Occupation Permit – Investor
For qualifying foreign entrepreneurs carrying out genuine business activity through an eligible Mauritius company and meeting the applicable criteria.
Mauritius Residency 2026 · Occupation Permit · Golden Visa · Property · Retirement
How Foreigners Can Legally Live in Mauritius: residency, work, business, property & Golden Visa routes
Foreign nationals can legally live in Mauritius through several distinct immigration and residence routes. The right route depends on whether you intend to invest, operate a company, work as a professional, provide independent services, retire, acquire qualifying property, use the new Golden Visa pathway or stay temporarily while earning abroad.
Occupation Permit work & residence
Property qualifying ownership
Retirement long-term residence
Golden Visa USD 1m investment route
The first strategic decision
Choose the activity first. Choose the permit second.
Residency planning becomes much clearer when the actual purpose of living in Mauritius is defined before an application is started.
An entrepreneur operating a Mauritius company, an employee recruited by a local employer, a retired applicant, a property buyer and a remote professional earning abroad do not necessarily require the same legal status.
Trying to force the wrong activity into a convenient permit can create problems later with renewals, employment, taxation, company structure or dependants.
The strongest route is the one that matches what you will actually do after arrival.
Main Mauritius residency routes
Which pathway fits which objective?
Occupation Permit – Professional
For eligible foreign professionals employed in Mauritius under qualifying employment conditions.
Occupation Permit – Self-Employed
For qualifying individuals carrying on eligible professional or independent activity from Mauritius.
Retired Residence Permit
For qualifying retired non-citizens who meet the current age and financial requirements.
Property-Linked Residence
For qualifying buyers of eligible property under the applicable approved framework and current thresholds.
Golden Visa Scheme
A new investment-linked route for qualifying high-net-worth applicants. The 2026 framework provides for a renewable two-year E-Visa, with a minimum USD 1 million qualifying investment to be made within the first 12 months.
Premium Visa
For eligible long-stay visitors and certain remote workers whose activity remains compatible with the visa conditions.
Permanent Residence
A separate longer-term qualification for eligible applicants meeting the applicable criteria.
Dependant Residence
Eligible family members may obtain their own lawful status subject to the applicable rules and the principal applicant's category.
Occupation Permit
The central route for many entrepreneurs and professionals.
The Occupation Permit combines lawful residence with qualifying economic activity in Mauritius. The 2026 reforms place greater emphasis on initial investment, salary, business income and sustained economic performance.
Investor
Designed for eligible entrepreneurs who establish or operate qualifying Mauritius business activity. Under the 2026 framework, the minimum initial investment is USD 100,000, with turnover benchmarks applying from later years.
Professional
Designed for eligible foreign employees working for qualifying Mauritius employers. The 2026 framework sets a harmonised minimum basic monthly salary of MUR 50,000 across sectors.
Self-Employed
Designed for qualifying independent professionals carrying on eligible activity. The 2026 framework introduces business-income benchmarks of MUR 2 million from year 3 and MUR 3 million from year 5 for renewal.
A company should not be created merely because an applicant wants a residence permit. The company itself should make commercial sense.
Investor residence
Business activity must be real enough to survive after the permit is approved.
Business model
The company should have a clear activity, target customers and commercial purpose.
Investment
For the Investor Occupation Permit, the 2026 framework sets a minimum initial investment of USD 100,000. The source and transfer of funds should be documented through an auditable financial trail.
Operations
The activity should match the permit application and the company's actual operations.
Banking
Banking documentation should reflect the real company activity, ownership and expected transactions.
Substance
Management and operational reality matter when the wider international structure is assessed.
Renewal
The business should continue meeting the conditions applicable to the category throughout the permit period. Under the 2026 framework, investor businesses are expected to reach at least MUR 5 million annual turnover from year 3 and MUR 8 million from year 5 for renewal.
Professional & self-employed applicants
Employment and independent activity require different evidence.
Professional route
- qualifying Mauritius employer
- eligible employment conditions
- employment contract
- role and salary evidence
- ongoing employment reality
Self-employed route
- eligible professional activity
- required initial investment under the applicable framework
- business and client evidence
- MUR 2 million annual business income from year 3 under the 2026 framework
- MUR 3 million annual business income from year 5 for renewal
- local regulatory obligations
Golden Visa Scheme 2026
Mauritius now offers a high-value investment route to long-term residence.
