Mauritius announces 1 million USD Golden Visa, targeting 100 applications/year

Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam presented the operational rules for the upcoming Golden Visa programme during a parliamentary question session on 05/05/2026. Accordingly, applicants must commit to a minimum investment of 1 million USD within 12 months of arriving in Mauritius. The Economic Development Board (EDB) estimates 100 approved applications per year, with a target processing time of 5 working days.

Investment commitment and 5 priority sectors

Responding to a question from opposition MP Joanna Bérenger, Prime Minister Ramgoolam described the Golden Visa as a “multiple-entry visa granted to the approved applicant and direct dependents”. Approved applicants will receive a permit valid for “a maximum of 2 years”, renewable via a new application.

The focus of the programme is a written commitment, signed at the time of application, to invest a “minimum of 1 million USD within the first 12 months”. According to the Prime Minister’s statement, the EDB will “closely monitor investment progress”.

The 5 eligible sectors include: fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, renewable energy, and global treasury. The latter group shows the ambition to position Mauritius as a hub for treasury funds and family offices. A dedicated concierge service has been established at the EDB to support businesses relocating to Mauritius.

Preferential tax structure

Golden Visa holders who exceed the 183-day threshold in a year will become tax residents in Mauritius and be subject to a flat tax rate of 15%. However, two important exemptions significantly reduce the actual tax liability.

Firstly, holders are exempt from tax on “expenditure in Mauritius made via foreign credit or debit cards”. Secondly, they are exempt from tax on income transferred to a Mauritius bank account, provided that “tax has already been paid abroad”. Both provisions are based on the current Mauritius personal income tax structure—which only taxes foreign-sourced income when the funds are received in a Mauritius account.

Access to the labour market is not automatically included. According to the Prime Minister, “Golden Visa holders will not automatically be permitted to enter the Mauritius labour market, as they must invest in eligible sectors”.

Real estate limited to EDB programmes

Prime Minister Ramgoolam has proactively addressed concerns regarding the impact on property prices—an issue that has previously caused controversy with the Golden Visa programmes in Spain, Portugal and Greece. Golden Visa holders “are only permitted to purchase residential property strictly under EDB property schemes”, specifically the Property Development Scheme (PDS), Invest Hotel Scheme (IHS) and Smart City Scheme.

Initial accommodation will be limited to hotels or rental properties “under EDB schemes”. According to the Prime Minister, “excess capacity in the high-end property rental market” can accommodate the influx of new arrivals “without affecting the housing affordability for Mauritius citizens”.

This structure places Golden Visa holders into the same property segment that has supported Mauritius’s existing Permanent Residency Permit (at the US$375,000 level), creating no new pressure on the open market.

5-working-day assessment process

The 5-day target is a relatively compressed timeframe compared to other US$1 million threshold programmes globally. According to the Prime Minister, the process consists of two steps: an initial EDB check “comprising various screening steps, World Check and other measures”, followed by a review by the Passport and Immigration Office—all to be completed within a working week.

Regarding the integrity of the legal framework, the Prime Minister stated that all Mauritius visa programmes “comply with the standards of the Financial Action Task Force” (FATF) and OECD guidelines “on high-risk residency and citizenship by investment programmes”. Inter-agency coordination will involve the Financial Crimes Commission, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Financial Services Commission, the Bank of Mauritius and the Passport and Immigration Office.

Context from Middle East conflict

The Mauritius Cabinet approved the Golden Visa framework on 10/04/2026, two days after a Crisis Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ramgoolam on 08/04/2026 to respond to the Middle East conflict. According to official documents from the Prime Minister’s Office, this is part of a package of measures extending VAT exemptions for international sporting events and television awards, while also granting fast-track licensing for free trade zone entities operating in the Middle East to relocate to the Mauritius Freeport.

According to the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament, the programme was established after receiving “numerous enquiries” from foreigners wishing to relocate with their families.

Position within the existing investment immigration system

Mauritius currently operates several tiered residency-by-investment products. The Permanent Residency Permit grants a 20-year renewable permit for a US$375,000 investment in approved real estate. The Occupation Permit for investors starts from a US$50,000 investment in a business in Mauritius and has a 10-year duration. The Premium Visa was introduced in 2020, granting digital nomads up to 1 year on the island.

Each existing product grants residence rights; the Golden Visa, by contrast, is a multiple-entry visa rather than a residence permit. With a 2-year renewable term, the Golden Visa does not in itself pave the way to citizenship—which is only accessible after 7 years of continuous residence under Mauritius law (5 years for Commonwealth citizens).

What is still missing for the programme to operate

According to industry expert analysis, the statement in Parliament on 05/05/2026 is the most detailed public document on the rules to date, but the programme is not yet operational. As of the time of writing, the EDB has not published implementation regulations, application forms or fee schedules. No Government Notice has been gazetted either.

Once gazetted, the programme can begin issuing visas without further legislative action. Both the Immigration Act 1970 and the EDB Act 2017 have empowered the executive branch to create new visa categories via Cabinet decision and Ministerial regulations. The figure of 100 applications is an EDB estimate, not a statutory quota.