- Mauritius has launched a $1 million Golden Visa program limited to 100 wealthy investors annually.
- Applicants must commit funds to high-growth sectors like AI, Fintech, and renewable energy within 12 months.
- Successful participants gain long-term residency and a potential path to naturalization after two years.
(MAURITIUS) — Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam announced Mauritius’ new $1 Million Golden Visa program on May 5, 2026, opening a closely capped residency route aimed at wealthy foreign investors and long-stay residents.
The plan, approved by the Mauritian Cabinet on April 10, 2026, limits the program to 100 recipients per year and requires applicants to commit at least $1 million USD within 12 months of arrival.
Ramgoolam presented the policy as a bid to draw high-net-worth individuals and recast Mauritius as a luxury living, technology and investment hub, rather than a destination defined chiefly by tourism and sugar exports.
On May 6, 2026, Ramgoolam said: “We are offering this program to individuals who wish to contribute to the country’s development while enjoying a peaceful and stable environment. This initiative provides an opportunity for applicants to invest in key economic sectors and become integral members of Mauritius’s growing community.”
Two days later, he described the objective in narrower economic terms, saying the government wanted to “channel long-term capital into the economy” and “maximize long-term economic benefit” by steering investment toward sectors beyond traditional tourism and sugar exports.
Mauritius set a target processing time of 5 working days and will issue a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 2 years. Holders can renew it if they show continued investment.
The government directed investment toward Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Renewable Energy and Global Treasury Services. Investors who keep at least $500,000 in place and complete 2 years of continuous residence may apply for naturalization, at the prime minister’s discretion.
Residential property purchases will remain restricted to government-approved schemes, including IRS, RES, PDS and Smart Cities. Officials framed that limit as a housing safeguard while the state courts foreign capital.
The policy moved quickly after an April 8 emergency meeting of the Crisis Committee, convened amid Middle East instability. Mauritian authorities cast the island as a neutral and stable jurisdiction for mobile wealth during a volatile period.
That timing also reflects a broader economic shift inside government. Mauritius is trying to push more money into AI and green energy and reduce reliance on the swings of the tourism trade.
The Economic Development Board launched a concierge service for high-net-worth individuals to handle administrative transition and business onboarding. The service points to a model built around managed relocation, not just visa issuance.
Investors gain an entry point into what the government describes as a stable African economy with a 15% flat tax and no inheritance or capital gains tax. Mauritian authorities paired those incentives with the annual cap and property rules to contain pressure on local living costs.
Travel and tourism operators also face a change in emphasis. The concierge system and residency offer are expected to push parts of the high-end hospitality market toward longer-stay residential business.
As of May 12, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security had issued no official statements on the Mauritius Golden Visa program. The [U.S. Department of State’s May 2026 Visa Bulletin](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2026/visa-bulletin-for-may-2026.html), released on April 14, 2026, said the United States continued processing EB-5 investor immigration with no Mauritius-specific changes.
Mauritius has paired the new visa with official promotion from the prime minister’s office and the [Economic Development Board](https://www.edbmauritius.org), which is handling investor support as the scheme begins. With the limit fixed at 100 recipients per year, the government is testing whether tightly screened capital inflows can expand the economy without reshaping the housing market beyond the approved schemes.
