Mauritius Premium Visa: Rules and How to Apply
The Mauritius Premium Visa lets a non-citizen stay for more than six months and up to one year, renewable, while working remotely or running a business whose income comes from outside Mauritius. You apply online to the Economic Development Board (EDB), and the e-visa arrives by email at no charge. No minimum income is published: the EDB checklist asks for three months of bank statements and proof of monthly income, with insurance, accommodation and a return ticket. It is not a work permit, because holders may not enter the Mauritian labour market.
If your income comes from an employer, clients, a business or a pension outside Mauritius and you want to spend most of a year on the island, the Premium Visa is the permission the government built for that. We cover who it suits and who qualifies, the checklist, how to apply, family, what you can and cannot do on it, renewal, and the tax rules that start to matter after 183 days. The sources are pages from the EDB and the Passport and Immigration Office (PIO), together with the Income Tax Act, all read on 28 October 2026.
What the Premium Visa is, and who it suits
The Premium Visa is a long-stay visa. It is not a residence permit, and it does not open the Mauritian job market. The EDB describes a stay of more than six months and up to one year, with an option to renew, and the PIO says its purpose is to encourage foreign nationals to come for a long stay, as a tourist, a retiree or a professional, with their family, and to carry on their business or work remotely from the island.
The dividing line is 180 days. The EDB says anyone intending to stay for more than 180 days in a calendar year needs a Premium Visa, while a visitor staying for less is given a tourist visa on arrival. If a long holiday is all you have in mind, our guide to Mauritius visa requirements explains what a visitor stay allows.
Your passport decides how you apply. The EDB’s list names 114 countries whose citizens can apply, among them the UK, South Africa, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Nigeria, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are among the countries missing from it. For those, the EDB says you can enter as a tourist and submit the online application during your stay. Entering as a tourist still means meeting the visa rules for your passport, which our visa requirements guide explains.
Treat the list as a starting point. The EDB page still shows a 2021 copyright line, and some of its wording dates from the pandemic. If your country is missing or you are unsure, the EDB’s contact details are in the application section below.
Who qualifies for the Premium Visa
The EDB page sets out these conditions:
- you are a non-citizen from a country on the EDB list, or you apply from Mauritius after entering as a tourist;
- you can show your long-stay plans and hold travel and health insurance that covers the initial period of stay;
- you will not enter the Mauritian labour market;
- your main place of business, or the source of your income and profits, is outside Mauritius;
- you provide supporting evidence, such as the purpose of your visit and where you will stay, and meet the other basic immigration requirements.
No income minimum is published. Neither the EDB nor the PIO states a figure for the main applicant, a spouse or a child. Other websites quote amounts, but we could not match any to an official page, so we do not repeat them. The EDB asks for three months of bank statements and proof of monthly income, as the checklist below shows. It does not say whether it applies an internal threshold, so if a figure matters to your plans, ask before you commit to flights or a lease.
What the checklist asks for
The EDB publishes a checklist as a PDF, filed under April 2022, with one column for a first application and one for a renewal.
| Document | First application | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Visa application form, filled in online | Yes | Yes |
| Bio data page of your passport | Yes | Yes |
| Passport-size photograph | Yes | Not applicable |
| Airline ticket, including a return ticket for the intended stay (beyond six months) | Yes | Yes |
| Travel and health insurance for the intended period of stay | Yes | Yes |
| Letter of accommodation for the intended stay: a hotel booking, lease or rental agreement or, if you are sponsored locally, a sponsorship letter with proof of address and a copy of the sponsor’s ID or residence permit | Yes | Yes |
| Evidence of funds: recent bank statements for the last three months, and proof of monthly income | Yes | Yes |
| Spouse: marriage certificate, in English or French | Yes | Not applicable |
| Children: birth certificate, in English or French | Yes | Not applicable |
| Letter of consent when a child travels with one parent only | Yes | Yes |
| Any other document the EDB asks for | If asked | If asked |
The PIO’s general entry conditions apply on top of this list: a passport valid beyond the stay you intend, a valid return ticket, adequate funds (the PIO gives no amount) and confirmed accommodation. For the insurance, our guide to healthcare in Mauritius explains how the system works.
Settle your dates first: the ticket, the insurance and the accommodation letter all have to cover the same intended stay, and the checklist asks for the ticket before the EDB has issued anything. A fare you can change is worth the extra cost until the e-visa arrives.
