Mauritius Visas, Taxes and Money for Digital Nomads

The Premium Visa was launched in 2020 for long-stay tourists, retirees and remote workers. It is a multiple-entry visa, so you can leave and come back while it is valid.

• Who: remote employees, freelancers, business owners and retirees whose main place of business and source of income are outside Mauritius. You can’t enter the Mauritian labour market on this visa.
• Income: at least $1,500 a month for each adult and $500 a month for each dependent child, shown with bank statements for the last three months and proof of monthly income, such as an employment contract or a statement of revenue.
• Length: more than six months and up to one year. If you apply from abroad, the year starts on the day you arrive, and the visa must be used to travel within six months. If you apply from inside Mauritius, its length is matched to your health insurance and return ticket.
• Renewal: renewable, with a fresh application and updated documents. The EDB sets no published limit on the number of renewals, but each renewal is assessed again.
• Fees: free. There is no application or processing fee.
• Family: a spouse and dependent children can be included. Children need birth certificates, and a letter of consent if only one parent is travelling.
• When you need it: for any stay of more than 180 days in a calendar year. Shorter stays are covered by the tourist visa on arrival.

Documents

• The online application form.
• The bio-data page of your passport and a passport photo.
• An airline ticket, including a return or onward ticket, for the intended stay.
• Travel and health insurance covering the whole intended stay.
• Proof of accommodation: a rental agreement, hotel booking, or an invitation letter from a host with their address and ID.
• Bank statements for the last three months and proof of monthly income.
• For dependants: a marriage certificate and children’s birth certificates, in English or French.

How to Apply

Applications are made online through the EDB’s Premium Visa portal, linked from its Premium Visa page. Citizens of more than 100 listed countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, EU states, Australia and South Africa, can apply before they travel. Nationals of other countries enter as tourists and apply from inside Mauritius, which anyone can do. The visa is sent as an e-visa by email. For a renewal you upload the form, passport, ticket, insurance, accommodation and income documents again.

Once you have the visa, you can open a Mauritian bank account and sign a long lease more easily. If you later want to work for a local company, invest or retire permanently, you can apply for an Occupation Permit or a Residence Permit through the EDB without leaving.

Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries don’t need a visa in advance. You get a free stay on arrival, usually up to 90 days, although the officer may give fewer days to match your return ticket and accommodation. You’ll be asked for a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and enough funds.

Tourists can stay up to 180 days in a calendar year in total. To stay beyond the days you were given, apply for an extension at the Passport and Immigration Office in Port Louis before your current stay ends. Extensions for tourists have been free. Some nationalities need a visa before travelling; check the Passport and Immigration Office website.

Because the 180 days run per calendar year, a winter arrival can give you a long stay before the count resets on 1 January. Anything longer within one calendar year needs the Premium Visa.

Overstaying is an offence. It can lead to a fine, removal from the country and difficulty getting in next time. Extend your stay or apply for the Premium Visa before your permitted days run out.

• Tax residence: you are a Mauritian tax resident in an income year if you spend 183 days or more in Mauritius, or 270 days or more in total across that year and the two before it. The income year runs from 1 July to 30 June.
• Remittance basis: residents are taxed on Mauritian-source income and on foreign income only when it is brought into Mauritius. Non-residents are taxed only on Mauritian-source income.
• Rates: 0% on the first Rs 500,000 a year, 10% from Rs 500,001 to Rs 1,000,000, and 20% above that. A temporary fair share contribution of 15% applies to net income over Rs 12 million a year for the three income years from July 2025. There is no capital gains tax.
• Premium Visa holders: the EDB says money spent in Mauritius with foreign debit or credit cards isn’t treated as remitted. Money you bring in and deposit in a Mauritian bank account can be taxed, but it is exempt if you declare that tax has already been paid on it in your home country or country of residence.
• Double tax: Mauritius has tax treaties with many countries, including the UK, France, Germany, India and South Africa, but not the US. Foreign tax paid on the same income can be credited.

This is a general guide, not tax advice. If you stay more than half the year and bring money into the country, register with the Mauritius Revenue Authority or get advice from a local accountant, and check how your home country taxes you while you are away. Our digital nomad taxes guide explains the general principles.

The currency is the Mauritian rupee (MUR, written Rs). Prices in shops, restaurants and rents are in rupees, although some villas and holiday rentals quote in euros. Exchange offices at the airport and in towns give fair rates, and euros, US dollars and pounds are easy to change.

ATMs from banks such as MCB (Mauritius Commercial Bank), SBM and Absa accept foreign cards and are found in every town. Cards are widely accepted in supermarkets, malls, restaurants and hotels; markets, small shops, street food stalls and buses take cash.

Premium Visa holders can open a Mauritian bank account, which makes paying rent and local bills easier. Banks will ask for your passport, visa, proof of address and proof of income. A local mobile wallet such as Juice (MCB) or my.t money is useful once you have an account and a local number.