The Golden Visa Scheme is aimed at high-net-worth individuals, investors and entrepreneurs seeking a long-term presence in Mauritius through a substantial qualifying investment.
Initial status
The scheme provides for a renewable two-year E-Visa as the initial immigration status.
Investment requirement
The holder is expected to invest at least USD 1 million in a qualifying Mauritius investment project within the first 12 months.
Qualifying sectors
Announced sectors include financial services, fintech, ICT, tourism and hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare and wellness, education, renewable energy, blue economy, creative industries and other innovative or knowledge-based activities.
Family
The announced framework extends the Golden Visa to the holder's spouse and dependent children.
Domestic workers
The announced scheme provides for expedited work permits for accompanying domestic workers.
Permanent residence objective
The programme is designed as an investment-linked pathway toward a longer-term Mauritius presence, subject to the final legal and administrative framework.
The Golden Visa is not the same product as property-linked residence. One is an investment-project route; the other depends on acquiring qualifying real estate under the applicable property framework.
Property-linked residency
Buying property and obtaining residency are not automatically the same thing.
Eligibility
The property itself must qualify under the applicable legal framework.
Purchase value
For several approved property-based residence routes, a purchase of at least USD 375,000 remains a key residence threshold, subject to the specific scheme and current rules.
Ownership
Under qualifying property routes, residence rights can remain linked to continued ownership of the eligible property.
Due diligence
Title, approvals, developer, financing, maintenance and resale still require independent review.
Do not buy first and check residence eligibility afterwards.
The legal ability to purchase a property, the quality of the investment and the availability of residence rights are three separate questions.
Retirement
Residence for retirees should be planned around more than immigration.
Eligibility
Current age, presence and financial requirements should be verified before planning the move. The recent framework requires particular attention to updated transfer and stay conditions.
Income
The 2025/26 reform framework announced transfers of at least USD 2,000 per month or USD 24,000 annually for retired non-citizens, together with a minimum physical-presence expectation. Verify the rules in force when applying.
Healthcare
Insurance, medication, specialists and emergency planning may be more important than the permit itself.
Housing
Long-term accessibility and healthcare proximity should be considered alongside lifestyle.
Currency
Income and living costs in different currencies can create long-term financial exposure.
Succession
Property, accounts and wider estate planning deserve attention in long-term residence decisions.
Premium Visa
A long-stay option is not the same as unrestricted work permission.
Temporary stay
The Premium Visa is intended for an extended qualifying stay rather than permanent residence.
Foreign income
The applicant's income and activity should remain compatible with the conditions applying to the visa.
Local work
Do not assume that a long-stay visa authorises employment or operating locally without the relevant permission.
Family
Eligible accompanying family members should be checked against the current requirements.
Renewal
Applicants should verify the current renewal framework and evidence required.
Tax
An immigration label does not determine the complete personal tax position.
Dependants
The principal applicant is only one part of a family relocation.
Spouse
Marriage and identity evidence should be prepared in the required form.
Children
Age, dependency and supporting family documents may apply.
Parents
Eligibility may depend on the category and current dependant rules.
Work rights
Dependent residence should not automatically be interpreted as unrestricted permission to work.
Residency vs tax residency
Six questions that should never be merged into one.
May you enter?
Entry rules determine whether you may travel to Mauritius.
May you remain?
Residence status determines lawful stay.
May you work?
Employment or business activity requires the appropriate authorisation.
Where are you tax resident?
Tax law uses its own criteria independently of the immigration label.
Where is the company managed?
Corporate tax consequences may depend on real management and wider facts.
Where is income sourced?
Income-source rules may create obligations independently of personal residence.
Permanent residence
Long-term status is earned through a separate qualification.
Living in Mauritius for a period does not automatically create permanent residence. Longer-term status is subject to the applicable category-specific requirements.
Investor pathway
Business performance, investment and qualifying activity may be relevant depending on current rules.
Professional pathway
Employment history, remuneration and other qualifying criteria may apply.
Retirement pathway
Age, transfers and long-term financial qualification may be relevant.
Property pathway
Qualifying property ownership can have a separate long-term residence dimension under applicable rules.
Evidence
Applicants should preserve records demonstrating continued compliance over time.
Current rules
Eligibility, duration and renewal conditions should always be confirmed before relying on a long-term assumption.
Application preparation
Good residency applications are built before the form is opened.
Identity
Valid passport and civil-status documentation should be prepared early.
Character
Police-clearance or similar evidence may be required depending on the route.
Financial trail
Funds, salary, investment, business activity or pension income should be clearly documented.
