Yes — you can smoke at the outdoor terrace on Level 1 Departure at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), beside the International Check-In Hall before you enter the halls on the landside. The passenger terminal itself is completely non-smoking.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is Mauritius’s main gateway and the principal air hub for the Indian Ocean region, handling almost all the island’s international traffic near Plaine Magnien in the south-east. It runs a single modern terminal with a strict smoke-free policy inside, so plan your last cigarette before you walk through the doors.
Where to Smoke
Smoking is allowed at the outdoor smoking terrace on Level 1 Departure, beside the International Check-In Hall on the right, before you enter the halls. This is a landside area: it sits in the departures concourse ahead of the check-in desks, so you reach it on arrival at the airport and before dropping your bags.
To orient yourself, the International Check-In Hall runs along Level 1 Departure, with Hall A around Door 13 and Hall B around Door 16; the smoking terrace opens off the right-hand end of this concourse. It is an open-air deck, so there is no cover from sun or rain, and it is the single sanctioned spot to light up on the whole property.
The official airport FAQ states plainly that “The Passenger Terminal is completely non-smoking,” with smoking available “prior to entering the Check-in Hall.” Because the terrace is landside, time your cigarette carefully. Once you clear check-in, security and immigration you cannot return to it, so finish before you go through.
After Security (Airside)
There is no smoking area anywhere airside at MRU. Every gate, corridor and post-immigration hall is non-smoking, and the shared ATOL Lounge — open to all passengers regardless of airline or class — is smoke-free. A traveller on a long layover has no airside option and would have to leave the terminal and re-clear immigration and security to reach the Level 1 terrace, which is rarely practical.
Vaping
Vaping is treated exactly like smoking at MRU: it is permitted only at the outdoor Level 1 terrace and banned throughout the terminal. Mauritius also bans the sale of e-cigarettes, and carrying a vape into the country is legally risky — check the current import rules before you travel, as devices can be confiscated on arrival.
Summary table
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor (terminal) | No | Passenger terminal is completely non-smoking |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking area anywhere airside; ATOL Lounge is smoke-free |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Terrace on Level 1 Departure, beside the check-in halls |
For Mauritius airport smoking rules and the vaping law, see our Mauritius airport guide.