
An Overview of Africa’s Residency and Citizenship by Investment Programs
Starting at as little as US$35,000, gaining residency or citizenship in Africa is within easy reach for foreigners.
Mauritius offers residency with 10-year validity to individuals who invest at least US$35,000 in the country.
The residence permit is renewable upon expiry, subject to the business’ meeting certain performance requirements.
After three years, however, the applicant is eligible for permanent residency (subject to more onerous performance requirement).
After 7 years of continuous residency in Mauritius (5 years for Commonwealth citizens), applicants are eligible for naturalization and citizenship.
Mauritius offers three types of active investor visa:
General Business Investor
To qualify under this category, the applicant must invest at least US$50,000 in a business in Mauritius.
The initial visa has a validity period of 10 years.
After three continuous years of residency, the investor is eligible for permanent residency (which has a 20-year validity and is renewable) as long as the business meets the following criteria:
Alternatively, the applicant can renew the 10-year temporary residency upon expiry if the business has achieved an annual gross income of MUR 4 million as from the third year of residency.
High Tech Machines and Equipment Investor
To qualify under this visa, the applicant must invest at least US$50,000 in a business in a qualifying sector, including but not limited to agriculture, aquaculture, healthcare, ICT-BPO, fin-tech, life sciences, biotech, manufacturing, and several other areas designated by the Board of Investment.
While at least $25,000 of the investment should take the form of cash capital, the balance may be reached by the contribution of technology and machinery, as long as the total value of the investment exceeds US$50,000.
The initial visa has a validity period of 10 years.
After three continuous years of residency, the investor is eligible for permanent residency (which has a 20-year validity and is renewable) as long as the business meets the following criteria:
Alternatively, the applicant can renew the 10-year temporary residency upon expiry if the business has achieved an annual gross income of MUR 4 million as from the third year of residency.
Self-Employed Entrepreneur
The initial visa has a validity period of 10 years.
After three continuous years of residency, the investor is eligible for permanent residency (which has a 20-year validity and is renewable) as long as the business meets the following criteria:
Alternatively, the applicant can renew the 10-year temporary residency upon expiry if the business has achieved an annual gross income of MUR 800,000 as from the third year of residency.
For all three categories, the applicant may include dependents – a spouse, unmarried children, and parents – as long as they do not take up lawful employment in Mauritius.
After being a resident of Mauritius (permanent or otherwise) for seven consecutive years, the applicant is eligible for citizenship if he has spent the full 12 months immediately preceding the application in Mauritius.
Commonwealth citizens can apply for citizenship already after five years.
Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.
Applications for this program may be directed to Economic Development Board.
Legislation upon which this program is based Immigration Act 2020 Section 5A(5) and 9(3).

Starting at as little as US$35,000, gaining residency or citizenship in Africa is within easy reach for foreigners.

The Mauritius Investor program offers immediate PR and a two-year path to a first-rate citizenship in a low-tax, safe, and tropical country.

Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth of Mauritius – a country whose citizens enjoy visa-free access to Schengen, the UK, and
See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.