Questions to Ask an Offshore Corporate Service Provider

The questions to ask an offshore corporate service provider are best prepared before the first call, because the answers shape your cost, your bank options and your freedom to leave later. In Mauritius the choice is not optional: an Authorised Company cannot exist without a local intermediary. This page gives you a structured set of questions so that you can compare several offers on the same footing.

Throughout, "provider" means an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence). If you are still at the stage of choosing a structure, read Requirements for an Authorised Company first; if you already know what you need, use the checklist below.

Why the provider matters more than it first appears

The law places the provider at the centre of the structure. An application for authorisation as an Authorised Company is filed through an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence), in the form and manner the Financial Services Commission (FSC) determines. An Authorised Company must also have a registered agent in Mauritius at all times, and that registered agent must be an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence) (sections 71A(2)-(3) and 71A(7)(a) of the Financial Services Act 2007).

In practice, then, your provider:

• files the application and later changes on your behalf;
• acts as your registered agent and keeps your registered office available (see registered office);
• is usually the first reader of your due diligence file, and therefore the party whose judgement a bank relies on.

For a wider introduction to the role, see The Corporate Service Provider Behind Your Authorised Company.

Licensing and regulatory standing

Start with the question that cannot be negotiated: is the firm properly licensed for what it is selling you?

Which licence do you hold, and can I check it?

Ask for the exact name of the licence and the licensee. A Management Licence is issued under section 77 of the Financial Services Act. Do not rely on a logo on a website or on a PDF supplied by the firm; follow the steps in How to Check a Service Provider Is Licensed by the FSC and confirm on the regulator's own materials.

Does the licence cover the services I need?

A provider may be licensed for administration but not for corporate trusteeship, or the reverse. Under the Trusts Act 2001, a qualified trustee is a provider or another Mauritius-resident person authorised by the FSC to act as trustee. If your plan involves a trust or a foundation, ask for confirmation of the specific authorisation. (Choosing a corporate trustee is its own topic and is not covered here.)

Who regulates the firm for anti-money-laundering purposes?

Company service providers are listed among the professions subject to the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act (FIAMLA), with the Registrar of Companies as the supervisory body for that line. Ask how the firm applies its client-acceptance and monitoring procedures. A provider that asks for a thorough file is not being difficult; it is complying with its own obligations.

Will you act for a Global Business Licence if my plan changes?

A Global Business Corporation must be managed and controlled from Mauritius and administered by a provider, whereas an Authorised Company must have its central management and control outside Mauritius. If your circumstances may move towards the first model, ask whether the firm handles both. The comparison between the two models is dealt with elsewhere on the network; here the point is simply that your provider should be able to explain which one applies to you and why.

Fees: what you pay and to whom

Fee comparisons fail when two offers are priced on different bases. Ask each provider to quote on the same list of items.

What is the all-in annual price, and what does it include?

Official charges and provider charges are separate. For an Authorised Company, the FSC schedule in force since 1 July 2026 (Government Notice No. 119 of 2026) sets a processing fee of USD 600 and an annual fee of USD 1,400, the latter excluding the annual registration fee of USD 65 (or another amount set by the Registrar of Companies) payable to the Registrar. Those are regulator charges. Your provider adds its own fees for registered agent services, administration, accounting support and anything else. Ask for the two layers to be shown separately, and read Annual Fees to Keep an Authorised Company Alive before comparing quotes.

Are the official charges passed on at cost?

Ask whether the provider adds a margin to government or FSC charges, and whether renewal is invoiced early. The FSC has previously moved a payment deadline for annual fees and requires payment through its FSC One platform, which can be settled by direct debit or from a provider's deposit account. A good provider can tell you which route it uses and when it will ask you for funds.

What is billed outside the base fee?

List the usual extras and ask for each: amendments to the constitution, resolutions, certified copies, apostilles, courier costs, director or shareholder changes, and anything linked to bank introductions. Ask also what happens if you need a document at short notice.

How will you handle a fee increase?

The FSC explained in a communiqué of 10 July 2026 that processing fees had not changed since the 2008 rules and that annual fees had not been reviewed since 2019. Fee schedules do move. Ask how the provider notifies you, and whether your engagement letter lets it reprice mid-term.

