Your First 30 Days in Mauritius: What to Set Up
Your first 30 days in Mauritius go best in this order: the paperwork that carries a deadline, then the bank, then the everyday set-up. Two deadlines matter most. Any transfer your permit requires is due within 60 days of the permit being issued (USD 2,000 for a retirement permit, USD 100,000 for an Investor Occupation Permit), and household effects must arrive within 6 months of your arrival to qualify for customs relief.
This guide is for people arriving on an Occupation Permit, a retirement permit or a Premium Visa. It marks which steps carry an official deadline and which are our suggestion, and names who to ask where the sources leave a detail open.
Before you board and at the airport
Complete the health declaration form before you board. The Quarantine (Health Declaration Form) Regulations 2026, in operation since 9 June 2026, apply to everyone arriving by ship or aircraft and require it at the point of boarding. Their stated aim is preventing the introduction and spread of Ebola Virus Disease. Refusing to complete it, or knowingly giving false information, is an offence.
An advisory on the Passport and Immigration Office (PIO) site dated 11 June 2026 barred foreigners who had been in listed countries in the previous 21 days; citizens and holders of permits, business visas or student visas could enter, subject to 21 days’ quarantine on arrival. We could not confirm the current country list, so read the advisory and call your airline before you book.
Arriving passengers must declare currency and bearer negotiable instruments (cheques, promissory notes and money orders), precious stones and metals such as gold, diamonds and jewellery, and high-value goods including works of art. The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) puts the threshold for all of these at more than Rs 500,000, or the equivalent in foreign currency. If you carry cash or valuables near that amount, or are unsure, use the Red Channel.
Pack medicines in their original containers with a legible prescription. The MRA limits you to three months’ supply of prescription medicines and one month’s supply of controlled drugs, which also need approval from the Government Pharmacist at the Ministry of Health. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) adds that strong painkillers need prior authorisation.
Permit formalities
What you do first depends on how you entered. The steps below follow the Economic Development Board (EDB) and PIO pages; our Occupation Permit guide covers the categories.
- Occupation Permit or retirement permit. You apply online through the EDB’s National E-licensing System (NELS). Approval brings an Approval in Principle (AIP) by email, valid for 90 days on a new application and 30 on a renewal. The AIP is not a visa, so hold a return ticket, and travel to Mauritius afterwards for the medical examination. Pay the permit fee only after the AIP, by credit card on NELS or card machine at the EDB office in Ebene: USD 1,000 for ten years on the Investor, Self-Employed and retirement permits, while the employer pays for a Professional one. The EDB books your appointment once the money arrives. At the appointment the PIO identifies you, the EDB and PIO check your originals and a valid visa, and the PIO issues the permit. No processing time is published.
- If you are retiring. The Retired non-citizen permit is for people aged 50 or over. Applicants and dependants are told to ask for a tourist visa on arrival; our retiring guide has the rest.
- Premium Visa. It is free, applied for online and issued as an e-visa by email, for more than six months and up to a year, renewable. No income minimum or processing time is published, so ask the PIO or the EDB. The Premium Visa guide lists the documents.
- If you arrived as a visitor. The border officer sets your stay, up to six months in a calendar year on the PIO’s page or 180 days on the EDB’s. To extend, go in person to the PIO at Sterling House, 9-11 Lislet Geoffroy Street, Port Louis, with the form, passport, ticket reservation, three months of bank statements and proof of accommodation or a sponsor letter; it is free, with no published processing time. The Occupation Permit Guidelines say applicants without a valid visa should not stay, so extend before it lapses. More in our visa requirements guide.
- Family. A spouse (an opposite-sex common-law partner counts), parents and unmarried children aged 24 or under apply at the PIO. Each permit costs USD 400 and never outlasts yours; each dependant needs a medical certificate and a valid tourist visa, and none may work without a Work Permit or their own Occupation Permit.
The bank account and permit transfers
The 60-day deadlines run from the day the permit is issued at your appointment, not the day you land, and apply only to the permits below.
| Permit | What goes in | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Investor Occupation Permit | USD 100,000 from abroad, into the company’s bank account in Mauritius | Within 60 days of issue |
| Self-Employed Occupation Permit (services only) | USD 50,000 from abroad, into your own or your company’s bank account in Mauritius | Within 60 days of issue |
| Retirement permit | An initial USD 2,000 into a local bank, then USD 24,000 a year or USD 2,000 a month | The initial sum within 60 days of issue |
All three need a signed undertaking agreeing that the permit is cancelled if you miss the deadline. The EDB’s pages differ on which account takes the Self-Employed money, so ask the EDB. We found no transfer requirement for a Professional Occupation Permit or a Premium Visa.
Our inference, not an official statement: the EDB asks a retirement applicant for a Mauritian bank statement after the AIP, so the account probably has to exist before the 60 days begin. Check the order with the EDB.
