How to Open an Offshore Company in Mauritius

To open an offshore company in Mauritius, you do not file anything yourself. The law routes the application through an intermediary: a FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence). Under section 71A of the Financial Services Act (FSA), the application for Authorised Company status is lodged through that provider, in the form and manner set by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), with the information, documents and fees that the FSC Rules prescribe. The authorisation itself is issued by the Chief Executive on behalf of the Commission.

This page follows the experience of the person who wants to register an offshore company in Mauritius: what you decide, what you hand over, what you pay and what you receive. It deliberately stays on the client's side of the process. For what the structure is and who it suits, start with the overview of the Authorised Company.

The route at a glance

Step 1: choose the FSC-licensed corporate service provider

This is the one decision that shapes everything else. The provider is not just a filing agent. An Authorised Company must have a registered agent in Mauritius at all times, and that registered agent must be a FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence). The same firm that submits your application therefore normally stays with you afterwards.

What the registered agent does is set by law. It covers the filing of returns and documents required under the FSA, the Income Tax Act or the Companies Act; the passing on of communications between the company and the FSC, the Mauritius Revenue Authority and the Registrar of Companies; anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures; and the keeping of records such as minutes, resolutions and transaction documents.

Before you commit:

• Confirm the licence on the regulator's own register, following the steps in how to check a service provider is licensed by the FSC.
• Put the questions in the list of questions to ask a provider in writing and keep the answers.
• Read the guide to the firm behind your Authorised Company so you know which services belong to the provider and which stay with you.

Switching later is possible, but it is not free. Since 1 August 2024 (Act 11 of 2024), a request to change the registered agent of an Authorised Company must be accompanied by the fee set under the FSC Rules. Choosing carefully the first time saves that step.

Step 2: confirm that the structure fits

Your provider will test the facts before filing. The legal definition is the starting point: a company incorporated under the Companies Act, whose majority of shares or voting rights is held or controlled by a person who is not a Mauritian citizen, which carries on business mainly outside Mauritius and whose central management and control are outside Mauritius, must apply for authorisation as an Authorised Company.

In practice, expect questions on four points.

1. Who owns it. A foreign owner is the typical profile. See who can own an Authorised Company.
2. Where it is run from. Central management and control must sit outside Mauritius. Managing the company from abroad explains how that is usually evidenced.
3. What it will do. An Authorised Company cannot carry on the activities listed in the Fourth Schedule of the FSA, except as the FSC Rules allow: banking; professional management of a collective investment scheme; financial services; corporate services such as registered office, nominee, director or secretarial services for other companies; and professional trusteeship. What business an Authorised Company can run goes through the practical consequences.
4. Whether a different licence is the real answer. The Global Business Licence is a separate route with different conditions, including management and control from Mauritius and resident directors. A provider who is candid will tell you if your facts point there instead.

Be wary of anyone who agrees with everything you say at this stage. A structure that does not match your facts is the usual origin of later problems; the self-check on tax exposure is a useful companion if you have doubts.

Step 3: assemble your file

Your provider will ask for a set of documents and a description of the business. The exact list depends on the provider's own procedures and on the FSC's requirements, so ask for it in writing at the start. You can read the typical items in the requirements for an Authorised Company.

Prepare these in advance:

• Identity and proof-of-address documents for each shareholder and director
• A clear description of what the company will do and where its clients are
• Information on the source of funds that will capitalise the company
• The names you would accept for the company, with alternatives
• Your intended shareholding split and the number of directors
• A note of where board decisions will be taken, and by whom
• Your banking plan, including the countries you expect to receive money from
• A written fee quote that separates one-off and recurring charges

The provider asks for all of this because it is itself an obliged entity under the anti-money laundering legislation: company service providers are listed among the professions covered by the FIAMLA. Questions about your background are therefore a legal requirement for the firm, not a sign of distrust.

Beneficial ownership will also appear in the file. Every Mauritian company must identify its beneficial owner, and any nominee, on an ongoing basis and record them in a separate register, with full name and residential address, national identity or passport number, nationality and the holding structure that identifies the ultimate beneficial owner. The Registrar of Companies keeps a Beneficial Ownership Register accessible to competent authorities and certain public authorities; the Companies Act does not describe it as a public register. For the practical angle, see whether the owner of an offshore company stays private.

Step 4: the provider lodges the application

Once your file is complete, the provider submits it. You do not need to follow the filing mechanics; your part is to answer follow-up questions quickly and consistently. Inconsistencies between what you told the provider and what the supporting documents show are the most common reason for delay.

Two choices come up around this stage:

• The registered office. It will normally be at the provider's address in Mauritius. What a registered office is and who provides it covers the point.
• Directors and shareholders. A single director is enough for an Authorised Company according to the Registrar's description, and that director does not need to be resident in Mauritius. A company secretary resident in Mauritius is not required of an Authorised Company under the Companies Act.

Step 5: the decision, and the fees

The FSC must grant an application within 10 working days of the date on which it is considered complete. That rule has applied since 1 October 2024 (Act 11 of 2024) and extends to applications for Authorised Company authorisation, except those lodged before that date. The clock starts when the file is complete, not when it is first sent, so a thorough file is the best way to keep the timetable short. For realistic expectations on the whole timeline, see how long setup takes.

The Financial Services (Consolidated Licensing and Fees) (Amendment) Rules 2026 (Government Notice No. 119 of 2026) came into force on 1 July 2026 and replaced the earlier fee scale. Under them:

The first annual fee is pro-rated according to the quarter in which the authorisation is granted: 1,400 USD for July to September, 1,050 USD for October to December, 700 USD for January to March and 350 USD for April to June.

Late payment is costly. The 1,400 USD annual fee rises to 1,750 USD if paid 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 renewal cycle the FSC pushed the payment deadline to 30 September 2026; payment is made through the FSC One platform, including by direct debit or from a licensed provider's deposit account.

The FSC described the 2026 reform as implementing a measure of the 2025/26 budget. It stated that processing fees had not changed since the 2008 rules and annual fees had not been reviewed since 2019, and it justified the higher fees for Authorised Companies by their higher inherent risk profile. Your provider will add its own charges on top of the official ones, which is why the written quote matters. The full picture of recurring costs is in annual fees to keep an Authorised Company alive.

Step 6: what you receive

When the process ends, you should receive the set of corporate documents from your provider, and you should know where the registers are kept. Ask for them to be delivered together and check them straight away: names, shareholders, directors and the registered office should match what you gave.

Your first week after delivery usually looks like this:

1. Check every document against your instructions and report errors at once.
2. Confirm in writing who keeps the registers, including the beneficial ownership register, and how you can obtain copies.
3. Diarise the annual dates: fees, and the financial summary that must be filed with the FSC within 6 months of the year-end.
4. Start the bank application, which depends on your documents and business description. The banking options for an offshore company set out what to expect.

The practical steps once the company exists and the annual obligations of an Authorised Company continue from this point.

Things that go wrong

• Unlicensed intermediaries. An Authorised Company is created through a licensed provider, not through a reseller who is not. Carrying on as an Authorised Company without authorisation is an offence punishable by a fine of up to MUR 1,000,000.
• Vague scope. If the quote does not say who files the annual items, assume nothing.
• Business mismatch. Describing a regulated activity as ordinary trading can lead to refusal or later difficulty.
• Treating the setup as the end. The company has recurring duties, and the registered agent is a continuing relationship.

If you want a licensed firm to look at your situation, you can write through the contact form; the request is relayed to an FSC-licensed corporate service provider (Management Licence). This page gives general information only, not advice. What suits you depends on your residence, your activity and your tax position, and should be confirmed with a qualified adviser.