Work and Live

Mauritius is a politically stable, democratic state enjoying a vibrant and diverse economy. Business and investment opportunities in Mauritius are lucrative and is governed by a well established and regulated financial services sector which adheres to internationally accepted norms and best practices.It is rated among the first in Africa for its ease of doing business, economic freedom and good governance.

In its pursuit to become a high-income economy, Mauritius is actively encouraging foreign talents, know-how and investment into the country. Whether you are an investor, a professional, a self-employed or a retired non-citizen, there are a number of compelling reasons to consider Mauritius as your location for doing business and living. Others include:

  • Low cost administration
  • Freeport activities
  • Generous tax incentives
  • An enviable network of double tax treaties which makes Mauritius an excellent tax planning jurisdiction
  • Property Development Scheme including Integrated Resort Scheme & Real Estate Scheme
  • Occupation and Residence Permit Schemes
  • Creation of a Cyber City and promotion of Mauritius into a Cyber island
  • Emerging Information and Communication Technology sector
  • Business Process Outsourcing and Investment Structuring

As a jurisdiction, Mauritius offers significant benefits from an extensive range of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs), a favourable fiscal regime with no capital gains tax or estate duty and excellent telecommunication facilities as a result of significant investment and deregulation in recent years. Mauritius has one of the world’s most competitive fiscal regimes.

Mauritius is gradually transforming itself into a hub and an international jurisdiction for investors in search of security, transparent regulation and high value-addition.  Over the years, the economy has been successfully metamorphosed following a smart shift from a mono-agricultural model to a diversified, innovation-driven and knowledge-based economy, underpinned by a broad spectrum of business activities.

Mauritius offers excellent business opportunities in the following industry sectors:

  • Agro-Industry
  • Aquaculture
  • Education
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Hospitality & Property Development
  • Smart Cities
  • ICT-BPO
  • Life Sciences
  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Media & Creative Industry
  • Ocean Economy
  • Renewable Energy
  • Seafood

1.1.1 Financial Services Sector

Among other sectors, the Financial Services is increasingly being viewed as one of the major contributors to the Mauritian economy and to sustain its development as an International Financial Centre of Substance, Mauritius is continuously enhancing its range of financial products and moving towards the provision of higher end and value added services.

Major attractiveness of Mauritius for offshore investment:

  • Attractive fiscal regime
  • Tax free dividend
  • No capital gains tax
  • Free repatriation of profits, dividends and capital
  • 100% foreign ownership
  • Global Business Companies Category 2 are tax-exempt
  • Global Business Companies Category 1 has maximum effective tax rate of 3%
  • Vast network of Double Taxation Treaties
  • Enhanced Privacy
  • Confidentiality
  • Offshore Asset Protection
  • Ease of set up / operation
  • OECD White Listed Jurisdiction
  • Bilingual workforce with high level of expertise
  • Reliable banking & telecommunications system
  • Appropriate legal & regulatory framework
  • Social & Political stability
  • Convenient Time Zone

Register your business activity and incorporate your company with the Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD) at the Registrar of Companies. A company can be 100% foreign owned with no minimum capital requirement. Once registered, a Business Registration Number (BRN) is issued.

Choosing the business structure

The Companies Act provides for several options to investors in terms of category, nature, and types of company structures.

Selecting the company name

Availability of a name can be checked online, free of charge.  Please note that reservation of a name is not mandatory to incorporate and register a business.

Registering a business and Incorporating a company

Registration of a business or incorporation of a company can be completed within 2 hours with the CBRD.

Starting the business activities

Businesses engaged in unregulated activities may start operations immediately after registering  with the CBRD. Whilst investors should ensure that before starting a regulated activity, they hold the appropriate licence.

Opening a bank account

Once registered, a business can open a business bank account.  The list of commercial and corporate banks operating in Mauritius and registered with the Bank of Mauritius is available here.

Enabling legislations

  • Companies Act 2001
  • Business Registration Act 2002
  • Local Government Act 2011

Leasing a business space

There are at the disposal of potential investors several business parks, located in strategic places in Mauritius.  These parks provide modern office amenities to suit specific needs of the Investor.

A Non-Citizen investor can lease properties in Mauritius for carrying business activities. An application in that respect should be made to Board of Investment (BOI) or to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) if the lease of the immovable property is for a period exceeding 20 years. No authorisation is required if the lease period is less than 20 years.

