Professional - Employed in Mauritius by a Multinational or a local company

Residency by Profession

Professional

Mauritius has always been a welcome home for professionals and foreign skills and talents. From dynamic sectors like technology and innovation, information and communication, healthcare, and tourism to finance, trade, real estate, Mauritius offers opportunities to expatriates to explore the Mauritian job market.

Right to Invest by Professional

(a)The holder of an occupation permit as a non-citizen professional may invest in any business, provided that – (i) he is not employed in the business; and (ii) he does not derive any salary or employment benefits from the business.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the holder of an occupation permit as a non-citizen professional may hold shares in a business where he is employed, provided that he is not a majority shareholder.

Request a copy of our guidelines and application process

Apply for the permit.

Any other questions ?

You may contact EDB office on
+230 2033800 or send your query below:

Key Features

Minimum monthly basic salary

  • MUR 30,000

Validity

Maximum 10 years, depending upon duration of contract of employment
Renewable

Renewing criteria

A renewed contract of employment with minimum monthly basic salary

Note: Professionals may also apply for a Short-term Occupation Permit for a period not exceeding 9 months. However, the permit may be extended only once for a maximum period of 3 months.

Be employed in Mauritius by a multinational or a local company, by virtue of a contract of employment with a minimum monthly basic salary.

Your employer can start the application process online without the need for you to travel to Mauritius. The National Electronic Licensing System is a dedicated online platform that caters for the whole process: from submission of application until issue of the approval in principle letter. 

For security and identification purposes, the employer will be required to register prior to the use of the online platform, accessible on the following link https://business.edbmauritius.org/.

A non-regulated activity does not require any registration, licence or clearance to start working. A regulated activity (Banking sector, engineers, doctors, veterinarians, allied health professionals, etc) as opposed with require a clearance/licence from the relevant public sector agency/ approved professional body prior to the start of employment or within a defined timeframe, after employment has started.

You will be informed of the need to apply for a registration/clearance/licence following the submission of your application for an Occupation Permit. The registration/clearance/licence is a requirement to obtain an Occupation Permit.

As a professional working in Mauritius, you are required to file your emoluments with the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) annually and effect payment of tax where applicable. 

In case you are on secondment and have declared your emoluments in your country of origin, you should submit a tax certificate as proof of tax return at time of renewal of your Occupation Permit.

As a foreign national, you may acquire a residential property developed under the Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS), Real Estate Scheme (RES), Property Development Scheme (PDS) or Smart City Scheme (SCS). The foreign national is also allowed to acquire an apartment located in a building of at least ground plus two floors.

In addition, a non-citizen who has a residence permit under IRS/RES/PDS is exempted from the requirement to hold an Occupation or Work Permit to invest and work in Mauritius.

Immigration policies in Mauritius strongly promote family reunion/reunification. Dependents of Occupation Permit holders and/or Retired non-citizens are eligible to apply for a residence permit, allowing them to live in Mauritius for the same duration as the main holder. Dependents are referred to as spouse (including Common Law Partner of the opposite sex), parents and children (including stepchildren or lawfully adopted children) who are unmarried and not engage in any gainful activity. Application for a Residence Permit as dependent is made to and determined by the Passport and Immigration Office.

You are eligible to renew your Occupation Permit at its expiry, subject to your renewing your contract of employment with the minimum monthly basic salary. 

You are also eligible to apply for a 20-year Permanent Residence Permit, after at least 3 years of residency, provided that you have been receiving a basic monthly salary of at least MUR 150,000 for 3 consecutive years preceding the application for the Permanent Residence Permit application

DurationApplication fee (USD)
Short-term OP (not exceeding 9 months)300
Subsequent extension for short-term OP (not exceeding 3 months)150
Not more than 2 years400
More than 2 years but not more than 3 years500
More than 3 years but not more than 5 years800
More than 5 years and up to 10 years1,000

Preliminary documents to be uploaded online for Approval-In-Principle

  1. Business Registration Card
  1. Certificate of Incorporation
  1. Register of Shareholders and Directors
  1. Clearances/licenses/letter of intent for regulated activities (GBL, TEL, etc)
  2. A comprehensive brief on the activities of the company
  3. Contract of employment and detailed Job description 
  4. Academic and Professional qualifications or true certified copies – original (either in English or French) If not, a certified/sworn translated copy by a competent authority should be submitted. 
  5. Curriculum Vitae 
  6. Birth Certificate – original (either in English or French) If not, a certified/sworn translated copy by a competent authority should be submitted.
  7. Passport – Biodata page
  8. 1 recent colour passport size digital photograph – dimensions 3.5cm (413 pixels) x 4.5cm (531 pixels) (less than six months old)
  9. Signed undertaking Section 5 – Duly filled and signed undertaking by the employer. 
  1.  

Documents to be uploaded and presented in originals after Approval-In-Principle

  1. Marriage Certificate / Divorce Certificate – original (either in English or French) If not, a certified/sworn translated copy by a competent authority should be submitted.
  2. Medical Certificate and reports – less than six months old 
  3. Last entry visa pages
  4. Copy of any other permit – Occupation Permit/Work/Residence Permit 
  5. Processing fee
  6. Any other document as may be required.

 

Kindly note that the preliminary documents mentioned above must also be presented in originals while attending the appointment.

  1. An application for an Occupational Permit in the Professional category should be submitted by the Employer (either Director or HR representative) on behalf of the Professional. 
  2. The contract of employment, duly signed by both parties, should clearly mention the following:  applicant’s full name as per the birth certificate, company’s name, Job Title, Duration of the contract of employment and Monthly basic salary.
  3. The Professional should be accompanied by the Employer (either Director or HR representative) on the appointment date.
  4. In case a Professional is being seconded for duty, the employer in Mauritius should provide the secondment agreement between the two companies and a supporting letter mentioning the job title, contract duration and monthly basic salary.

 

Important Notes

Applying for an Occupation Permit or a Residence Permit by Retirees on the National E-Licensing System (NELS) is free of charge. In addition, the Economic Development Board does not charge any fees for processing of applications for these permits. Only successful applicants are required to pay the statutory permit fees, as prescribed by law, to the Government of Mauritius.

Any other questions ?

You may contact EDB office on
+230 2033800 or send your query below:

Discover more

Image hover effect image

Young Professional Occupation Permit (YPOP)

Learn More

Image hover effect image

Mauritian Diaspora Scheme

Learn More

Verified by MonsterInsights