Retirement in Mauritius for expats
Do you want to spend the rest of your life gazing at seemingly endless stripes of warm sand, swinging your golf club against a turquoise blue lagoon scenery, scuba diving to encounter species of a third kind or savoring gastronomic delights that makes East, West and creole sizzle at your dinner table? If yes, then retire in Mauritius!
You do not have to be old to retire in paradise as a matter of fact. The Government of Mauritius has since a few years now (how come you were unaware?) introduced a retirement scheme for non-resident citizens.
To be eligible for a residence permit for retired non-citizen, the applicant must be 50 years of age or above and must undertake to transfer to his/her local bank account in Mauritius at least 40,000 US dollars annually or its equivalent in any convertible currency.
A holder of a residence permit for retired non-citizen is not allowed to work in Mauritius (why should you work for God's sake!! You have retired!). Click here to see the guidelines for applying for a residence permit for a retired non-citizen which has been prepared by the Board of Investment (BOI), the Government agency in Mauritius which promotes investment into the country and also acts as a facilitator and a regulatory body. You can visit the website of the BOI at investmauritius.com
Documents required that should accompany the application form include your passport with a minimum validity of six months and a valid visa, birth and medical certificates, a Residence Permit fee of MRU 10,000 and a bank guarantee of MRU 50,000. Of course, you cannot retire alone and leave your family behind! Accompanying dependents (spouse and children under 18) can also apply for a Residence permit. The required documents are the same as already listed and a bank guarantee of MRU 20,000 is needed for each dependent. MRU is the Mauritian rupee and, as an indication, one US dollar is equivalent to around MRU 28.
But the icing on the cake is yet to be seen'¦. After three years as a retired non-citizen, you are eligible to apply for Permanent Residence in Mauritius. The Government is presently working on new guidelines in this regard. Meanwhile, if you are wondering what you will do as a retiree in your spare time in Mauritius besides doing nothing, check out the website of the Tourism Promotion Office at tourism-mauritius.mu !