Non-residents can open accounts face to face or from abroad, but the Bank of Mauritius treats them as higher risk, so banks may ask about income, funds and wealth. You will need an application form, identity documents (certified by a lawyer or accountant if you apply from abroad) and evidence of address, though each institution sets its own policy, so check before you travel. More in our bank account guide.
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Household effects and the six-month window
Item E9 of Part II of the Customs Tariff Act covers household effects: furniture, bedding, appliances and similar domestic articles. No duty or VAT applies to them for a passenger who satisfies the Director-General of the MRA that they are taking up residence, or for a non-citizen coming to work who produces an occupation or work permit. The MRA’s page says permanent residence where the Act says taking up residence; what counts as proof is not published, so Customs is the one to ask.
The goods must be bought abroad, must not be for sale or transfer, and must be imported within six months. The MRA page counts from arrival and the Act from your last arrival; the Director-General may allow longer for just or reasonable cause.
Count from the day you first land. If your goods will arrive more than six months after it, ask Customs in writing what it will accept. That is our cautious suggestion, not an MRA rule.
Bring your passport, a passport memo from the PIO, an inventory or packing list and the shipping arrival papers. Without a detailed packing list you need a provisional entry listing every item, which the MRA calls time-consuming. Restricted goods need clearance: plants and seeds from Agriculture, medicines and food from Health, arms from the Police.
If you sell, transfer or put the goods to another use within four years, you must give the Director-General written notice. Duty and VAT then apply pro rata on a sale or transfer after notice; a breach, or another use, brings full duty and VAT, a penalty of up to 50% and interest of 0.5% a month. Our shipping guide covers customs and duty.
A SIM card
The operator registers you at the point of sale and checks a coloured photo against your passport. A resident non-citizen shows a passport, a Unique Identification Number, a residence or occupation permit and proof of address; a tourist shows a passport or travel document and proof of address in Mauritius. False information can bring a fine of up to Rs 50,000, up to a year in prison, or both. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority’s FAQ says nothing about Premium Visa holders or eSIMs, so ask the operator before you buy.
Health cover and a doctor
The FCDO says foreigners can use public hospitals but are expected to pay, and that public hospitals are of a reasonable standard but often not equipped for serious illness, and that private hospitals have better equipment and are favoured by foreign nationals. There is no reciprocal health agreement with the UK, ambulances can be unreliable, and UK travel insurance generally does not cover costs once you live overseas. Serious cases may be evacuated to Réunion or South Africa, so the FCDO advises adequate insurance and funds.
The FCDO’s list of English-speaking doctors says public care is free for locals and that foreigners pay a minimal fee, but no Mauritian page we read confirms what a non-citizen pays. For weeks one and two we suggest choosing a private clinic near your address and asking your insurer what the cover pays for.
Save the government’s emergency numbers now: police 999 or 112, ambulance (SAMU) 114, fire 115. More in our healthcare guide.
Schools
The FCDO says state school is free and compulsory to 16, taught in English, Creole and French with exams in English. Nothing official we found says whether state schools take the children of non-citizens, so ask the Ministry of Education. The 2026 state year has three terms between 12 January and 30 October, but we found no 2027 calendar.
The Lycée des Mascareignes says on its own site that it cannot enrol a child on a tourist visa, even temporarily, and that the child must be named on a parent’s residence permit. That is one school’s rule, but ask any school you are considering what status it needs before you arrive as a visitor. More in our international schools guide.
Driving
Traffic keeps to the left, as in the UK, and the FCDO says a UK photocard licence can be used. How long a resident may rely on a foreign licence is not confirmed, so ask the Licensing Office of the police Traffic Branch at Line Barracks, Port Louis. Converting a licence needs, among other documents, a residence, work or occupation permit valid for six months from the day you apply. The household effects relief does not appear to cover a car, because the Act’s baggage item (E8) excludes motor vehicles and E9 lists none. The driving guide has the detail.
Electricity and water
Ask your landlord or agent, then the supplier, how a tenant opens an electricity or water account and what water costs: the pages we found do not say. The tourism ministry gives the supply as 220 V AC at 50 Hz, with three-pin plugs in most hotels and two-pin also in use, so check the rating and plug on each appliance before you ship it.
Tax in month one
How a newcomer registers with the MRA is not set out in the sources we checked, so contact the MRA directly. The Income Tax Act does settle residence for an income year (1 July to 30 June): you are resident if you are domiciled in Mauritius (unless your permanent home is abroad), present for 183 days or more in the year, or present for 270 days or more across that year and the two before. Income an individual derives from outside Mauritius is treated as derived when it is received in Mauritius by them or on their behalf, or dealt with there in their interest or on their behalf. We would keep a day-count and travel records from arrival, and a note of what each transfer into Mauritius represents; that is our suggestion, not an MRA requirement. The tax guide has the rates.
