The Mauritian economy is one of the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa. In just three decades, the country has moved from a mono-crop sugar-dominated economy to a sophisticated and diversified services oriented one. The tertiary sector currently accounts for 70% of GDP, a fair indication of our impressive track record.

While traditional growth sectors like tourism and manufacturing continue to be strong, many other opportunities have arisen in emerging sectors with the potential to become tomorrow’s economic pillars of a regional powerhouse. This rapid transition to a mature economy, one of just two in Africa to have graduated to middle-income status, comes as a promising result of sound economic management coupled with a vision to succeed shared between the government, the business community and civil society at large.

Mauritius has been endowed with a natural gift for business even since she was a major trading post for the renowned French “Compagnie des Indes” two centuries ago. Further still, in the years 1600′, she was referred to as the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean. The entrepreneurial spirit lives on. The business community is active and the government is instrumental in making things happen. Today, any foreign investor can settle hassle-free in Mauritius and be operational in just 3 days. Add to this one of the world’s most generous tax regimes, where personal and corporate tax are harmonized at a low 15% and where dividends are tax free. A country with no exchange control. A country where export-oriented operators enjoy duty-free privilege for their inputs and equipment. And Mauritius also has signed non-double taxation agreements with 33 countries so far and is signatory to a number of Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.

Mauritian traditional investors are also very receptive to partnering with their international counterparts. An increasing number of joint ventures are being witnessed today, in the traditionally strong sectors as well as in a growing number of innovation-driven emerging sectors.

The Government has ensured doing business in and from Mauritius is both easy and smooth and complies with best practices in terms of transparency, good governance and ethics. Mauritius has enacted anti-money laundering and terrorist financing legislation while the business framework itself has been made simpler. Commercial law in Mauritius is a combination of the English Common Law and the French Code Napoléon.

Companies setting up in Mauritius fall under the provisions of the Companies Act 2001.

The Business Facilitation Act 2006 has further simplified the operational framework for doing business in Mauritius.

Foreign nationals are allowed to work and/or live in Mauritius under three distinct and simply laid down schemes:
As a retired non-citizen, irrespective of age and nationality
As a professional
As an investor