governing standards development in Mauritius.  The development of standards is carried out by consensus of all stakeholders grouped under various technical committees.  Compliance to standards referred to in legislation is mandatory.  A list of mandatory standards in available here.  The MSB prepares a standard work plan which is sent to the ISO Gateway every six months.  Parties that do not have a manufacturing presence in the market can participate in standards development when draft standards are published for public review.  

The Mauritius Accreditation Service (MAURITAS) is the sole agency for providing accreditation to conformity assessment bodies involved in calibration, testing, inspection, and certification.  MAURITAS benchmarks its level of services with international guidelines and standards.   Accreditation in Mauritius is a voluntary process.  A list of accredited testing and calibration laboratories is available here.   

Standards

Mauritius is open to internationally recognized best practices and collaborates with regional bodies such as COMESA and SADC, international bodies such as the OECD and UN, and developed economies like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union to develop and adopt standard best practices.  Some of the standards used include ISO, IEC, ASTM, and CODEX.  U.S.-domiciled standards are recognized.  A memorandum of understanding between U.S.-based ASTM International and the MSB was signed in 2005.

Testing, Inspection and Certification

The MSB is currently the sole product certification body in Mauritius.  Product testing is aimed at items that pose health, safety, and environmental risks.  Some products, such as fuel, rice, and flour, are controlled through technical requirements specified in bidding documents. MSB certification enables companies to use the MSB mark to demonstrate that their products and processes meet Mauritian standards.  The license for use of the mark for products and processes is valid for two years (renewable), during which the MSB conducts regular surveillance visits.  Mauritius has signed a Mutual Multilateral Recognition Agreement with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). 

Publication of Technical Regulations

Draft technical regulations are published in the Government Gazette and a 60-day period is allocated for public comments.  The minister in charge of industry may, by public notice, transform a standard into a technical regulation after consideration of any written objection filed with the MSB.  Final regulations are published online.  World Trade Organization (WTO) member states can comment on draft technical regulations through the e-Ping SPS&TBT platform.  Mauritius does not maintain an annual regulatory agenda.  The embassy is not aware of any new regulations that will impact U.S. products.

Contact Information

Mauritius Standards Bureau (https://msb.intnet.mu/Pages/index.aspx), Villa Road, Moka, Mauritius, Contact: Director, Tel: +230 433-3648, Fax: +230 433-5150, Email: msb@intnet.mu

Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs, and Cooperatives (https://industry.govmu.org/Pages/default.aspx)

8th floor, Air Mauritius Center, Port Louis, Mauritius, Contact: The Permanent Secretary, Tel: +230 201-1068, Fax: +230 201-3289. 

The Embassy’s Economic/Commercial Section in Port Louis, Mauritius can be contacted via email at:  ChikhuriA@state.gov; phone: +230 202 4400

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify the WTO of any proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade.  Notify U.S. is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures.  Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country or countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also request full texts of regulations.  This service and its associated website are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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