Family Office in Mauritius: Rules, Costs and Tax in 2026

How is a family office licensed in Mauritius?

A Family Office (Single) licence from the Financial Services Commission (FSC) under the Financial Services (Family Office) Rules 2026 (Government Notice No. 62 of 2026), made on 21 May 2026 and in operation since 1 June 2026 for all new applications; they replace the 2020 Rules, and existing licensees must comply from 1 January 2027. The licence is needed to provide core family office services in Mauritius: investment oversight and portfolio management, asset holding, asset and estate management, and finance and accounting. The applicant must be a corporation (a Mauritian company, société, partnership, trust, foundation or other body the FSC accepts) with relevant experience, or apply through a licensed management company, and must always have an approved agent. [1]

What is the minimum wealth for a family office in Mauritius?

Rule 5(3)(a): 'The net value of assets under management or administration of a Single Family Office shall, at all times, be at least USD 5 million.' Net value is measured at fair market value, or at book value where fair market value cannot reasonably be determined. [1]

Compare: Family Office Minimum Net Worth by Country

Who counts as family?

A Family Office (Single) may have only one family as its client, together with trusts, foundations, companies, partnerships or similar structures wholly owned by the family or in which it is a controller. The First Schedule counts as family, in relation to an individual: the spouse (including civil, religious or customary marriages and legally recognised unions); descendants and their spouses; parents and step-parents; other ascendants and their spouses; parents-in-law; brothers and sisters (including step-siblings) with their spouses and descendants; the spouse's parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, with the siblings' spouses and descendants; the parents' brothers and sisters with their spouses and descendants; and other financially dependent persons approved by the FSC. [1]

Can one office serve several families?

A Family Office (Multiple) licence from the FSC under the same 2026 Rules; its clients may only be several families and their private wealth structures. Net assets under management or administration must be at least USD 25 million in aggregate and at least USD 5 million for each family, at all times. It must keep fully paid stated unimpaired capital of at least USD 50,000, hold professional indemnity insurance, keep a written conflict of interest policy reviewed every year and segregate each family's assets. [1, 3]

Which law and courts apply?

According to the Chambers Private Wealth 2026 guide (CMS Prism), succession follows the Code Civil Mauricien, which includes forced heirship, while trusts and foundations are governed by local statutes, the Trusts Act 2001 and the Foundations Act 2012. Cases can go on appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which decided the tax case MRA v Alteo on 30 June 2026 after a ruling of the Supreme Court of Mauritius (KPMG). [4, 5]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

What substance is required?

The 2026 Rules set no office, staff or spending test; they require an approved agent at all times (a management company or a senior officer), a compliance statement within six months of each financial year end and a risk management system updated every year. An FSC family office brochure published before the 2026 Rules lists office premises in Mauritius, at least one professional employee resident in Mauritius for a single family office (three for a multiple family office) and two full-time officers. The 80% partial exemption requires core income generating activities in Mauritius, enough qualified staff and expenditure in proportion to the activity (MRA). KPMG reports that the Finance Act 2025 clarified that holders of a Global Business Licence must have at least two resident directors at all times, and Acclime (September 2025) places this in section 71 of the Financial Services Act; the official text was not opened. [1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Which holding vehicles are available?

The 2026 Rules let a family office be a Mauritian company, société, partnership, trust or foundation, and serve family trusts, foundations, companies and partnerships; companies can hold a Global Business Licence from the FSC. Chambers (CMS Prism, 2026) describes trusts under the Trusts Act 2001, which recognises Mauritian and foreign trusts and requires a qualified trustee, and foundations under the Foundations Act 2012, run by a council, which can be used for charitable and non-charitable purposes. [1, 4, 10]

What is the corporate tax rate?

The company tax rate is 15%, or 3% for companies exporting goods. A partial exemption of 80% (95% for some activities) applies to income such as foreign dividends, qualifying interest and profits of a foreign permanent establishment if substance conditions are met, so income that is 80% exempt bears an effective 3%. A Fair Share Contribution of 5% of chargeable income (2% for companies taxed at 3%) applies to companies with chargeable income above MUR 24 million on income derived from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028; KPMG reports that Global Business Licence holders, exempt companies and companies with tax holidays are excluded. [2, 8, 11]

Are there tax incentives for family offices?

