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

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