Section 4: Refusal to issue passports

4. Refusal to issue passports (1) The Passport Officer may, in relation to an application for the issue, renewal or endorsement of a passport under section 3— (a) refuse to issue the passport; (b) refuse to renew or endorse the passport; or (c) restrict the validity of the passport to a specified country, on the grounds that— (i) the applicant may, or is likely to, engage outside Mauritius in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Mauritius; (ii) the departure of the applicant from Mauritius may, or is likely to, be detrimental to the security of Mauritius; (iii) the presence of the applicant outside Mauritius may, or is likely to, prejudice the friendly relations of Mauritius with any other country; (iv) the applicant has, at any time during the period of 10 years immediately preceding the date of his application, been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year; (v) the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence and the sentence of the court has not been satisfied or set aside; (vi) criminal proceedings in respect of an offence alleged to have been committed by the applicant have been or are about to be instituted; (vii) a warrant or summons for the appearance, or a warrant for the arrest, of the applicant has been issued by a Court under any enactment; (viii) the applicant has been repatriated and has not reimbursed the expenditure incurred in connection with his repatriation; (ix) the applicant owes a debt to Government, or that civil proceedings for the recovery of any sum of money, whether liquidated or unliquidated, alleged to be due to Government have been or are about to be instituted; (x) the applicant is of unsound mind; (xi) the applicant is afflicted with any infectious or contagious disease, or has not complied with the requirements of such international sanitary regulations as may be prescribed in the interests of world health; or (xii) the departure of the applicant from Mauritius is in breach of any international obligation of the Government, particulars of which have been laid before the Assembly. [Issue 1] P3 – 2 (2) The Passport Officer may vary the endorsement on a passport or the conditions subject to which a passport has been issued or cancel the passport, on any ground specified in subsection (1). (3) For the purpose of varying the endorsement on a passport or the conditions subject to which the passport has been issued or for the purpose of cancelling the passport under subsection (2), the Passport Officer may, by notice in writing served personally, require the holder of the passport to deliver the passport within such time as may be specified in the notice. (4) Any person, who without reasonable cause fails to comply with a request, shall commit an offence.