Calling all Expat Retirees

@karibi

Hi there:

1. More expensive than SA, cost of living more by around 30%, that's rent, groceries,  fuel very expensive, cars very very expensive

2. No comparison safety wise. Although not crime free, armed robberies, hijackings, violent crime rare. Petty thefts, yes.

3. Very quiet country, very small, knowledgeable of French or Creole will help but you can get by with English

4. Great for outdoor and water sports, hiking or just walking.

5. The West and North most popular,  the Southern West eg Tamarin  has a huge SA expat population.  North being Grand Baie is more happening with clubs and nightlife.

Good Luck! I'm in Botswana,  but have a permit already and will be moving this year.

Ramesh

Id be interested to hear of your experience applying for the retirement permit? is it straighforward or very complex? How long it takes etc . Thanks

The edb website will guide you. Applying has become more flexible, especially the finance bit. You can start online.

@matt4509 I found it very straight forward. The only thing I wasn't expecting was that they wanted a police clearance from the UK as well as SA even though I'd lived in SA for 15 years.

@karibi

Hi to note VAT 15% and tax  Rates amongst lowest in the world, last but not least one of the safest countries in Africa. No major issues like in SA

We moved here in 2020 and have no regrets

@wenris Thanks for that. And i believe from what i understand that the required minimum amount of money can be deposited in a Mauritian Account monthly now, i think it used to be annually?

@matt4509 The experience with the EDB in the processing of our retirement permit has been amazing and fast. EDB or Economic Development Board of Mauritius is very professional in comparison with many countries. 

@wenris.. Good luck with SA clearance certificate it can take 6+weeks if ir is not lost. So start early

@matt4509 when I applied last year it was monthly or annually so we do it monthly. I'm really not sure how they monitor how much money you bring in. We have bought an apartment here so technically have brought in more than the 10 years worth of money in one go!

@Izak van der Walt I paid to have it done by a company in CT and it took less than a week.