The Mauritius Golden Visa will require a $1 million investment within 12 months of arrival, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam told parliament May 5. The Indian Ocean island plans to cap the program at 100 approvals per year. The Mauritius Golden Visa enters a global market for residence-by-investment where European routes have narrowed and where wealthy Americans are increasingly looking outside Europe for second-residence options.
Mauritius has no inheritance or capital gains tax and a flat 15% personal income tax rate. The visa permits multiple entries and covers spouses and dependent children.
What the visa does and doesn’t allow
Applicants sign a written undertaking at the time of application pledging to invest the $1 million within 12 months. Mauritius’s Economic Development Board screens applications and monitors investment progress. Ramgoolam said the board has already received multiple inquiries from foreigners wanting to relocate with their families.
The visa carries a property restriction. Holders can buy residential property only under development schemes, including hotel-linked units, and must initially rent or stay in hotels on arrival. The prime minister told parliament the high-end rental market has spare capacity to absorb the new arrivals without affecting affordability for Mauritian citizens.
A robust risk-based due-diligence framework is in place, Ramgoolam said, aligned with the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism rules.
How it compares to other golden visa routes
The Mauritius Golden Visa enters a market where European programs have narrowed. Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have all restricted or ended golden visa routes since 2023, leaving fewer doors open to wealthy applicants seeking residence outside their home countries.
At $1 million, the Mauritius threshold sits well above Greece’s golden visa, which starts at 250,000 euros (about $270,000) for property in lower-demand zones. It also runs above the UAE’s 10-year Golden Residence, which requires AED 2 million (about $545,000) in qualifying real estate. It sits below New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus visa, which starts at NZD 5 million.
Unlike many other golden visasa, the Mauritius scheme doesn’t offer a direct path to citizenship through investment. Naturalization requires several years of continuous residence. Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs offer citizenship at lower price points but have drawn scrutiny from the European Union and the United States over screening standards. Mauritius is pitching its program as selective, not mass-market.
The numbers Mauritius hasn’t released
The headline figure, 100-person cap and multiple-entry structure are confirmed. Qualifying asset classes, minimum holding periods and exact fee schedules have not been published in full.
The country already hosts a foreign retiree and professional population through its Premium Visa and Occupation Permit channels. The Premium Visa, a one-year renewable permit for remote workers and retirees with proof of foreign income, remains in place for applicants who do not meet the seven-figure investment bar.
What this means for Americans considering a second residence
Wealthy Americans pursuing second passports and residency abroad have run into a tighter European market over the past three years. The Mauritius Golden Visa offers English-language administration, a common-law legal system inherited from British rule, and a flat 15% income tax compared with US federal rates that top out at 37%.
The trade-offs are real. The investment lockup is 12 months. Property ownership is restricted to development-scheme units, ruling out resale homes. The path to citizenship is residence-based, not investment-based, and runs over years rather than months. The first full year of program data, expected in 2027, will show whether Mauritius hits its 100-approval target.