Guidelines for Lease and acquisition of property in Mauritius:

http://www.investmauritius.com/media/32741/Guidelinesproperty.pdf

Acquiring and registering property

Acquiring property for business purposes

A non-citizen can hold/purchase/acquire an immovable property in Mauritius provided approval is sought from the PMO. A non-citizen registered as investor can seek approval from the BOI.

Acquiring shares in another company

No authorisation is required for a non-citizen to:

  • Hold, purchase or acquire and sell shares of companies which do not own immovable properties
  • Deal with shares or other securities of a company who is desirous of being admitted for quotation on the Official List of the Stock Exchange through a public issue, offer for sale of shares and
  • Do private placement of shares.

Your visa options

Foreign nationals should enter Mauritius under the visa that best reflects the purpose of their visit.

Work and Reside in Mauritius

There are several options for a foreign national to invest, work and reside in Mauritius.

Occupational Permit

To be eligible to live and work in Mauritius, non-citizens should apply for an Occupation Permit (OP). The OP is a combined work and residence permit that allows non-nationals to work and reside in Mauritius. Non-citizens, above the age of 50, may also choose to retire in Mauritius under a Residence Permit (RP).

Applications for an Occupation Permit or a Residence Permit may be submitted under any of the following categories:

  1. Investor
  2. Professional
  3. Self-Employed
  4. Retiree
  1. Investor

A non-citizen is eligible to apply for an Occupation Permit as Investor provided they satisfy any of the following conditions:

  • An Initial transfer of USD 100,000 and the business activity should generate an annual turnover of at least MUR 2 million for the first year and cumulative turnover of at least MUR 10 million for the subsequent two years.
  • An existing investor with a net asset value of at least USD 100,000 and a cumulative turnover of MUR 12 million during the preceding 3 years with a turnover of at least MUR 2 million in any one year.
  • An individual who has inherited a business in case of death or incapacity of the previous investor provided that the net asset value of the business is at least USD 100,000 and a cumulative turnover of MUR 12 million with a turnover of at least MUR 2 million in any one year.
  • An Investor who intends to bring in high-tech machinery and equipment as part of the investment of USD 100,000, must transfer a minimum of USD 25,000 and the remaining balance in terms of high-tech machinery and equipment.
  • An Investor who will conduct Research and Development (R&D) in highly innovative sectors can apply for an Innovator Occupation Permit. The R&D expense component should constitute of at least 20% of total operational expenditure during the research phase. Applicants eligible to apply under this scheme will be required to make an initial investment of USD 40,000.
  1. Professional

The basic salary should exceed MUR 60,000 monthly. However, the basic salary for professionals in the ICT sector should exceed MUR 30,000 monthly.

  1. Self-employed

The income from the business activity should exceed MUR 600,000 annually for the first two years and MUR 1,2 million for the third year with an initial investment of USD 35,000.

  1. Retiree

The non-citizen must undertake to transfer to his/her local bank account in Mauritius at least USD 40,000 annually.

  • The Occupation Permit or Residence Permit is granted for a maximum period of three years, renewable thereafter subject to established criteria.
  • Dependents of Occupation/Residence Permit holders, namely the spouse, children up to the age of 24 and common-law partners, are eligible to apply for a residence permit in Mauritius.
  1. Permanent Residence Permit

The Permanent Residence Permit allows a non-citizen to work and live in Mauritius for a period of ten years. The following categories are eligible for the Permanent Residence Permit.

  • An investor who holds a valid Occupation Permit and the aggregate turnover of his company has exceeded 45 million rupees for any consecutive period of 3 years.
  • An investor who invests at least USD 500,000 in a qualifying business activity as per list below:

Agro-based industry, Audio-visual, Cinema and Communication, Banking, Construction, Education, Environment-friendly and green energy products, Financial Services, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Freeport, Information Technology, Infrastructure, Insurance, Leisure, Manufacturing, Marina development, Tourism and Warehousing, Initial Public Offerings.

  • A self-employed who holds an Occupation Permit and where the annual income exceeded MUR 3 million for three consecutive years.
  • A professional having a valid Occupation or a Work Permit and whose monthly basic salary exceeded MUR 150,000 for three consecutive years immediately preceding the application.
  • A retired non-citizen who has held a Residence Permit for three years and has transferred USD 40,000 annually to his account in a local bank during each of these three years.