Banking help: what is realistic

Bank access is where many structures stall. Be careful with any provider that sounds certain.

Which banks do you work with, and on what basis?

Ask for the type of introduction offered (to a bank, to a payment institution, to a multi-currency account provider), not a promise of an outcome. A reputable provider can describe the process but cannot guarantee that an account will be opened. See Banking Options for an Offshore Company for the options, and Why Banks Refuse Offshore Company Accounts for the typical reasons.

What documents will you prepare for the bank?

Ask whether the provider supplies a business plan template, a source-of-funds note, certified identity documents and a summary of the structure. Ask who signs and who bears the cost if the bank asks for more.

What happens if the account is declined?

Find out whether any fee is refundable, whether the provider will approach another institution, and how long it will support you. Silence on this point is a signal.

Service quality and day-to-day practice

Who will actually handle my file?

Ask for a named contact, a normal response time and the language of service. A single shared mailbox is a common weak point.

How do you store and protect my information?

The provider holds your identity documents and beneficial ownership details. Ask where records are kept, who can access them, and how the firm treats data protection obligations under Mauritian law. A Mauritian company must record its beneficial owner and any nominee in a separate register, and the Registrar of Companies keeps a Beneficial Ownership Register that the Companies Act does not describe as public. Ask the provider to explain, in plain words, who will see what about you. Our page on ownership privacy gives the wider picture.

Do you handle annual filings and reminders?

Ask whether the provider keeps a compliance calendar for you and what it covers. The yearly checklist is a good basis for the conversation.

Exit terms: how to leave without losing control

Exit terms are the least attractive topic in a sales call and the most valuable in practice.

What is the notice period and the exit procedure?

Ask for the notice period in the engagement letter and for a written description of the handover. Since 1 August 2024, a request to appoint a new provider for a Global Business Licence holder, and a change of registered agent for an Authorised Company, must be accompanied by a fee set by the FSC Rules (sections 71(3)(aa) and 71A(7)(b) of the Financial Services Act). Ask whether the outgoing provider charges for the transfer on its own account too.

Will you release the corporate records on request?

Ask specifically about the register of members, the register of directors, minute books, the beneficial ownership register and the constitution. Ask whether anything is withheld pending unpaid invoices. The process is described in Changing Your Offshore Company Management Provider.

Who holds the signing authority and the shares?

Check that no document gives the provider control over your shares or bank mandate beyond what you intend. If it uses nominee arrangements, ask why and how they are unwound.

Warning signs

Treat the following as reasons to pause:

• a price far below every other offer, with no breakdown;
• a guarantee about bank approval or about tax results;
• unwillingness to name the licence or the licensee;
• pressure to pay quickly to a third party or to an account in another name;
• no written engagement letter.

For a more complete list, read Offshore Company Scams and Red Flags to Avoid.

Checklist: questions to put to each provider

Print this list and complete it for every firm you consider.

• Name of the licensee and exact licence held (Management Licence), checked on regulator sources
• Confirmation that the licence covers the services I need, including trusteeship if relevant
• Written statement of who will act as my registered agent
• Itemised quote, with official FSC and Registrar charges shown separately from provider fees
• List of extras and how they are priced
• Policy on fee increases and renewal notices
• Description of the banking introduction process, with no guarantee of outcome
• Documents the provider will prepare for the bank and the cost of that work
• Policy if a bank or payment institution declines
• Named contact, response times and working language
• How my identity and ownership information is stored and shared
• Notice period, transfer fee policy and handover procedure
• Release of corporate records on request, with no hold on them
• Engagement letter reviewed in full before payment

How to use the answers

Put the answers side by side and score each provider on licensing, price transparency, banking support and exit. Give the most weight to licensing and exit, since these are hardest to repair later. If a provider's reply to a question is vague, ask again in writing; a firm that is comfortable with its terms will answer in the same way twice.

Your situation may require specific advice, especially if you are tax resident in a country with its own rules for foreign companies. This page gives general information and is not advice; ask a qualified adviser to review the engagement letter. When you are ready to describe your project, send a request through the contact form, and before that, review the checklist before creating an offshore company.