Buyer’s Guide

Steps Involved in Purchasing Property in Mauritius

Below we have provided an outline of the steps involved in purchasing property in Mauritius.

Register

The first step is to register your particulars and the details of the type of property you are looking for. This will enable us to customise our search of our currently listed properties and new properties coming to the market to meet your individual needs.

By registering with us you will receive information on new properties as soon as they become available, giving you the chance to view first. You can register via email, over the phone or by visiting our office.

Viewings

Viewings are conducted by appointment Monday to Saturday.

After the viewing(s) we can spend some time discussing the properties and answering your questions.

Making an offer

As soon as you’ve found a suitable property, we’ll put your offer to the seller, verbally and in writing. We will normally put your offer on the same day. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations on either side until this is done.

Sometimes there may be a process of price negotiation and by working with Island Residences you will benefit from our expertise in this area.

Acceptance of Offer

The actual finalisation of the sale can proceed once your offer is accepted.

You as the buyer must appoint a notary who will undertake all legal proceedings on your behalf. The official contract of sale document will be signed by you and the seller at the notary’s office.

After signing, the document will then be lodged with the Government Registration Unit by your notary. The property will be registered in your name and the documents returned to you in approximately 3 to 4 weeks.

Taxes and fees

A total of 5% of the value of the property in government taxes is payable by the buyer.

Notary fees will be approximately 2% of the value of the contract + VAT, usually payable upon signature of the contract.

Agency fees are approximately 2% of the value of the contract + VAT payable upon signature of the contract.

Acquisition of properties by foreigners

Moving to Mauritius and purchasing real estate is more than just finding the right home in the right location. There are investment and financing considerations as well as a handful of legal matters that must be addressed.

Under certain conditions foreigners may be able to acquire Mauritian property, you will however need to obtain more in-depth information pertaining to your own personal circumstances. You will certainly need an expert to guide you through all stages of the process and you will find Island Residences in conjunction with their network of business contacts to be experts in providing this assistance.

There are a number of schemes and circumstances under which foreigners may acquire property in Mauritius these include but are not limited to:

The spouse having Mauritian nationality

For business purposes under the Business Facilitation Act

Under the Non Citizen Property Restriction Act

The Real Estate Scheme

Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS)

Please contact us to discuss what options or schemes may be available to you or visit the Mauritius Board of Investment website for further details.

Useful Links

The Board of Investment (BOI) is a Mauritian government agency which offers a range of free services to promote and facilitate investment in Mauritius. The agency, located in modern premises in Port Louis is very efficient and the staff knowledgeable and helpful. The BOI also has branch offices in Mumbai, Paris and London.

Full information about the agency can be found on the Board of Investment website.

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Agency : https://www.tourismauthority.mu/

National Productivity and Competitiveness Council : https://www.npccmauritius.org/en/

The Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry : https://www.mcci.org/en/

Enterprise Mauritius :  https://www.enterprisemauritius.biz/

Business Parks of Mauritius Limited

Mauritius Qualifications Authority : https://mqa.govmu.org/mqa/