The Non-Citizen (Property) Restriction Act 1975 has recently been amended to remove restrictions on the possibility of non-citizens willing to acquire immovable property in Mauritius. Previously only non-citizens who were granted permits to invest, work or live in Mauritius could acquire specific types of immovable property in Mauritius. With the amendments, any non-citizen can purchase immovable property in Mauritius subject to obtaining the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office through the Board of Investment of Mauritius.

Acquisition of apartments

The Non-Citizens (Property Restriction) Act has been amended in December 2016 to allow foreigners to purchase apartments in condominium developments of at least two levels above ground (G+2) with the prior approval of the Board of Investment provided the purchase price of an apartment is not less than MUR 6 million or its equivalent in any other hard convertible foreign currency.

Property Development Schemes

The Property Development Scheme (PDS), which has replaced the IRS and RES, allows the development of a mix of residences for sale to non-citizens, citizens and members of the Mauritian Diaspora.

The PDS provides the following:

  1. the development of luxurious residential units on freehold land of an extent of at least 4220 hectare (1 arpent).
  2. the development of at least six (6) residential properties of high standing;
  3. high quality public spaces that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community;
  4. high-class leisure, commercial amenities and facilities intended to enhance the residential units;
  5. day-to-day management services to residents including security, maintenance, gardening, solid waste disposal and household services; and
  6. social contribution in terms of social amenities, community development and other facilities for the benefit of the community.

A non-citizen is eligible for a residence permit upon the purchase of a villa under the PDS scheme when he has invested more than USD 500,000 or its equivalent in any freely convertible foreign currency.

The PDS is also a demarcation from the IRS and RES in as much as it does not differentiate between small and big landowners and harmonizes the registration duty to a single rate of 5% instead of USD 70,000 on registration of a deed under IRS and USD 25,000 under RES.

Eligibility

The following non-citizens are eligible to submit an application to acquire one or more apartment(s) for use as residence:

  • A non-citizen
  • A holder of Permanent Residence Permit
  • A holder of an Occupation Permit as investor, professional and self employed
  • A holder of a Residence Permit as a retired non-citizen
  • A holder of a Residence Permit under the IRS/RES/PDS/SCS
  • A company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act and registered with Board of Investment
  • A société, where its deed of formation is deposited with the registrar of companies and registered with Board of Investment
  • A limited partnership under the Limited Partnerships Act and registered with Board of Investment
  • A trust, where the trusteeship services are provided by a qualified trustee and registered with Board of Investment
  • A Foundation under the Foundation Act registered with Board of Investment

Acquisition of property for business purpose

An investor registered with the Board of Investment can acquire immovable property for business purposes on the condition that he gets an approval from the Board of Investment.

A listed company the shares or a class of shares of which have been admitted to quotation on the Official List of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius and where the shares have been acquired by a noncitizen requires an authorisation from BOI to acquire immovable property for business purposes.

Who is an investor?

An investor is a person making an initial investment of USD 100,000 and carrying on or who intends to carry out an economic activity generating an annual turnover exceeding MUR 4 million.

Who may apply to BOI?

A company incorporated under the Companies Act 2001 where at least one shareholder of the company is a person who is not a citizen of Mauritius. The shareholder may be a company or successive subsidiary companies or any other successive body corporate which itself reckons amongst its shareholders a non-citizen.

An investor cannot purchase any immovable property in his/her own name. An immovable property or a right to immovable property or part of a building must be purchased in the name of a company incorporated and/or registered in Mauritius or a société, where its deed of formation is deposited with the Registrar of Companies.

What is business purpose?

Business purpose means the acquisition or holding of property by non-citizens for:

(a) the development of high activity commercial use building including, but not limited to, shopping mall, office building or warehouse, for own use, sale, rental or lease;

(b) the development of residential properties developed under the Property Development Scheme and Smart City Scheme; and

(c) any other activity carried out for reward, gain or profit but excluding –

  1. the acquisition for resale or lease or rental of any bare land or serviced land; or
  2. the acquisition of immovable property to be used as apartments, penthouses, villas, flat, tenement or similar properties to be used or available for use as residence except where they are developed under the Property Development Scheme, Smart City Scheme or Invest Hotel Scheme.

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