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Residence permitsMauritius Permanent Residence Permit: Who Qualifies
A Mauritius Permanent Residence Permit (PRP) is granted by the Minister and lasts 20 years from the date of issue. Four of the five routes need five years on a lower permit plus a money test measured over those years: a basic salary of at least Rs 400,000 a month for Professionals, turnover of at least Rs 15 million a year for Investors, business income of at least Rs 3 million a year for the Self-Employed, and transfers adding up to USD 200,000 for retired non-citizens. The fifth route is for holders of a Golden Visa who invest USD 1 million within 12 months of its issue. Applications go to the Residence Permit Section of the Prime Minister’s Office, and buying property is not a route to a PRP.
On four of the five routes the law ties a PRP to five years of holding a lower permit, so it is a plan for year five rather than year one. The tests are in the table below, followed by the 2026 Golden Visa and AI Founder additions, family members and where to apply. We could not find the fee or a processing time on any current official page.
What the permit is and who grants it
The government PRP page presents it as a 20-year residency for expatriates who want to work and live freely in Mauritius and make it their second home. The Minister issues it. Section 11 of the Immigration Act, as replaced by the Finance Act 2025, is permissive: a non-citizen who meets the criteria may be issued a PRP, on conditions the Minister sets. Passing a test makes you eligible to apply, and the decision stays with the Minister.
Four of the five routes also start from a permit you already hold, and for at least five years: an Occupation Permit, a retired residence permit or, for Professionals, a valid work permit. Someone arriving on a new Occupation Permit therefore cannot apply before the fifth anniversary of holding it, and the income or turnover test runs over those same years. The retired route is covered in our retirement guide.
The five routes and the test for each
The routes sit in Part IV of the First Schedule to the Economic Development Board Act 2017, as the EDB consolidated it in August 2026. The government PRP page and the Occupation Permit Guidelines list the first four. Act 13 of 2026, published on 13 August 2026, added the fifth.
| Route | What you must hold | The money test |
|---|---|---|
| Investor | An Occupation Permit as an Investor for at least 5 years | Turnover of at least Rs 15 million a year for the 5 years before applying, or Rs 75 million in total over the 5 consecutive years immediately before the application |
| Professional | An Occupation Permit as a Professional, or a valid work permit under the Non-Citizens (Employment Restriction) Act, for at least 5 years | A basic salary of at least Rs 400,000 a month for the 5 consecutive years immediately before the application |
| Self-Employed | An Occupation Permit as Self-Employed for at least 5 years | Business income of at least Rs 3 million a year for 5 consecutive years, or turnover of Rs 15 million in total over 5 consecutive years, immediately before the application |
| Retired non-citizen | A residence permit as a retired non-citizen for at least 5 years | Transfers, by instalments or otherwise, adding up to at least USD 200,000 or the equivalent in freely convertible currency over the 5 consecutive years immediately before the application |
| Golden Visa | A golden visa, issued by the passport officer on the EDB’s recommendation | At least USD 1 million, or the equivalent, invested within 12 months of the visa’s issue, in any business activity other than residential property under the EDB property schemes |
Only the Professional route accepts a work permit in place of an Occupation Permit. For the first four routes the Act, the Guidelines and the government PRP page give the same figures.
The Golden Visa and AI Founder additions of 2026
Act 13 added the Golden Visa as a new item in Part IV. The Act defines a golden visa as a visa issued by the passport officer under the Passports Act to a non-citizen on the recommendation of the EDB. The qualifying investment is at least USD 1 million within 12 months from the date the visa is issued, in any business activity other than buying residential property under the EDB property schemes.
The EDB’s Budget Highlights 2026-27 call it the Golden Visa Scheme and describe it a little differently. The visa would go to applicants who undertake to invest at least USD 1 million within the first 12 months of their stay, in FinTech, global treasury, artificial intelligence, biotechnology or renewable energy. Holders could then reside for an initial period of up to two years once the investment is made, and would be eligible to apply for a PRP after that. The Act’s item names no sectors, sets no waiting period and counts the 12 months from the date of issue, so we follow the Act. We found no published page saying how to apply for the Golden Visa itself, or what it costs.
The same provision of Act 13 added an alternative to the Investor item: an AI Founder, as may be prescribed under the AI City Scheme, who has invested at least USD 1 million. The scheme is set up by section 14AA of the Economic Development Board Act, and projects under it need an AI City Scheme Certificate from the EDB. We found no rules saying who counts as an AI Founder, and the wording does not make plain whether the five years as an Investor still apply to this alternative.
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Validity, renewal and the retired category
A PRP issued on any of the five routes is valid for 20 years from the date of issue. The government PRP page calls it renewable for another 20 years, provided the residency requirements have been fulfilled, and does not say what they are. Section 11 says nothing on renewal, so the Residence Permit Section is the place to ask what it expects to see.
A holder who qualified as an Investor, Professional or Self-Employed can be re-issued a PRP in the retired non-citizen category for the rest of the original term, if they have a disposable annual income of USD 40,000 or the equivalent in another hard convertible currency.
