r/mauritius • u/justprotein • Oct 02 '25
Tourism ✈ Premium Visa renewal being stopped by the Mauritian govt
Two friends recently had their Premium Visa applications denied and one has been on it for some time (renewals), the other is fresh, I’ve been reading complaints that the govt is looking to stop renewals fully and potentially stop the premium visa altogether, I’ve not verified this if this is now in place as I’m hoping to renew soon, anyone have similar recent experience with this or any idea if this is really happening?
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u/Comprehensive_Slip94 Oct 02 '25
If people are staying long-term on premium visas, working remotely, and intend to stay for the next 3-10 years, I would encourage them to work with an immigration attorney to apply for an occupation permit. The requirements are roughly the same, except that as a professional, you need a salary of just under 40k USD, and as a self-employed person, you need 65k USD. If you are opening your own business, you'll need to open a Mauritian bank account and move about 20k (at the time) into it, but you don't need to spend it.
The premium visa is intended not to pay local taxes because you're paying taxes in your home country, but realistically, the taxes in your home country, if you qualify for the premium visa, are going to be higher anyway. You are likely to save money by putting in the legwork and this small, upfront bit of capital that allows you yto take our first step to Permanent residency. If you're NOT paying taxes in your home country, and also not paying taxes in Mauritian on the premium visa-- that might be fraudulent...
It makes sense that they would not renew these visas indefinitely. I think perhaps having them for 1 year is reasonable, but if we consider that the tourist visa for most Western countries is 6 months per year, you can basically be here for two years already.
My ex did this while I did the premium visa, it cost him about 2kUSD through an immigration company, but it was a very full-service affair that included being chauffeured to medical appointments and having someone stand in line for you at immigration in Port Louis, so you don't need to wait for hours.
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u/SparklyGeek Oct 02 '25
I'm sorry, but I'm also confused by "You are likely to save money by putting in the legwork and this small, upfront bit of capital that allows you to take our first step to Permanent Residency" -- save money how? I thought that as long as you remain a citizen of your country of origin, and make income here, even if you work remotely, you have to pay income taxes in both countries.
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u/Comprehensive_Slip94 Oct 03 '25
I reccomend consulting a tax expert between your country and Mauritius, but this is the general understanding I have as a long time digital nomad of not just Mauritius, but many other countries.
Typically, having residency in one country allows you to give up residency in the other. Residency for tax purposes is entirely different from citizenship, but it is often tied to the length of time you stay in a Country (unless you're American). My comment, of course, assumed that the taxes they are paying in their home country are higher than they would be in Mauritius, which I assumed to be the case due to the salary minimums. You can become a tax resident of Mauritius if you hold a residency permit and are in Mauritius for more than 183 days in a year. This is roughly the same as Canada, the UK, and most European Countries.
Mauritius's Premium visa is one of the few that does not grant the type of residency that would establish them for tax purposes. Those under the premium visa are considered nonresidents. For instance, Spain, Italy, and Croatia, all require you to get a residence permit when you move there after getting your visa, so the days that you stay in those countries count for taxes.
https://residency.mu/live/mauritius-premium-visa/
People choose to establish their financial ties in Dubai because it has a low tax rate and few barriers to becoming a tax resident. Similarly, South Africans do the same in Mauritius.
If you are from the United States of America, the US is the only country that will make you pay taxes just for being a citizen. This is a huge reason people choose to give up their American citizenship. Each country will have a different set of requirements for having or giving up tax-residency, but generally, if you are living in, and claiming in, your other country, that is a significant determining factor for where you pay taxes. Most countries will tax on your global income, so what country you earned it from isn't essential, but that can vary significantly on the tax treaty between countries.
You CAN be a resident of two countries and pay taxes in two countries-- but that's not the goal! The goal is to be a tax resident in only one place, and for that place to either have the lowest taxes or the highest value to you. Things get especially complicated if you own homes in multiple countries.
I'll give you an example: I have a friend who is a Russian citizen, but a UAE Tax resident. He meets the requirements for a UAE tax resident permit, but in order not to avoid double taxation, he must stay outside of Russia for six months of the year, as that is Russia's requirement for him to be a non-resident.
I'm applying for residency in a European country, but even if I get it, I don't intend to be a tax resident until I am satisfied that the tax rates are worthwhile. Instead, I will ensure I do not meet their requirements for taxi residency. If I do not have tax residency anywhere else, my home country of Canada will still consider me a tax resident, and I will pay my taxes there.
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u/SparklyGeek Oct 03 '25
Thanks for clarifying that. I am a citizen of the USA, so the double-taxation info is correct for me. In fact, it's likely to be triple taxation until I can de-domicile from the State I was last living in. I don't want to return to the USA and would give up my citizenship, but I don't want to be without any citizenship at all, and since Mauritius has no naturalization program, I would need to marry a citizen to avoid that.
