Authorised Company Meaning: What the Term Actually Covers

What does authorised company mean?

"Authorised Company" is not a new type of company in the Companies Act. It is a status. A company is incorporated in Mauritius in the usual way, and it then holds an authorisation from the Financial Services Commission (FSC) because of who owns it and where it is run.

The status comes from section 71A of the Financial Services Act 2007. Put simply, the authorised company definition has three parts:

• the company is incorporated under the Companies Act;
• most of its shares or voting rights are held or controlled by someone who is not a Mauritian citizen, and it does its business mainly outside Mauritius;
• its central management and control sit outside Mauritius.

A company that fits that description must apply to the FSC for the authorisation. The word "authorised" therefore refers to the FSC's permission, not to a special share structure or to a quality label.

What the term covers in practice

The label bundles together four things that are easy to mix up.

1. A legal status. The company stays a Mauritian company with its own legal personality, but it sits in a defined regulatory category.
2. A regulatory relationship. The FSC authorises it and receives an annual filing from it. The role of the FSC is covered on its own page.
3. A local anchor. The company must always have a registered agent in Mauritius, and that agent must be an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence).
4. A set of limits. Some regulated activities are closed to it, as explained below.

The term does not describe a tax result, a bank account, or a guarantee that clients will accept the company. Those depend on facts and rules that are dealt with elsewhere.

Who has to hold the authorisation?

The rule is triggered by ownership, activity and place of control together. A company owned mainly by non-citizens that trades mainly outside Mauritius but is controlled centrally from Mauritius is not in the same position as one controlled from abroad. In that case a different licensing route exists, and an adviser should assess which one applies. The question of foreign shareholders is developed in can a foreigner own an authorised company.

Operating as an authorised company without the authorisation is an offence. The Financial Services Act provides for a fine of up to MUR 1 000 000 for a company that does so.

How it differs from an ordinary company

An ordinary Mauritian company and an authorised company share the same legal foundation. The differences lie in oversight, management location and permitted activities.

The company secretary point comes from the Companies Act, which requires a secretary for every company except a small private company or an Authorised Company. The tax-residence point comes from section 73A of the Income Tax Act. It is only a headline: the company must still file a return, and the detail is in authorised company taxation.

The registered agent: the local face of the company

Because the company is run from abroad, the law gives it a permanent point of contact in Mauritius. The registered agent files the returns and documents required under the Financial Services Act, the Income Tax Act or the Companies Act. It passes on communications with the FSC, the Mauritius Revenue Authority and the Registrar, applies anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing measures, and keeps records such as minutes, resolutions and transaction documents.

The application for authorisation is itself filed through such a provider, in the form the FSC requires, and the authorisation is issued by the Chief Executive on behalf of the Commission. For the practical side, see the registered office and who provides it.

A company can change its registered agent, and since 1 August 2024 that change must be accompanied by the fee set in the FSC Rules.

What an authorised company cannot do

The Financial Services Act closes five categories of activity to an authorised company, unless the FSC Rules provide an exception:

• banking;
• managing or administering a collective investment fund or scheme as a professional;
• financial services;
• corporate services such as registered office, nominee, directorship or secretarial services for companies;
• professional trusteeship.

This is the most concrete way to understand the term. The status suits commercial and holding activities carried on abroad, and it is not a vehicle for regulated financial business. The wider picture is in the limits of an authorised company.

The Act also says an authorised company is deemed to carry on business outside Mauritius even if it performs certain transactions listed in section 73(1)(c) to (f). That deeming rule helps the company keep its non-local character, but it does not remove the other conditions.

Is it the same as a "non-resident company"?

Not exactly. "Non-resident company" is a descriptive phrase, often used for tax purposes. "Authorised Company" is the regulatory label that sits behind it. A company incorporated in Mauritius can be treated as non-resident for tax if it is centrally managed and controlled abroad, which is how the two ideas connect. The overlap is explained in non-resident company in Mauritius, and the practical consequences of running it from another country are in managing an authorised company from abroad.

The Income Tax Act also uses a wider term, "global business entity", which covers both this status and the holder of a Global Business Licence. This is why some tax provisions mention both together.

Costs attached to the status

Fees are part of the meaning because the status is a paid, supervised one. Under the FSC fee rules in force since 1 July 2026, an authorisation under section 71A carries a processing fee and an annual fee. The Registrar of Companies charges its own annual registration fee on top.

The first annual fee is prorated by the quarter in which the authorisation is granted, and late payment raises the amount due. The figures and how they are applied are explained in annual fees. The FSC has said that the fee reform follows a budget measure and reflects the higher inherent risk profile it attaches to authorised companies.

Reading the term correctly: common mix-ups

"Authorised" does not mean "approved of". The FSC grants the authorisation on the application, but that is not an endorsement of the owner's plans.

It does not mean secrecy. Every Mauritian company must identify its beneficial owner and record the details in a separate register. The Registrar keeps a Beneficial Ownership Register, which is accessible to competent authorities and not described by the Companies Act as public.

It does not remove obligations. The company files a financial summary with the FSC each year, within the statutory period after its year end, and a tax return with the Mauritius Revenue Authority. See annual obligations.

It does not decide your home-country tax position. That depends on the law where the owner lives.

Before you rely on the label

Check the conditions in requirements for an authorised company against your own facts: owner, business and place of management. If the answer is unclear, a qualified adviser should look at your case. To ask a licensed provider to assess it, use the contact form.

• Confirm who will hold the majority of shares or voting rights
• Confirm that day-to-day control will really sit outside Mauritius
• Check the planned activity against the closed categories
• Ask who will act as registered agent and verify its licence