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Guides to relocating to Mauritius

By Rory Phillips · Updated October 2026

Guides to the parts of a move to Mauritius that take the most working out, from choosing a residence permit to your first month on the island. Each one opens with the short answer, ends with the official sources behind it, and shows the date those sources were checked.

Free tools

• Mauritius visa checker

  A few plain questions about your plans, age, income and family, then the residence routes that fit what you entered and what each one needs.

• Cost to move to Mauritius

  The one-off costs of the move that have a published price, line by line, with the rest listed as quotes to get.

• Where to live in Mauritius

  A short quiz that matches your priorities to the parts of the island that suit them.

What each tool does, and the guides to read after it, is on the tools page.

Residence permits and visas

• Mauritius Premium Visa: Rules and How to Apply

  The Mauritius Premium Visa lets remote workers, retirees and families stay up to a year. Who qualifies, the checklist, how to apply online, tax and renewal.

• Mauritius Occupation Permit: Categories, Salary and Fees

  The Mauritius Occupation Permit in 2026: the five categories, the Rs 50,000 salary floor, USD 100,000 for investors, fees, how NELS works and renewals.

• Retiring in Mauritius: The Residence Permit Rules

  How the Mauritius retired non-citizen residence permit works: age 50 or over, USD 24,000 a year or USD 2,000 a month, fees, documents, medical and tax.

• Mauritius Permanent Residence Permit: Who Qualifies

  The Mauritius Permanent Residence Permit in 2026: the five routes and their tests, the 20-year term, family members, where to apply and what we could not confirm.

• Mauritius Visa Requirements for Visitors and Movers

  Which passports need a Mauritius visa, how long visitors can stay and who decides, the arrival forms, how to extend, and the permits for staying longer.

Money, tax and property

• Mauritius Tax for Expats: Residence, Rates and Pensions

  How Mauritius taxes expats in 2026-27: the 183-day residence test, the new 0% to 35% bands, income and pensions from abroad, CSG and no capital gains tax.

• Cost of Living in Mauritius for Expats

  What life costs in Mauritius in 2026: groceries, fuel, electricity, water, phones, school fees and asking rents, from official sources, with inflation explained.

• Opening a Bank Account in Mauritius as a Foreigner

  How foreigners open a bank account in Mauritius: the documents banks ask for, permit deposits due within 60 days, tax on money you bring in and the licence check.

• Buying Property in Mauritius as a Foreigner

  How foreigners buy property in Mauritius: the EDB schemes and G+2 apartments, the USD 375,000 residence permit line, duties payable and the 2026 changes.

Where to live

• Best Places to Live in Mauritius for Expats

  Compare Mauritius areas by drive time to Port Louis and the airport, schools within reach, climate and asking rents. Figures and sources included.

• Renting in Mauritius as an Expat: Leases and Costs

  Asking rents by area from listings read on 28 October 2026, the 1.25% lease registration duty, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 and checks before you sign.

Schools, health and safety

• International Schools in Mauritius: Curricula, Fees and Places

  International schools in Mauritius for expat families: curricula, 2026-27 fees where published, nationality pricing, term dates and the tourist-visa rule.

• Healthcare in Mauritius for Expats: Public, Private and Cover

  Public and private healthcare in Mauritius for expats: what foreigners pay, insurance and which permits ask for it, emergency numbers and mosquito-borne disease.

• Is Mauritius Safe? Crime, Roads and Weather for Expats

  Is Mauritius safe for expats? What the FCDO says on crime, the October 2026 unrest, roads, stonefish, health and the laws that catch newcomers out.

• Cyclone Season in Mauritius: Warnings and How to Prepare

  Cyclone season in Mauritius runs 1 November to 15 May. See what the four MMS warning classes mean, how to prepare a home, and what the 2026-27 outlook says.

The move and your first month

• Shipping Your Belongings to Mauritius: Customs and Duty

  Household effects can enter Mauritius free of duty and VAT under item E9. Conditions, banned goods, car excise rates and what to ask a mover.

• Moving Pets to Mauritius: Permits, Rabies Tests and Quarantine

  How to bring a dog or cat to Mauritius: the import permit, rabies blood test, cargo rules and quarantine at Réduit, with the government fees.

• Your First 30 Days in Mauritius: What to Set Up

  What to set up in your first month in Mauritius, in order: permit formalities, bank transfers, customs relief, a SIM, health cover, schools, driving and tax.

• Driving in Mauritius: Licences, Rules and Buying a Car

  Which side to drive on, whether your foreign licence works, speed limits and fines, the drink-drive limit, and what buying or importing a car costs in Mauritius.

Moving from your country

• Moving to Mauritius from South Africa

  How South Africans move to Mauritius: entry on a South African passport, ending SARS tax residence, the tax treaty, flights, and bringing a car and a dog.

• Moving to Mauritius from the UK

  What changes when you leave the UK for Mauritius: entry on a British passport, telling HMRC, the 1981 tax treaty and pensions, State Pension increases and flights.