Company documents
Entrepreneurs should prepare ownership, registration and business evidence consistently.
Property evidence
Property-linked applicants need the documentation relevant to the qualifying transaction.
Family records
Marriage, birth and dependant records should be prepared in the required form.
Safer planning sequence
Residency in eight steps.
Define the real objective
Decide whether the purpose is business, employment, retirement, property, family relocation or temporary residence.
Identify the correct route
Compare your facts with the current permit framework before spending significant money.
Review tax consequences
Separate personal residence, corporate residence and source-of-income questions.
Prepare evidence
Collect civil, financial, professional, company and family documentation early.
Verify official requirements
Confirm current eligibility, thresholds and process before submission or investment.
Coordinate the move
Connect residence with housing, healthcare, schools, banking and business planning.
Maintain compliance
Monitor renewal, employment, business, investment and dependant requirements.
Review long-term options
Assess permanent residence and wider restructuring once the Mauritius plan is proven in reality.
Common mistakes
Why residency strategies become expensive.
Using outdated criteria
Thresholds and administrative requirements can change.
Buying the wrong property
The transaction is completed before residence eligibility is verified.
Confusing visa and work rights
A lawful stay is incorrectly treated as unrestricted permission to work.
Ignoring tax residence
Immigration is solved while international tax exposure remains unclear.
Planning only for one person
Spouse, children, schools, healthcare and work rights are considered too late.
Creating a paper company
The business structure exists for the permit but does not reflect sustainable commercial activity.
Mauritius1331 cluster
Continue with the part of the Mauritius plan that comes next.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mauritius residency.
How can a foreigner live legally in Mauritius?
Possible pathways include qualifying Occupation Permits, retirement residence, property-linked residence, the Premium Visa and other applicable residence categories. The correct route depends on the applicant's actual activity and circumstances.
Can an entrepreneur get residency in Mauritius?
Qualifying entrepreneurs may explore the investor route under the Occupation Permit framework where genuine business activity and the current eligibility requirements are met.
Can a foreign professional live and work in Mauritius?
Eligible foreign professionals may qualify through the applicable employment-based Occupation Permit route when the role and employment conditions meet current requirements.
What is the Mauritius Golden Visa?
The Golden Visa Scheme announced in 2026 is a high-value investment-linked residence route. It provides for an initial renewable two-year E-Visa and requires a minimum USD 1 million qualifying investment within the first 12 months, subject to the final applicable legal and administrative framework.
Can a foreigner buy property and obtain residency?
Certain qualifying property acquisitions may support residence rights under applicable schemes. Not every property purchase qualifies.
Does the Premium Visa allow local employment?
It should not be assumed to provide unrestricted permission for local employment or business activity. The applicant's actual work and income should remain compatible with current visa conditions.
Is a Mauritius residence permit the same as tax residency?
No. Immigration residence and tax residence are separate legal questions and may depend on different tests.
Can my family move with me?
Eligible dependants may qualify under applicable family rules, but each family member's lawful status and work rights should be checked individually.
Can I obtain permanent residence in Mauritius?
Mauritius provides longer-term residence pathways for qualifying applicants, but eligibility is separate from simply living on the island for a period.
Should I create a company just to obtain residency?
A company should have a genuine commercial purpose. Creating an entity solely to obtain immigration status can produce a weak long-term structure.
What should I do before applying?
Define the real activity, confirm the current route, review tax implications, prepare documentation and verify requirements with the competent authorities or qualified professionals.
Can Mauritius1331 help with residency planning?
Mauritius1331 can help structure residency as part of the wider Mauritius strategy and coordinate business, property, tax and relocation considerations. Regulated professional services remain with appropriately qualified specialists.
Choose residency around the life and business you actually intend to build.
The right Mauritius status should fit your genuine activity, family, investment, property and long-term objectives — not force those objectives into a convenient permit category.
- identify the correct residence pathway
- coordinate entrepreneur and company requirements
- separate immigration from tax residency
- review property-linked residence before purchase
- include dependants from the beginning
- prepare permanent-residence strategy where relevant
- verify current official rules before implementation
Important: This page provides general information and strategic orientation only. It does not constitute immigration, legal, tax, employment, financial, property or investment advice. Permit categories, eligibility criteria, thresholds, documentation requirements and administrative procedures can change. Current requirements should be verified with the competent Mauritian authorities and appropriately qualified professional advisers before an application, investment or relocation decision is made.