Requirements for an Authorised Company

The authorised company requirements in Mauritius are short compared with those of a Global Business Corporation, but they are strict on a few points. This guide lists the legal conditions an Authorised Company (AC) must meet, explains where each one comes from and flags the points where the answer depends on your own situation. If you want to understand what the vehicle is before looking at its conditions, start with Authorised Company in Mauritius: definition, features and uses.

The framework is section 71A of the Financial Services Act 2007 (Act 14 of 2007), as consolidated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Mauritian global business corporations are governed by section 71 of the same Act, which is why the two regimes are so often confused.

The conditions at a glance

Who qualifies: the ownership and activity test

A company incorporated under the Companies Act must apply for Authorised Company status when three things are true together: a majority of its shares or voting rights is held or controlled by a person who is not a Mauritian citizen, it carries on its business mainly outside Mauritius, and its central management and control are outside Mauritius.

The ownership condition explains why the structure is aimed at foreign owners. If you are wondering about your own position, can a foreigner own an Authorised Company? covers it in more detail. For the way the status fits foreign owners more broadly, see how a non-resident company works for foreign owners.

An AC is also treated as carrying on its business outside Mauritius even when it performs certain operations listed in section 73(1)(c) to (f) of the Act (s. 71A(13)). This is a technical rule, and whether a particular transaction is affected is a question for an adviser.

Central management and control outside Mauritius

This is the defining condition. Under section 73(1)(b) of the Income Tax Act, a company is tax resident in Mauritius if it is incorporated there or if its central management and control are there. An Authorised Company is incorporated in Mauritius, so the only way it stays outside the Mauritian residence net on that second limb is by being genuinely managed and controlled elsewhere.

In practice, that means decisions about the company's direction should be taken outside Mauritius, by people who are not simply placeholders. The opposite is true of a Global Business Corporation, which must be managed and controlled from Mauritius. Our guide on managing an Authorised Company from abroad looks at what this means day to day, and permanent establishment risk covers the foreign-tax side.

Whether your arrangement meets the test depends on facts: where the board meets, where decisions are made, where the directors live. This site gives general information and cannot assess your case.

The registered agent

An Authorised Company must have a registered agent in Mauritius at all times. That agent must be an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence) (s. 71A(7)(a)). The same type of provider must file the authorisation application on the company's behalf.

The law gives the registered agent a defined list of duties (s. 71A(8)), including:

• filing the returns and documents required by the Financial Services Act, the Income Tax Act or the Companies Act;
• passing on communications with the FSC, the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) and the Registrar of Companies;
• carrying out anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures;
• keeping records such as minutes, resolutions and transaction documents.

Corporate service providers are themselves reporting entities under the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act (FIAMLA), with the Registrar of Companies as their regulatory body. Expect due diligence questions before onboarding; this is normal. Before you engage a provider, check that it holds an FSC licence and read the questions to ask a provider. If you later wish to move, the change of registered agent is subject to a fee set by the FSC Rules (s. 71A(7)(b), applicable since 1 August 2024). The provider's role is described further in the corporate service provider behind your company.

Registered office

A company incorporated under the Companies Act needs a registered office in Mauritius, and for an AC this is in practice supplied through the registered agent. The address appears in public registry records and is where official notices are delivered. Details are in registered office for an offshore company.

Directors and shareholders

The Registrar's official page on domestic incorporation sets the comparison out clearly. A domestic company requires at least one resident director and one shareholder. Global business companies require two resident directors. The Authorised Company requires one director, who does not have to be resident, together with a mandatory registered agent.

So in terms of numbers, the minimum for an AC is one director and one shareholder. Whether one person can fill both roles is explained in the one-owner Authorised Company. For how many directors you may want in practice, see how many directors an offshore company needs.

Beyond the legal minimum, directors owe duties under the Companies Act and cannot simply be treated as a formality. The more they are, the more important it is to document genuine decision-making outside Mauritius.

Business purpose: what an AC cannot do

Unless the FSC Rules provide an exception, an Authorised Company may not carry on the activities listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Financial Services Act (s. 71A(4)). In summary, five categories are excluded:

1. banking;
2. managing or administering a collective investment fund or scheme as a professional;
3. financial services;
4. registered office, nominee, directorship or secretarial services for companies;
5. professional trusteeship.

Ordinary trading, consulting, online sales, software and intellectual property holding sit outside those categories. What business an AC can run is discussed in what business can an Authorised Company run?, and its wider boundaries in the limits of an Authorised Company. Activities touching crypto assets or forex deserve particular care; check forex trading and the law in Mauritius before assuming anything.

Beneficial ownership

Every Mauritian company must at all times identify its beneficial owner and any nominee, and record them in a separate register. The register must show the full name and residential address, the national identity or passport number, the nationality, and the holding structure that leads to the ultimate beneficial owner (Companies Act 2001, s. 91(3A), as updated on 15 May 2026).

The Registrar of Companies keeps a Beneficial Ownership Register that competent authorities and other prescribed public authorities can access. The Companies Act does not describe it as a public register. See is the owner of an offshore company private? for the practical picture.

Cost-related conditions

Authorisation carries FSC fees. From 1 July 2026, the authorisation (code FS-4.3, s. 71A) carries a processing fee of 600 USD and an annual fee of 1 400 USD. The annual amount excludes the Registrar's annual registration fee of 65 USD (or another amount set by the Registrar). The first annual fee is prorated by the quarter in which the authorisation is granted:

Paying late raises the fee: 1 750 USD within a month after the due date, 2 100 USD between one and three months late, and 2 800 USD between three and six months late. For the 2026-27 cycle, the FSC postponed the payment deadline to 30 September 2026, with payment made through the FSC One platform. The Registrar's incorporation guide of 4 April 2025 lists a company registration fee of USD 100 for an Authorised Company. Fee schedules change, so treat the figures above as dated and confirm them before relying on them. The complete picture is in annual fees to keep an Authorised Company alive.

Yearly filing and tax-return duties

Within six months of the close of its financial year, an AC must file a financial summary with the FSC, in the form set by the Ninth Schedule of the Companies Act or other documents specified by the FSC Rules (s. 71A(10)). Separately, every company, taxable or not, must file an income tax return with the Director-General within six months after the end of the month in which its year ends (s. 116(1) Income Tax Act). Filing and payment are electronic.

The registered agent handles much of this, but responsibility for accurate information stays with the company. A practical calendar is given in the yearly checklist for an Authorised Company.

What happens if you operate without authorisation

A company that operates as an Authorised Company without the authorisation commits an offence, with a fine of up to MUR 1 000 000 (s. 71A(12) FSA). The same penalty applies to a company that carries on global business without the licence (s. 71(5)).

Authorised Company or Global Business Corporation?

Because the two regimes sit in neighbouring sections, it helps to see where they diverge.

On the fee schedule, the annual FSC fee for an AC is 1 200 USD lower than for a GBC. That difference alone is not a reason to choose one over the other; the two structures serve different purposes. Another page covers the GBC in depth, so this guide stays with the Authorised Company.

How the process fits together

Detailed practical steps are in how to open an offshore company in Mauritius, and the checklist before you start helps you prepare.