Mauritius retirement permit 2026: the $2,000 a month rule for retired non-citizens, couples, and where a US annuity fits
Written by Hans Goldstein, licensed insurance agent · CA 4273294Short answer: Mauritius’s retirement visa, the 10-year residence permit for a retired non-citizen aged 50 or over, requires $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year transferred to a Mauritian bank account in 2026 (EDB guidelines, August 2026); the old $1,500 figure is out of date. The same amount covers a couple: a spouse and unmarried children up to 24 join as dependents with no extra income test. Savings qualify, so a lifetime annuity is a convenience here, not a requirement: at 62 about $303,000 to $344,000 of premium pays $2,000 a month for life (illustrative, September 2026 rates). After 5 years and $200,000 transferred in total, a retiree can apply for 20-year permanent residence.
Free guide: Moving abroad on a fixed income
Income rules and taxes by country: Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Malta and more, plus how a lifetime annuity fits.
The Mauritius retirement permit requirement in 2026
If you want to retire in Mauritius, the residence permit for a retired non-citizen is the standard route. It is run by the Economic Development Board (EDB), applications go through the EDB’s National E-Licensing System, and the Passport and Immigration Office issues the permit. The EDB’s Occupation Permit guidelines (current version dated August 2026) define a retired non-citizen as someone “aged 50 years or above” and set the money test in section 5.3:
- a bank statement from your home country “demonstrating the availability of funds amounting to at least USD 24,000”;
- a transfer of “an initial sum of at least USD 2,000 into a local bank within 60 days” of the permit; and
- “thereafter a sum of either USD 24,000 annually or USD 2,000 per month.”
The EDB’s retiree page puts the entry test the same way: a certified bank statement showing a minimum of USD 24,000, or a fixed minimum income of USD 2,000 a month. Many websites still quote $1,500 a month and $18,000 a year; that is the older figure.
| Item | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 50 or over | EDB guidelines 5.2 |
| At application | Bank statement with at least $24,000, or a fixed minimum income of $2,000 a month | EDB guidelines 5.3; EDB retiree page |
| Ongoing | $2,000 within 60 days, then $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year into a Mauritian bank | EDB guidelines 5.3 |
| Permit length | Up to 10 years, renewable for another 10 on proof of $24,000 a year transferred | EDB guidelines 5.6; EDB retiree page |
| Work | No gainful employment; may invest in a business without drawing a salary | EDB guidelines 5.4 |
| Fees | $50 application fee, $1,000 permit fee, $400 per dependent | EDB guidelines, Annex 1 |
| Permanent residence (20 years) | 5 years on the retiree permit and at least $200,000 transferred in total over those 5 consecutive years | EDB guidelines 13.1(4) |
Other documents include a police certificate covering the last ten years, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate for a spouse, and a medical certificate after approval in principle. The EDB, the Passport and Immigration Office and the Mauritius Revenue Authority can check compliance at any time, so keep the transfers regular.
Single or married: how much income you need for the Mauritius retirement permit
The test is set in US dollars, so there is no currency conversion on the bar itself. For reference, the Bank of Mauritius indicative rates on 2 October 2026 were MUR 47.26 buying and MUR 48.85 selling per dollar, about MUR 48 in the middle, so $24,000 is roughly MUR 1.15 million a year.
| Household | Amount (USD) | About (MUR, at 48) | Who must provide it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year | MUR 96,000 a month | The applicant (the retired non-citizen) |
| Married couple | Same: $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year | MUR 96,000 a month | The main applicant; the spouse joins as a dependent |
| Each dependent | No extra amount published; $400 permit fee each | None | Spouse, parents, unmarried children up to 24 |
The guidelines add no income for dependents, so one transfer stream covers the household. Dependents may not take paid work, and their permit cannot outlast the main holder’s.
When only one spouse has the income
Only one of you needs to be the retired non-citizen, and that spouse must be at least 50. The other joins as a dependent. If you buy an annuity to fund the transfers, put it on the main applicant, and consider a joint and survivor payout: if a single-life annuity stops at the main holder’s death, the surviving spouse would need a permit and a funding source of their own. A woman’s payout per dollar is lower, so the same income on her life costs a little more.
US gift note (general information, confirm with a tax adviser): if the premium comes from the other spouse’s money, moving it into an annuity owned by the applicant spouse is a gift between spouses. Between two US-citizen spouses, gifts are unlimited under the marital deduction. If the receiving spouse is not a US citizen, the 2026 annual exclusion is $194,000 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32); above that you file Form 709, and tax is generally not due because the excess uses part of the lifetime exemption.
Where a US life annuity fits in Mauritius
Mauritius is honest about money: it wants $24,000 a year to arrive, and it does not ask where it came from. The rule does not require a pension or lifetime income, so a portfolio that sends $2,000 a month qualifies, and the cheapest way to qualify is often simply to move savings. I say that plainly because it is true.
Where a life-only single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) earns its place:
- The ten-year view. The permit renews every ten years on proof of $24,000 a year transferred. A lifetime annuity funds that for as long as you live, through any market, without you deciding what to sell.