Cyclone readiness, November to May
The official cyclone season runs from 1 November to 15 May. The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) issues Class I 36 to 48 hours before gusts of 120 km/h are expected, and Class IV once such gusts are recorded in some places and expected to continue. At Class I the MMS advises getting your kit ready and following radio and TV; at Class II, checking the kit and storing drinking water. The official pages do not set out what closes at each class, so check with your employer and your children’s school. Our cyclone guide has the full warning system.
Your 30-day checklist
The first five rows come from official sources; the rest are our suggested timings.
| Step | Timing | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Health declaration form | Before boarding | The PIO and your airline |
| Declare cash and valuables | On arrival | MRA Customs |
| Permit medical and fee, where they apply | Inside the AIP window | The EDB and the PIO |
| First bank transfer | Within 60 days of issue, where your permit requires one | Your bank and the EDB |
| Household effects | Within 6 months of arrival | MRA Customs |
| SIM registration | Week one | The operator you choose |
| Health cover and a doctor | Weeks one and two | Your insurer and a private clinic |
| School place | Before committing to a term | The school and the Ministry of Education |
| Licence question | Weeks two to four | Traffic Branch, Line Barracks |
| Electricity and water | Week one | Your landlord or agent, then the supplier |
| Tax records | From day one | The MRA |
| Cyclone kit (November to May) | Week one | The MMS, your employer and your school |
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first when I arrive in Mauritius?
Complete the health declaration form before you board and use the Red Channel at customs if you carry cash or valuables near Rs 500,000. Then turn to the steps with deadlines: the permit appointment and fee, and any transfer your permit requires within 60 days of issue.
How long do I have to bring in household effects without duty?
Six months, though the Director-General of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) can allow longer for just or reasonable cause. The MRA page counts from arrival and the Act from your last arrival, so we would treat your first landing as day one.
Do I need a Mauritian bank account in the first month?
It depends on the permit. Within 60 days of issue, a retirement permit requires an initial USD 2,000 in a local bank, an Investor Occupation Permit USD 100,000 in the company account and a services-only Self-Employed permit USD 50,000 in your own or the company’s account. Nothing we read sets a transfer requirement for a Professional Occupation Permit or a Premium Visa.
Can my children start school straight away?
Not always. One school, the Lycée des Mascareignes, says a child on a tourist visa cannot be enrolled, even temporarily, and must be named on the residence permit of a parent. We found nothing official on whether state schools take the children of non-citizens, so ask the Ministry of Education or the school before planning a start date.
Sources, checked 28 October 2026
Official Mauritian pages, Acts and notices come first. The FCDO entries are UK travel advice, not Mauritian law, and the Lycée des Mascareignes page is the school’s own site, the only place we found its enrolment rule.
- Quarantine (Health Declaration Form) Regulations 2026 and the Ebola Virus Disease travel advisory (posted on the Passport and Immigration Office site; the advisory is from the Ministry of Health and Wellness): the health declaration and the entry rules of 11 June 2026.
- On arrival and Import restrictions (Mauritius Revenue Authority): what to declare, the Red Channel and the medicines conditions.
- Occupation Permit Guidelines and the Retired non-citizen page (Economic Development Board): the AIP, fees, appointment, dependants, the 60-day transfers and the retirement permit.
- Mauritius Premium Visa and its checklist (Economic Development Board): cost, duration, documents and the e-visa.
- Visa Requirements and Extension of Visa (Passport and Immigration Office): the length of a visitor stay and how to extend it.
- AML/CFT guideline, January 2020 (Bank of Mauritius): non-residents opening accounts, their risk rating and the documents.
- Household and personal effects and Clearance procedures (Mauritius Revenue Authority): the relief, its documents and the restricted goods.
- Customs Tariff Act, Part II exemptions (Mauritius Revenue Authority, 1 September 2026): items E8 and E9 and the four-year rule.
- Frequently asked questions (Information and Communication Technologies Authority): SIM registration and the documents it asks for.
- Living in Mauritius and Mauritius: health (FCDO): hospitals, insurance, evacuation, state schooling and medicines.
- List of English-speaking doctors and medical facilities in Mauritius (FCDO, 21 October 2024): what foreigners pay in public hospitals.
- Mauritius: safety and security (FCDO) and the Traffic Branch page (Mauritius Police Force): UK photocard licences and the documents for converting a foreign licence.
- Government of Mauritius portal and Information for visitors (Ministry of Tourism): the hotline list for emergency numbers, and the electricity supply.
- School calendar (Ministry of Education) and the enrolment page (Lycée des Mascareignes): the 2026 state terms and the school’s visa rule.
- Income Tax Act, consolidated (Mauritius Revenue Authority): the residence test in section 73 and income from outside Mauritius in section 5.
- Seasonal climate forecast, Warning system and Precautions (Mauritius Meteorological Services): the season dates, the warning classes and what to do at Class I and II.
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.