The Premium Travel Visa has the lowest financial bar of any active nomad programme and charges nothing to apply. It is the correct answer to "cheapest digital nomad visa" now that Georgia's free programme has ended.
Requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Monthly income | US$1,500 |
| + per dependent child under 24 | +US$500 |
| Application fee | None |
| Approval time | ~7 days |
| Duration | 6 months to 1 year |
| Income source | Must originate outside Mauritius |
| Tax | None under 6 months; resident at 183 days |
Genuinely free, genuinely fast
Mauritian authorities charge no application or processing fee for the Premium Visa. Not a reduced fee — none.
Approval can arrive in about a week, against Malaysia's 6–8 weeks, Italy's 35–70 days or Portugal's two-stage process.
Combined with the $1,500 threshold, it has the lowest barrier to entry of any programme covered here.
You still pay for the things every application needs — health and travel insurance, accommodation, document translations. See what a nomad visa actually costs, where the fee is rarely more than a fifth of the total.
Eligibility
You must be working remotely for:
- A company registered outside Mauritius, under an employment contract, or
- Your own overseas business
Your main income source must be outside Mauritius, and you must not enter the local labour market. The standard structure for these programmes.
The 183-day line is the real consideration
Tax is where this visa needs thought, because the duration and the tax threshold nearly coincide.
- Under 6 months: no Mauritian tax
- After 183 days: tax resident, and money remitted to Mauritius becomes taxable
Since the visa runs six months to a year, a full-length stay puts you past the line. It is not a trap so much as a decision point — and it lands in the middle of the visa rather than beyond it.
Note the mechanism: remitted income is what becomes taxable, not worldwide income. That distinction matters and is worth taking local advice on, because how you fund your living costs affects the outcome. See digital nomad tax.
Where Mauritius fits
| Country | Monthly income | Fee | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | $1,500 | Free | 6 mo – 1 yr |
| Colombia | ~$1,400 | Consular fee | 2 years |
| Italy | €2,333 | €116 | 1 year |
| Costa Rica | $3,000 | Varies | 1 yr + renewal |
Colombia is marginally lower on the raw figure and gives two years, but demands that every month individually clear the threshold with official bank statements — a harder test than the number implies.
Mauritius is the more forgiving qualification. Colombia is the longer stay.
Choose Mauritius for the lowest bar, fastest approval and no fee, on a stay under a year. Choose Colombia if you want two years and your income lands in a bank reliably every month.
What you don't get
No renewal path and no route to residency. Six months to a year, then it ends — same shape as Estonia and unlike Spain or Portugal, which are built as residency tracks.
What the process is actually like
[Author section — first-hand or sourced.]
Frequently asked questions
How much income do I need for the Mauritius Premium Visa? US$1,500 per month, plus US$500 for each unmarried dependent child under 24.
Is it really free? Yes. Mauritian authorities charge no application or processing fee. You still pay for insurance, documents and travel.
How long does approval take? Around seven days.
How long can I stay? Six months to a year.
Do I pay tax in Mauritius? Not under six months. After 183 days you become tax resident and income remitted to Mauritius becomes taxable.
Can I renew it? There is no renewal path or route to residency through this visa.
Can I work for Mauritian companies? No. Your income must come from outside Mauritius and you must not enter the local labour market.
Official sources
Verified 29 July 2026. Confirm current requirements with the EDB before applying.