- Permanent residence. The 20-year permit needs $200,000 transferred over five consecutive years, an average of about $3,334 a month. An annuity sized to that number makes the path automatic.
- The entry wording. The EDB accepts a fixed minimum income of USD 2,000 a month. An insurer’s letter stating a lifetime payment of $2,000 or more fits those words, although the EDB does not name annuities, so send the letter and a bank statement together.
Which annuity counts
Because savings already qualify, almost any source works for the permit. If you want the income to last, the right tools are a life-only SPIA, a life with cash refund SPIA, a joint and survivor SPIA, or an existing deferred annuity or MYGA converted to lifetime payments. A period-certain annuity or an income rider with a cashable account value can fund the transfers too, but they stop or shrink, so they do not protect a renewal 10 or 20 years out. A deferred annuity still accumulating is savings, not income.
Why I write about this. My mom is Norwegian, my dad is American, and they’re planning the move from the US to Norway. My mom is the sponsor (the host, or “reference person” in UDI’s words), so Norway’s income test falls on her income, not my dad’s. UDI told us in writing that money in an account does not count as income, and only lifelong income does. Their savings were not the problem; the paperwork wanted a monthly number in the host’s name. The rules in Mauritius are different, but the problem is the same one many retirees hit: the income test, not the net worth. I’m writing this to help others in the same boat as my parents. Read how we worked through the Norway income requirement.
In the same boat? Let’s run your numbers
See roughly what a lifetime annuity would cost to close your income gap, then get my personal read by email. I can help while you still live in the US.
Estimates use the September 9, 2026 ImmediateAnnuities.com payout survey (life only) and a 15% cushion. Illustrative, not a quote.
Example: a 62-year-old American moving to Mauritius
Premium = monthly target / payout per $100,000 x $100,000. At 62 the ImmediateAnnuities.com survey of September 9, 2026 (life-only, per $100,000 a month) averages $603 for a man and $582 for a woman; the best quotes were $660 and $637. Rounded to the nearest $1,000. Illustrative, not a quote. The bar is in dollars, so headroom here is about fees and rule changes, not currency.
| Household, age 62 | Monthly target | Premium, average rate | Premium, best rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single man | $2,000 | $332,000 | $303,000 |
| Single woman | $2,000 | $344,000 | $314,000 |
| Couple, annuity on his life, 10% headroom | $2,200 | $365,000 | $333,000 |
| Single man, sized for permanent residence | $3,334 | $553,000 | $505,000 |
Social Security changes the math. It can start at 62, and transfers of your benefit count like any other money, so a retiree with $1,400 of Social Security needs only $600 more a month: about $100,000 of premium for a 62-year-old man at the average rate, or simply $7,200 a year from savings.
For a couple, a joint and survivor annuity keeps paying the surviving spouse, but it pays less per dollar than single life, so the premium runs above the table; get a quote for both.
How to set it up
- Buy while you still have a US address. US insurers generally will not issue a new contract to someone already living abroad.
- Choose life-only (or life with cash refund) wording, no commutation or cash-out rider, if the goal is income for life. The letter should say payments continue for the lifetime of the annuitant.
- Keep a US bank account for the deposits and send the $2,000 a month (or $24,000 a year) on to your Mauritian account. Since January 1, 2026, a US citizen with a foreign residence address cannot opt out of federal withholding on annuity payments, even if they go to a US account (IRC 3405(e)(13), Treas. Reg. 31.3405(e)-1). Withholding is a prepayment of your US tax, not an extra tax, but size the annuity so the amount after withholding still covers the transfer.
- Start payments 3 to 12 months before you apply so the bank statement shows the income arriving.
- Apply online through the EDB, then complete the approval in principle (valid 90 days), the medical and the in-person step with the Passport and Immigration Office.
How the annuity is taxed: Mauritius and the US
The US side (the same wherever you live)
As a US citizen you stay taxable on worldwide income wherever you live. A US single premium immediate annuity bought with after-tax savings is taxed under IRC 72: an exclusion ratio makes part of each payment a non-taxable return of your premium until the premium is recovered. If you bought it with IRA money, every payment is taxable. The foreign earned income exclusion does not cover annuities (IRC 911(b)(1)(B)(i)). Foreign tax on the payments can generally be credited on Form 1116. Since January 1, 2026, a US citizen with a foreign residence address cannot opt out of federal withholding, even if payments go to a US account (IRC 3405(e)(13), Treas. Reg. 31.3405(e)-1). Withholding is a prepayment, not extra tax. An annuity from a US insurer is not reported on FBAR or Form 8938, and it is not a PFIC. See the exclusion ratio for Americans abroad and the exclusion ratio calculator.
Is there a US tax treaty with Mauritius?
No. Mauritius is not on the IRS list of United States income tax treaties (checked October 2026); the two countries have a FATCA agreement, which is about bank reporting, not tax relief. Without a treaty there is no article deciding which country taxes an annuity first, and the only relief is a foreign tax credit. The IRS notes that the credit can only reduce US tax on foreign-source income, and the taxable part of a US insurer’s annuity is generally US-source, so Mauritian tax on it is hard to credit on your US return. That makes the Mauritian side worth planning.
