Wedding Leave in Mauritius: Six Paid Working Days and the Notice Rule

The entitlement

A worker who has remained in continuous employment with the same employer for 12 consecutive months is entitled to 6 working days of special leave on full pay for the celebration of the worker's first civil or religious marriage under section 48 of the Workers' Rights Act 2019.

The same section separately provides three working days for the first civil or religious marriage of the worker's son or daughter, and three working days on the death of a spouse, child, parent, brother or sister.

This is special leave, not ordinary annual leave

That distinction matters when writing the request. A marriage application should refer to special leave rather than asking the employer to deduct the days automatically from annual leave.

Eligibility snapshot

How much notice is needed?

Do not confuse the marriage-leave entitlement with the annual-leave notice rule. The Workers' Rights Act says a worker who wants to take more than one day of annual leave consecutively should normally give at least 48 hours' advance written notice, unless reasonable cause is shown. That provision belongs to section 45 on annual leave; section 48 deals with special leave for marriage.

So an article should not say “marriage leave needs 48 hours' notice” unless the employer has adopted that as its own procedure. The statutory 48-hour sentence cited above is specifically about annual leave.

A practical marriage-leave request

Subject: Special Leave for Marriage

Dear [HR/Manager],

I am writing to request the special leave available for my first civil/religious marriage. I intend to take the leave from [date] to [date]. Please record the absence under the applicable special-leave provision and advise me of the supporting documents required by the company.

Regards,

[Name / Employee Number]

A copy of the marriage-related document can be supplied if the employer requests evidence.

Why this distinction matters

A basic summary often gives the number of days but not the practical classification. The important point is that six days is special leave for the worker's first marriage after 12 months' continuous employment; the annual-leave notice rule is a separate provision.

Related family leave in the same law

The Act includes paid leave for healthcare-related care of certain family members under section 47A and also provides paternity and maternity leave in sections 52 and 53. These should be linked as separate articles because each has different eligibility conditions.

Common questions

How many marriage-leave days are there in Mauritius? Six working days on full pay for a worker's first civil or religious marriage, after 12 consecutive months of continuous employment.

Is it annual leave? No. It is special leave under section 48.

Is the 48-hour rule the marriage-leave notice period? The 48-hour statutory notice sentence in section 45 applies to more than one consecutive day of annual leave, not directly to section 48 special marriage leave.

Does the same six-day rule apply to a child's marriage? No. The Act provides three working days for the first civil or religious marriage of the worker's son or daughter.

Source note

Primary source: Mauritius Ministry of Labour, consolidated Workers' Rights Act 2019 as at 9 August 2025. The Ministry notes that the Government Gazette is authoritative.

Disclaimer: General information only. Company procedures and other applicable enactments may add documentation or approval steps.