Mauritius

Last update: 2026-05-16
MU MUR English
Pros
Competitive fiscal regime with 15% flat tax and no capital gains or inheritance taxes.
Robust legal framework protecting private property rights and ensuring high levels of personal security.
Strategic maritime location providing a stable gateway for international trade and offshore financial services.
Cons
Persistent bureaucratic inefficiencies and reliance on political connections for large-scale infrastructure projects.
High dependency on imported commodities leading to elevated living costs and vulnerability to global shocks.
Recent legislative trends toward increased digital surveillance and potential restrictions on online expression.
Personal income
0 → 20%
progressive
Corporate
5 → 15%
progressive
Capital gains
0%
flat
VAT (standard)
15%
standard rate
i 5.2 VERY LOW TAX
i 3 HOLDING
i 2.2 DIVIDEND PIPELINE
i 2 CRYPTO HAVEN
i 2 PRIVACY GRADE
i 2 EASY CITIZENSHIP
VERYLOW TAX 5.2/10 HOLDING 3/10 DIVIDENDPIPELINE 2.2/10 CRYPTOHAVEN 2/10 PRIVACYGRADE 2/10 EASYCITIZENSHIP 2/10
01/08

Will Mauritius tax what you earn?

income tax tax residency territorial system

YES, FAIRLY. Mauritius taxes personal income at a moderate 20%, but only on income with a local source. The territorial regime is the leverage point: what you earn abroad while resident here stays outside the catchment.

Personal income taxi
0 → 20%
progressive · 3 brackets
Income simulatori
Income
Tax due
Effective rate
all-in
Marginal rate
+15%
net income exceeds MUR 12 million, applied on leviable income in excess of MUR 12 million
Tax residence testi
183/183 days
183-day rule
Economic interest
Family centre
Habitual abode
Extended-stay test
Just one rule above is enough to make you tax-resident here.
02/08

Will Mauritius tax what you own?

capital gains wealth tax inheritance dividends interest

NO. Capital gains escape taxation in Mauritius, but the annual wealth tax (top rate 20%) takes a slice of held value every year regardless of whether you've sold anything. The bill comes for the stock, not the flow. A long holding period eats more than a single realisation would.

Capital gainsi
0%
flat
Dividend taxi
20%
progressive · +15% net income exceeds MUR 12 million, inclusive of dividend income
Interest incomei
20%
progressive
Wealth taxi
0 → 20%
progressive · threshold 10,636
Crypto · tax regimei
Regime
ZERO TAX
Rate
0%
Mauritius does not impose Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Under the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024, virtual assets and tokens are included in the definition of 'securities,' which are specifically exempt from tax on gains for individuals. However, if the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) determines that the activity constitutes a 'trade' or business (professional trading), the profits are taxed as personal income at progressive rates ranging from 0% to 20%. The Virtual Asset and Initial Token Offering Services Act 2021 (VAITOS) provides the regulatory framework for the sector.
Crypto-to-cryptoi
NEUTRAL
a swap is not a taxable realisation event
FATF travel rulei
NOT SIGNED
no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers
Inheritance systemi
NONE
no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply.
03/08

Is it easy to run a company in Mauritius?

corporate tax criminal liability public registry VAT IP box

YES. Corporate tax in Mauritius sits at a low 15%, with VAT around it. Setting up and running a company is cheap; the rate won't be what kills a venture here.

Corporate taxi
5 → 15%
progressive · +5.5% Special levy on leviable income of banks · +2.5% Additional contribution of chargeable income from domestic operations for banks
IP Box · Patent Boxi
NONE
no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules
Misuse of corporate assetsi
NO CRIMINAL LIABILITY
Civil Matter / Companies Act 2001 Sections 143 and 160
Mauritius company law is modeled on the New Zealand Companies Act, which prioritizes civil remedies for breaches of fiduciary duty. While Section 332 of the Companies Act 2001 criminalizes the 'fraudulent' use of company property, this criminal threshold is generally not met in a sole-shareholder scenario where the company is solvent. Because the sole owner is the 'directing mind' of the entity, their consent precludes the 'intent to defraud' required for a criminal conviction. Such acts are instead treated as unauthorized distributions (civil) or deemed dividends (tax).
Shareholders privacyi
PUBLIC PAYWALL
Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD)
Directors privacyi
PUBLIC PAYWALL
Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD)
Incorporation costi
Private Limited Company
Private Company Limited by Shares
Name Reservation Fee USD 2
Business Registration Card (BRC) Fee USD 43
Professional Incorporation & Legal Services USD 532
Total USD 576
VAT standard ratei
15%
single rate · no reduced tiers
15%
Digital & telecom
15%
digital
04/08