Members of the Mauritian Diaspora Scheme, their spouses and their dependent children follow a separate track in the same section, and their PRP is valid for 10 years from issue.
Family members
Under section 11 a PRP may also be issued to the qualifier’s spouse, to a parent or dependent child of the qualifier or the spouse, and to up to two other dependants of the qualifier. The Immigration Act, as amended in 2025, defines a dependent child as an unmarried child, stepchild or lawfully adopted child who is wholly dependent on the parent, not engaged in gainful activity and not over 24 years of age.
The government PRP page lists a spouse, an opposite-sex common-law partner, children and parents as eligible. The Act speaks of a spouse, so confirm with the Section whether a partner qualifies before relying on that line.
Where and how to apply
The law says an application goes to the Minister, in the form and manner the Minister decides. The government PRP page sends applicants to the Residence Permit Section of the Prime Minister’s Office and links two application forms, one for Investors, Professionals and the Self-Employed and one for retired non-citizens.
- Address: Residence Permit Section, Prime Minister’s Office (Defence and Home Affairs Division), 4th Floor, New Government Centre, Port Louis
- Telephone: +230 2011244
- Email: pmo-rp@govmu.org
The Occupation Permit Guidelines and the PRP page tell Professionals and the Self-Employed to apply no later than six months after satisfying the criteria. Section 11 as it now stands does not repeat that limit, so check with the Section whether it still applies.
Why buying property does not lead to a PRP
Part IV has no property route, and the Golden Visa investment test excludes residential property bought under the EDB property schemes. Buying a qualifying property leads to a residence permit under section 8 of the Immigration Act, as section 14 of the Occupation Permit Guidelines explains, and our guide to buying property sets out that route. If another page or article describes a property route to a PRP, check it against Part IV.
What it costs, and what we could not confirm
We have no fee to report. Section 11 says only that the Minister may issue the permit on payment of the prescribed fee, and no current official page we found states the amount. Annex 1 of the Occupation Permit Guidelines, which lists the Occupation Permit fees, has no PRP line. The government PRP page has an Applicable Fees heading, but it links only to a notice dated 11 July 2022, which we have not treated as current. The USD 50 application fee that took effect on 1 December 2025 is worded as covering Occupation Permit and residence permit applications, and the residency site’s banner says retired residence permit. Neither names the PRP, so we cannot say whether it applies. An older guideline carries a PRP figure, but nothing current confirms it, so we have left it out.
Processing time is not published either. Ask the Residence Permit Section for the fee, how it is paid and how long a decision takes before you apply.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Mauritius Permanent Residence Permit last?
A PRP is valid for 20 years from the date of issue. The government PRP page calls it renewable for another 20 years if the residency requirements are met, but does not say what they are. A PRP issued to a member of the Mauritian Diaspora Scheme or their family is valid for 10 years.
Can I get a Mauritius PRP by buying property?
No. Part IV of the First Schedule to the Economic Development Board Act lists five routes, and property is not one of them. Buying a qualifying property leads to a residence permit under section 8 of the Immigration Act instead.
How much does a Mauritius PRP cost?
We could not confirm a current figure. The law refers only to a prescribed fee, and no current official page we found states the amount. Ask the Residence Permit Section for the fee and how to pay it before you apply.
Can my family be included in a Mauritius PRP?
The Act allows a PRP for the spouse of the qualifier, for a parent or dependent child of the qualifier or the spouse, and for up to two other dependants of the qualifier. A dependent child must be unmarried, wholly dependent and not over 24.
Sources, checked 28 October 2026
All of these are government sources: the Economic Development Board, including its residency site, and the National Assembly. Where a guideline or page differs from the Act, the Act wins and the text says so.
- Economic Development Board Act 2017, consolidated August 2026 (EDB): Part IV of the First Schedule, the five PRP routes and their tests, and the definition of a golden visa.
- Finance Act 2025 (National Assembly): section 25, which replaced section 11 of the Immigration Act from 1 December 2025 (the date the National Assembly’s table of Acts gives) with the rules on eligibility, application, the 20-year term, the retired category and dependants, and amended the definition of a dependent child.
- Act 13 of 2026 (National Assembly): section 15, which added the Golden Visa item and the AI Founder alternative to Part IV and set up the AI City Scheme.
- Occupation Permit Guidelines (EDB, hosted on the residency site): section 13 on the PRP criteria and the six-month window, section 14 on residential property, and Annex 1, which lists no PRP fee. The file name says 2022, but the text carries the fee that took effect on 1 December 2025.
- Permanent Residence Permit page (EDB residency site): the 20-year description, the renewal wording, the dependants list, the forms, the Residence Permit Section contact details and the date of the fee notice it links to. We use it for those points only, not for any fee.
- Budget Highlights 2026-27 (EDB): the June 2026 description of the Golden Visa Scheme.
- Immigration Act 2022, as first enacted (Government of Mauritius, hosted on the residency site): the definition of a dependent child. The Finance Act 2025 amended it, so we use it only alongside that.
General information only, not immigration, tax, legal or financial advice. Mauritius often changes these rules in its June Budget, so check the official pages above and speak to a qualified professional before you act.