Mauritius Premium Visa

The Premium Visa is Mauritius's long-stay visa for remote workers, retirees and long-stay tourists whose income comes from outside the country. It runs for more than six months and up to a year, can be renewed and costs nothing.

• Status: active
• Income: at least $1,500 a month per adult and $500 a month per dependent child
• Length: up to 1 year, renewable
• Work for Mauritian employers: No
• Family allowed: Yes

It's a multi-entry visa, so holders can leave and return while it's valid. Shorter trips don't need it: tourists can be granted up to 6 months in a calendar year, case by case. The Mauritius guide compares it with the retirement permit.

The visa is open to non-citizens with long-stay plans who meet the Economic Development Board's (EDB) criteria:

• They won't enter the Mauritian labor market.
• Their main place of business, or source of income and profits, is outside Mauritius.
• They hold travel and health insurance for the initial stay and can document the purpose of the visit and their accommodation.
• They meet the basic immigration requirements.

Income must reach $1,500 a month for each adult, spouses included, and $500 a month for each dependent child. Those amounts come from the EDB's Premium Visa FAQ of Nov. 27, 2023; the EDB's current visa page doesn't restate them, so applicants should check the online form for the figure in use.

Nationals of the countries on the EDB's annex list apply from abroad. Others can enter on a tourist visa and apply from inside Mauritius.

The EDB's checklist for a first application:

• The online application form.
• The passport's bio data page and a passport photo.
• An airline ticket, including a return, for a stay of more than six months.
• Travel and health insurance for the intended stay. The EDB sets no minimum cover.
• Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, a rental agreement, or a host's letter of invitation with proof of address and a copy of the host's ID.
• Bank statements for the last three months and proof of monthly income, such as an employment contract or an attestation of monthly revenue.
• For a spouse, a marriage certificate; for children, birth certificates and, when only one parent travels, a letter of consent.

Certificates must be in English or French, and any document in another language needs a certified translation into one of them.

Free: no visa fee and no processing fee, according to the EDB and the Passport and Immigration Office.

The costs sit around the application instead:

• Insurance: travel and health cover for the whole stay, priced by insurer, age and cover.
• Flights: a return ticket is part of the file.
• Translations: certified English or French translations for documents in other languages.

Where to apply: Online through the EDB Premium Visa portal; the e-visa is sent by email. Applicants already in Mauritius on a tourist visa can apply from inside the country.

1. Fill in the form and upload the documents on the EDB's Premium Visa portal.
2. Wait for validation. The e-visa arrives by email.
3. Travel within six months. For applicants abroad, the visa's year starts on the day they arrive in Mauritius.

Applicants already in Mauritius on a tourist visa get a Premium Visa that runs as long as their health insurance and return ticket, and both should cover more than six months. No official processing time is published. The EDB's Premium Visa team answers at premiumvisa@edbmauritius.org.

The visa is valid for more than six months and up to 1 year.

Renewal: Renewable; the renewal is made online with a passport copy, return ticket, travel and health insurance, accommodation proof, three months of bank statements and income proof. Official sources set no limit on the number of renewals.

Longer stays

No direct path; holders may apply from Mauritius for an Occupation Permit (to work or invest) or a Residence Permit as a retired non-citizen. The retired non-citizen permit covers the retirement route.

Holders may also buy residential property under the Integrated Resort Scheme, Real Estate Scheme, Property Development Scheme or Smart City Scheme, or an apartment in a building of at least ground plus two floors, according to the EDB.

Income of a Premium Visa holder, including pay for remote work done in Mauritius, is taxed on a remittance basis; spending in Mauritius with foreign cards is not treated as a remittance.

Money brought in and deposited in a Mauritian bank account is taxable, but the EDB says such deposits escape income tax if the holder declares that the tax on them was paid in the country of origin or residence.

Tax residence follows the Mauritius Revenue Authority's (MRA) test: 183 days or more in an income year (July 1 to June 30), 270 days or more in aggregate over that year and the two before it, or domicile in Mauritius. Residents are taxed on income derived in Mauritius or remitted to it. Whether the Finance Acts of 2025 or 2026 changed these rules for visa holders wasn't confirmed, so long-stay holders should check with the MRA.