The Mauritius side
Mauritius taxes foreign income on a remittance basis. Section 5(3) of the Income Tax Act treats income from outside Mauritius as derived when “it is received in Mauritius” or dealt with there on your behalf, and the Mauritius Revenue Authority lists “annuity, and pension in respect of past services” as foreign income “taxable in the hand of the resident.” You are resident after 183 days in an income year (1 July to 30 June), or 270 days over that year and the two before.
- Rates for the 2025/26 income year: the first MUR 500,000 at 0%, the next MUR 500,000 at 10%, the rest at 20%; a Fair Share Contribution of 15% applies above MUR 12 million.
- What that means here: if all $24,000 a year you transfer is annuity income, that is about MUR 1.15 million, and the tax is roughly MUR 80,000, about $1,700 or 7% (my arithmetic at MUR 48, before any reliefs).
- Return of premium: the MRA does not say whether part of a purchased annuity is treated as a return of capital, as the US exclusion ratio does. Get a Mauritian tax adviser’s written view.
Net result
With no treaty, an annuity you remit can be taxed in both countries with little credit between them, so in Mauritius the annuity is costlier in tax than transferring savings principal, which is capital, not income. A practical plan: let the annuity pay into your US account, and fund the required transfers in a way your Mauritian adviser confirms in writing. If you rely on the annuity for the transfers, budget for Mauritian tax of up to about 7% on $24,000 a year on top of US tax.
Does Mauritius have a wealth tax?
No. PwC’s country summary says Mauritius has no net wealth tax and no inheritance, estate or gift tax. So a US annuity, accumulating or paying out, is not in any Mauritian wealth base; only the income you bring in is taxed.
The trade-offs, once
A SPIA is irrevocable: you trade a lump sum for income you cannot cash out. Payments are level unless you add a cost-of-living rider, so their buying power falls over time, and the $2,000 a month bar has already risen once. Payouts are lower at younger ages, so a 62-year-old pays more for the same monthly amount than a 70-year-old. The income is backed by the issuing insurer’s claims-paying ability. For most people the answer is to size the annuity to the requirement plus some headroom and keep the rest of the portfolio working. Mauritius decides every application on its own merits; a well-documented lifetime income makes the file strong, but no one can promise approval.
Married? Make the income outlive either of you. In Mauritius the main applicant shows the income and the spouse joins as a family member, so the annuity sits with the main applicant. If a single-life annuity is on one spouse and that spouse dies first, the payments stop, and the surviving spouse may have to show income of their own at the next renewal. A joint and survivor annuity, which keeps paying until the second death, or a separate annuity on each spouse closes that gap. Joint and survivor pays less per dollar than single life, so ask for both quotes and compare.
Frequently asked questions
Free annuity gap analysis for Mauritius. Tell me your ages, your Social Security or pension, and whether you are single or a couple. I will show how far your income is from the Mauritius requirement and what a lifetime annuity would cost to fill the gap, in the sponsor’s or main applicant’s name where that matters.
Related reading
- Moving abroad on a fixed income: hub
- Retirement visa income requirements compared
- Using an annuity to meet a visa income requirement
- South Africa retired person's visa
- Indonesia retirement visa
- Immediate annuity calculator
Sources
- Economic Development Board Mauritius: Occupation Permit guidelines (August 2026), sections 5, 6, 13 and Annex 1
- Economic Development Board Mauritius: retired non-citizen (50 years and above)
- Economic Development Board Mauritius: permanent residence permit
- Economic Development Board Mauritius: Property Development Scheme
- Income Tax Act 1995 (MRA consolidation to May 2026): sections 5, 16C, 73 and First Schedule
- Mauritius Revenue Authority: foreign income
- Bank of Mauritius: indicative exchange rates (2 October 2026)
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Mauritius, other taxes
- US Treasury: FATCA intergovernmental agreements (Mauritius, Model 1)
- IRS Publication 514: foreign tax credit limited to US tax on foreign-source income
- IRS: 2026 inflation adjustments, including the gift exclusion for a non-citizen spouse (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- IRS: United States income tax treaties, A to Z
- 26 U.S.C. 3405 (withholding on pensions and annuities)
- ImmediateAnnuities.com: immediate annuity rates by age (survey of September 9, 2026)
Goldstein & Co. LLC dba Goldstein Insurance Services · Hans Goldstein, licensed insurance agent, CA lic. #4273294 · NPN 20602398 · 213-414-2808 · hans@hansgoldstein.com
Education, not tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules, thresholds and exchange rates change; confirm with the consulate or immigration authority and a local tax adviser before you act, and get answers in writing. Hans Goldstein is a licensed insurance agent (CA 4273294) and can only offer annuities to residents of states where he is licensed. Annuity payments are guaranteed by the issuing insurer’s claims-paying ability, not by any government. Payout figures are illustrations from a published survey, not quotes. Immediate annuities are generally irrevocable.