Is Mauritius good for your holding company?

treaty network participation exemption withholding

NOT REALLY. Mauritius offers a moderate treaty network (33 signed) and a partial participation exemption at 80% (so 20% of qualifying dividends hits the corporate rate). Workable for operating subsidiaries, meh as a pure holding vehicle: the through-flow isn't clean.

Territorial systemi
Individuals
REMITTANCE
Corporates
WORLDWIDE
Individuals: remittance basis (foreign income taxed only when brought in). Corporates: worldwide.
Participation exemptioni
80%
no minimum threshold · no holding period
CFC rulesi
APPLY
Mauritius applies CFC rules to non-resident entities where a local company, alone or with related parties, holds over 50% of participation rights. Income is attributed based on the arm's-length principle if the MRA deems the arrangement non-genuine for tax avoidance.
WHT · dividendsi
0%
non-resident outbound
WHT · interest
15%
non-resident outbound
WHT · royalties
15%
non-resident outbound
Tax-haven WHT
no punitive rate on record
Treaties signedi
23
active
Treaties pending
7
in negotiation
Tax treaty networki
origin · MU 0% > 0% no treaty
Inspect a country
Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with MU.
Country Status Dividends Interest Royalties
// no treaties match
05/08

What does it cost to come and go from Mauritius?

exit tax territorial system dual citizenship

LITTLE. Coming and going from Mauritius is cheap. The country runs a territorial system (foreign income stays foreign), and there's no exit tax on departure. You leave with what you came in with, plus whatever you earned abroad while you were here.

Exit taxi
NONE
no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism
Dual citizenship
FORBIDDEN
naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship
Citizenship paths
Residence
Marriage
Birth
Descent
Investment
06/08

Will Mauritius protect your privacy?

info exchange corporate registries

NOT AT ALL. Mauritius has signed every exchange framework that matters and operates a public corporate registry. Whatever you do here (earn, hold, structure) is reportable, accessible, or both. Privacy is not the strategy in this jurisdiction.

Multilateral reporting frameworks 5/10 active · 4 pending
CRS
2017
CARF
2025
FATCA
2014
MLI
2019
BEPS
MAAC
2015
GLOBAL FORUM
EOIR
CRYPTO-CARF
2025
CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE
07/08

Is Mauritius itself a liability?

blacklists FATF standing

SOMEWHAT. Mauritius is flagged by one or two national tax authorities and sits outside FATF membership. Selective friction: anti-abuse rules trigger on transactions in specific corridors, and counterparties tend to ask more questions.

Blacklist exposure Listed by 2 authorities
FATF
grey / black list
EU
non-cooperative list
FRANCE
ETNC list
SPAIN
tax-haven list
PORTUGAL
favourable regimes
BRAZIL
low-tax list
08/08

Will you feel free in Mauritius?

press freedom crypto CBDC EU

PARTLY. Press freedom in Mauritius is partial (RSF rank #51) and crypto sits untaxed, but 1 CBDC project(s) are in development. The current crypto freedom may not survive the new payment rails.

Press freedom · RSF indexi
51/180
score 67 · ↑ 6 ranks year-on-year
Central bank digital currencyi
Program Status Cross-border Sources
Mauritius CBDC
Among the motivations of introducing a CBDC are protecting monetary sovereignty and supporting anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) efforts.
The Bank of Mauritius
RESEARCH
SEE ALSO

Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Mauritius. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.
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NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.