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How to apply and what comes back
Applications go through the online form linked from the EDB’s Premium Visa page, and the PIO’s page points readers to the EDB. The EDB calls it a simple process with no processing fee. Once the form is complete, the e-visa is issued by email.
Neither body publishes a processing time, or says how far ahead of travel to apply from abroad. Put that question to the EDB before you set a departure date.
The visa itself costs nothing, which is not true of every route. The EDB introduced a USD 50 non-refundable application fee on 1 December 2025, but its notice names Occupation Permit and Retired Residence Permit applications and does not mention the Premium Visa.
If your passport is not on the list, or you would rather apply once you are on the island, the EDB says you can enter as a tourist and apply online during your stay. The pages do not say whether a pending application extends your tourist stay. Staying beyond the end of a visa is an offence that the PIO says can lead to prosecution, so apply early in the stay and ask the EDB how your dates are treated.
The EDB lists +230 2033800 and premiumvisa@edbmauritius.org for Premium Visa questions.
Bringing your family
The checklist names a spouse and children. For a spouse it asks for a marriage certificate and for each child a birth certificate, both in English or French, plus a letter of consent where a child travels with one parent only. Nothing on the EDB or PIO pages covers unmarried partners, parents or adult children, whether each person receives a separate e-visa, or how the evidence of funds is read for a household. Put those questions to the EDB in writing before you apply.
What you can and cannot do on a Premium Visa
The condition that shapes everything else is the labour market. The EDB says an applicant should not enter the Mauritian labour market, and that the main place of business, or the source of income and profits, must be outside Mauritius. Working remotely for an employer or clients abroad, or running a business based abroad, fits that. Taking a job with a Mauritian employer does not.
If your plans change, the EDB names the next steps for a holder:
- Work or invest. A holder may apply for an Occupation Permit. Our Occupation Permit guide sets out the categories, salary floor and fees.
- Retire. A holder may apply for a residence permit as a retired non-citizen, which is open from age 50 and allows no gainful employment. See retiring in Mauritius.
- Buy property. The EDB page says a foreign national may 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.
That property answer predates the June 2026 Budget. The EDB’s Budget Highlights say Government will grant no new leases that allow apartments on State land and Pas Géométriques to be sold, so sales to non-citizens will cease (earlier leases and resales are unaffected). Read our guide to buying property before you plan around an apartment.
Renewing the visa
The checklist has a renewal column, and a renewal asks for most of what a first application does. The photograph, the marriage certificate and the children’s birth certificates are for first applications only. You need the online form, the passport page, a return ticket, insurance, accommodation, three months of bank statements with proof of monthly income, and a consent letter again where a child travels with one parent. The pages do not say how many times the visa can be renewed or how long a renewal lasts, so we cannot tell you how many years in a row it can cover.
Apply for a renewal well before the current visa ends, because the PIO treats staying past the end of a visa as an offence and the EDB has published no processing time. For a stay you expect to run for years, the Occupation Permit lasts up to 10 years and the retired non-citizen permit 10 years, renewable for another 10.
Tax once you pass 183 days
Tax residence in Mauritius follows days, not the visa. Under section 73 of the Income Tax Act you are resident for an income year, which runs from 1 July to 30 June, if you are present for 183 days or more in it, or for 270 days or more across it and the two income years before, or if you are domiciled in Mauritius (unless your permanent place of abode is outside the country). Immigration counts a calendar year and tax counts July to June, so the two clocks do not line up.
Our own arithmetic, not an official figure: a stay of a full year always puts at least 183 days into one of the two income years it touches, so someone who uses the whole year is resident for tax in one of them. A stay of just over six months that straddles 30 June can stay under 183 days in each income year, but the same days still count towards the 270-day test.
Section 73B of the Act adds rules for Premium Visa holders. As we read it, income for work performed remotely from Mauritius is treated as derived in Mauritius when it is remitted there; spending in Mauritius with a foreign credit or debit card is treated as not remitted; and money deposited into a Mauritian bank account is liable to income tax unless a declaration shows that the required tax was paid on it in the country of origin or residence. The EDB’s page makes the same points in plainer words. Section 74A concerns the employer abroad: it can treat a foreign business as earning Mauritian income through an employee working remotely from Mauritius, but not where that employee holds a Premium Visa and the business’s core activities are outside Mauritius.