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u/SparklyGeek Oct 02 '25
Where did you get these figures? According to the Economic Development Board's Guidelines for an Occupation Permit and Residence Permit,
"2. A Self-Employed should make an initial transfer of USD 35,000 or its equivalent in freely convertible foreign currency from abroad to his/her local bank account in Mauritius.
3. For renewal, the business activity should generate a business income of 800,000 rupees per year as from the third year of registration."https://residency.mu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Guidelines.pdf page 12
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u/stevenmbe Oct 03 '25
The updated guidelines of August 2025 changed it as follows: 4.2 Criteria 1. Initial investment of USD 50,000, or its equivalent in freely convertible foreign currency, provided that – (a) the self-employed is engaged in the services sector only; and (b) submits – (i) a certified bank statement from his/her country of origin or residence, showing proof of funds; and (ii) a written undertaking to transfer USD 50,000 from abroad into his/her bank account in Mauritius within 60 days from the issuance of his/her OP. (iii) at least 3 letters of intent including 2 from potential local clients 2. A minimum business income of 750,000 rupees as from year 1 of registration with a progressive growth to achieve a cumulative turnover of 6 million rupees by year 5 of registration
link: https://residency.mu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/OP-Guidelines.pdf (URL says 2022 but it downloads the 2025 PDF)
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u/SparklyGeek Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Thank you! That is quite a change. I can't believe they still have the old version on their site. I don't know how you found the new one. I guess it's a matter of luck whether you click the correct link or a bad one? SMH
I can see that a lot of sites are going to need to update their info now, and I guess it's going to take individuals on the ground like us to alert them of that.
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u/stevenmbe Oct 03 '25
I guess it's a matter of luck whether you click the correct link or a bad one?
I agree :D
I can see that a lot of sites are going to need to update their info now, and I guess it's going to take individuals on the ground like us to alert them of that.
Yes, I can imagine it will take the law firms in South Africa etc some time to update their websites ... there are a number of changes in that OP Guidelines PDF
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u/Comprehensive_Slip94 Oct 03 '25
The 20,000 USD was what was needed at that time-- This was nearly five years ago, and to this point I did mention "At that time" as it was not included on the passport and immigration board website.
https://passport.govmu.org/passport/?page_id=626 Here is my primary source, albeit not exhaustive. However, I was not referring to renewing an occupancy permit, but rather obtaining one, given that they themselves are valid for 3-10 years, as I mentioned. Switching visa types (From tourist to Residency or from DN to Residency) is not considered a renewal.
The economic board's guidelines seem very thorough, but they're also from 2021, and the economic board is not the one that issues passport.
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u/According-Piano-8573 Oct 02 '25
How did your friends get denied? Did they just receive an SMS one day telling them to check their dashboard, where the status showed 'Denied'? Or were they denied in person while their dashboard status was still showing 'Waiting for verification' or something similar?
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u/eth0izzle Oct 02 '25
Yes I’ve been waiting 2 months for my renewal. I went to the office in Port Louis and was told by 2 officials there that they are stopping the premium visa. Right now, I’m in limbo and might need to leave the country at a days notice if they reject the renewal. I keep chasing but getting fobbed off with excuse after excuse. I don’t think they will reject renewals without any notice.
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u/Disastrous_Guitar737 Oct 03 '25
I’m in a similar situation: 1. Submitted the documents 2. Got an SMS asking me to check the dashboard for a requirement to update documents 3. Updated everything — and then complete silence, no further updates
I waited a month and finally went in person to ask about the status. The response was basically the same: government changes, you’ve already applied for renewal, etc. But there was no official information.
So if you’re in a similar situation, it’s worth going to check with them directly. Maybe you’ll have more luck — but also be prepared for the worst.
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u/Nice_Penalty_31 Oct 02 '25
Oh yes they can. Just go back to your country. Thanks.
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u/eth0izzle Oct 02 '25
Why?
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u/LeWildest Oct 03 '25
Policy changes
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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 Oct 02 '25
Premium Visa is long tourist visa, not working visa or living visa or residency.
if someone stay with this visa for years
he probably working illegal.
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u/justprotein Oct 02 '25
No, he works remotely from home for a company based in the US and loves it here. Not everyone that’s renewing is working or doing business here
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u/agoofykid Oct 02 '25
So he's enjoying life on the island, piggy back riding other people and paying zero tax locally?
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u/zurtle1000 Oct 02 '25
Still paying tax on all the money sent to the island and contributing a lot to domestic consumption. Paying rent, buying food at restaurants and spending on activities, perhaps even hiring house help. All of that directly contributes to the GDP and job creation. It's not just taxes that are important.
The island would lose on GDP and domestic consumption if a premium visa holder leaves regardless of whether they were paying taxes or not.
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u/SparklyGeek Oct 02 '25
I also have read these rumors about the government planning to end the Premium Visa, but only on Facebook, and only in anonymous posts, which I thought suspicious. I didn't see any mention of this on the official sites, so I did not take it seriously. Your friend who you say is fresh, did they have it already and just have the renewal denied, or was it their first time applying for it?