The FSC's family office brochure and the EDB's Mauritius IFC page, both written before the 2026 Rules, list a tax holiday of 10 income years from the licence date for Family Office (Single) and Family Office (Multiple) licence holders under the Income Tax Act. FSC Circular Letter CL1-231216 (2016) says the tax holidays are in the Second Schedule to the Income Tax Act and require a physical office in Mauritius, at least one professional employee (three for a multiple family office) and more than USD 5 million under management (for each family, for a multiple family office); BDO (2021) adds that the holiday covers income from the licensed activities of licences issued after 31 August 2016. The Second Schedule item itself could not be opened, and no official source says whether licences issued under the 2026 Rules, which are silent on tax, still qualify. [6, 12, 13, 14, 15]

Is there personal income tax?

The Finance Act 2026 (Act No. 14 of 2026, assented on 12 August 2026) sets individual rates of 0% on the first MUR 500,000, 10% on the next MUR 500,000, 20% on the next MUR 11 million and 35% on the remainder, that is above MUR 12 million. The part of the Act that could be opened does not give the start date; EY says the 35% rate applies from the income year ending 30 June 2027 and that, for that year, it replaces the 15% Fair Share Contribution on individuals' income above MUR 12 million collected since 1 July 2025 (MRA), and the Act deletes 'and for the subsequent 2 income years' from section 16C(3) of the Income Tax Act. Residents are taxed on worldwide income, and dividends from Mauritian resident companies and gains on the sale of units or securities are exempt (MRA). [16, 17, 18, 19, 20]

Compare: Countries With No Personal Income Tax

Is there inheritance or estate tax?

Chambers Private Wealth 2026 (CMS Prism, updated 11 August 2026) says Mauritius has no inheritance, estate or succession tax and no donation or gift tax. Transfers of immovable property generally bear 5% registration duty (paid by the buyer) and 5% land transfer tax (paid by the seller), and Chambers notes an exemption for immovable property transferred to the heirs of a deceased person. No MRA or EDB statement on inheritance tax was found. [4]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

Compare: Inheritance Tax by Country

How do wills and succession work?

Mauritius has forced heirship under the Code Civil Mauricien: according to Chambers (CMS Prism, 2026), the children's reserved share is one half of the estate with one child, two thirds with two and three quarters with three or more, and only the rest can be left freely. The rules apply if the deceased was domiciled in Mauritius or to assets situated there (movables otherwise follow the law of the domicile), they are a matter of public order that trusts and foundations cannot get around, and families use donation-partage and sociétés (bare title to children, usufruct to parents) to reduce, not remove, the risk of challenge. A Mauritian will is often preferred for Mauritian assets because foreign wills can be cumbersome to register and enforce. [4]

Reported by the sources named, not confirmed by an official source.

Can the family get residence?

The EDB says a non-citizen who buys residential property for at least USD 375,000 under the IRS, RES or PDS schemes, or under the Ground+2 scheme, is eligible for a residence permit; under the PDS and Ground+2 schemes it lasts as long as they own the property, and under the PDS the spouse and children under 24 also get permits. The EDB's Golden Visa Guidelines (August 2026) offer a renewable visa of up to two years for the investor, spouse and children, with an undertaking to invest at least USD 1 million in qualifying sectors within 12 months, after which the holder may apply for permanent residence; the Finance Act 2026 defines the golden visa for tax purposes. The EDB said on 31 July 2026 that an Investor Occupation Permit now needs a minimum initial investment of USD 100,000. [16, 21, 22, 23, 24]

Compare: Residency by Investment by Country

How long does set-up take?

Not found in official sources.

What are the official fees?

Indicative, from the FSC codified list (consolidated as at 1 July 2026): Family Office (Single) USD 2,500 processing fee and USD 4,000 fixed annual fee (Rs 100,500 and Rs 161,000); Family Office (Multiple) USD 5,000 processing fee and USD 10,000 fixed annual fee (Rs 201,000 and Rs 402,000). The list shows both currencies; its notes elsewhere in the same table apply the USD amounts to Global Business Licence holders and applicants. The FSC revised its licence fees from 1 July 2026 (Financial Services (Consolidated Licensing and Fees) (Amendment) Rules 2026, GN No. 119 of 2026); the earlier FSC brochure and Trident Trust (March 2025) give USD 5,000 a year for a single family office. [6, 10, 25, 26, 27]