Rates, the remittance rule in full and the position on pensions are in our Mauritius tax guide. The June Budget changes tax rules most years, and the wording of section 73B is short, so confirm how it applies to you with the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) or a Mauritian tax adviser before you rely on it.
How the Premium Visa compares with the other routes
The table sets the Premium Visa beside the routes the EDB names for people who want to work, invest, retire or buy. The figures come from the EDB’s Occupation Permit guidelines and its retired non-citizen page, and each route has its own guide with the full criteria and fees.
| Route | How long | What it asks for | Work in Mauritius? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Visa | More than six months, up to one year, renewable | Income or a business outside Mauritius, and the checklist above. No published income minimum, and no fee | No. Remote work or a business based abroad only |
| Occupation Permit | Up to 10 years | Investor: initial investment of USD 100,000. Self-Employed: USD 50,000, services sector only. Professional: basic salary of at least Rs 50,000 a month. USD 50 non-refundable application fee | Yes, as an investor, a self-employed person or an employed professional |
| Retired non-citizen permit | 10 years, renewable for another 10 | Aged 50 or over, with income evidence set by the EDB | No gainful employment. Investing is allowed if you are not employed or paid by the business |
| Property route | While you own the property; the Invest Hotel guidelines do not say | A purchase of at least USD 375,000, either under an EDB scheme or of an apartment in a building of at least two floors above ground | The main holder needs no work or occupation permit |
The visa checker matches your plans against these routes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum income for the Mauritius Premium Visa?
No minimum income is published. The checklist from the Economic Development Board (EDB) asks for bank statements for the last three months and proof of monthly income, but neither the EDB nor the Passport and Immigration Office states an amount for the applicant or for family members. If a figure matters to your plans, ask the EDB before you commit to flights or a lease.
How long does the Premium Visa last, and how do I apply?
It allows a stay of more than six months and up to one year, with an option to renew. You apply online through the Economic Development Board, there is no fee, and the e-visa is sent by email. The Board also says you can apply during a stay in Mauritius after entering as a tourist.
Can I work in Mauritius on a Premium Visa?
You can work remotely for an employer or clients outside Mauritius, or run a business whose main place of business and income are abroad. You may not enter the Mauritian labour market. To work for a Mauritian employer or to invest, the Economic Development Board says a holder can apply for an Occupation Permit.
Does the Premium Visa make me tax resident in Mauritius?
Not by itself. Tax residence follows days: under section 73 of the Income Tax Act you are resident for an income year (1 July to 30 June) if you spend 183 days or more in Mauritius in it, or 270 days or more across it and the two before. A stay of a full year always reaches 183 days in one income year. Section 73B adds separate rules for Premium Visa holders, which our tax guide sets out.
Sources, checked 28 October 2026
Every source is a Government of Mauritius page, from the Economic Development Board, the Passport and Immigration Office or the Mauritius Revenue Authority, and the two oldest are the EDB’s Premium Visa page and checklist, which carry a 2021 copyright line and an April 2022 filing date.
- Mauritius Premium Visa (Economic Development Board): who can apply and the 114-country list, the criteria, the stay of more than six months up to one year, the free e-visa by email, applying from inside Mauritius, the property schemes and the tax notes
- Premium Visa checklist (Economic Development Board): the documents for a first application and for a renewal
- Premium Visa (Passport and Immigration Office): the purpose of the visa, a stay of one year, renewable, and free of cost
- Travel Requirements (Passport and Immigration Office): the entry conditions every traveller must meet, including a return ticket, funds and accommodation
- Visa Requirements (Passport and Immigration Office): that staying beyond the end of a visa is an offence, and that visas and extensions are free
- Income Tax Act, consolidated (Mauritius Revenue Authority): sections 73, 73B and 74A on tax residence and Premium Visa holders
- Occupation Permit guidelines (Economic Development Board): the Occupation Permit thresholds, the USD 50 application fee from 1 December 2025, and the USD 375,000 property route to a residence permit
- Retired non-citizen residence permit (Economic Development Board): the minimum age of 50 and the length of the permit
- Budget Highlights 2026/2027 (Economic Development Board): the June 2026 announcement that new State-land leases will not allow apartment sales to non-citizens
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.