Most people who come to me asking about ROC fees have already spent an hour on Google getting nowhere. They’ve found vague ranges, outdated forums, and articles that bury the real number under three paragraphs of boilerplate. So let me just tell you straight — and tell you what the ROC fees don’t cover, which is honestly the more useful thing to know.
The ROC is the Registrar of Companies in Mauritius — the government body that registers your company under the Companies Act 2001. When you pay ROC fees, you’re paying the government. That’s it. Not your management company. Not the FSC. The government. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen people confuse these three costs and then get unpleasant surprises three months into their setup.
What ROC Fees Actually Cover in Mauritius
ROC fees are purely government charges. Incorporation. Name reservation. Annual return filings. That’s the full list.
What’s not included — and this is where budgets go sideways:
- FSC license fees (the Financial Services Commission is a completely separate regulator — I’ll get to them)
- Your management company’s annual service fee
- Registered office costs
- Company secretary fees
Here’s the thing. For most foreigners — your typical Johannesburg entrepreneur, your Cape Town consultant, your London fintech founder — the ROC fees are actually the smallest number in the whole picture. Genuinely modest. The sticker shock, when it comes, comes from somewhere else entirely.
2026 ROC Fee Schedule: What You’ll Actually Pay
Current approximate ROC fees for the structures foreigners use most (MUR/USD at ~46 MUR to 1 USD, mid-2026 rates):
Authorized Company
- Name reservation: MUR 500 (~USD 11)
- Incorporation fee: MUR 6,500 (~USD 140)
- Annual return filing: MUR 2,500 (~USD 54)
Domestic Company
- Incorporation fee: MUR 10,000 (~USD 215)
- Annual return filing: MUR 5,000 (~USD 108)
Global Business Licence (GBL) Company
- Incorporation fee: MUR 10,000 (~USD 215)
- Annual return filing: MUR 5,000 (~USD 108)
For an authorized company — the route most South Africans and Brits end up taking — your ROC fees in year one are under USD 200. I had a client from Durban last month who genuinely couldn’t believe that number. He’d budgeted ten times that just for government fees. But yes. Under USD 200. The ROC is not where this gets expensive.
FSC Fees: The Number People Miss
And here’s where it gets real. The Financial Services Commission is a separate regulator entirely — based out of Ebene, runs independently from the ROC, and charges its own annual license fees. Authorized companies and GBL companies both require an FSC license. No way around it.
- Authorized Company FSC license: USD 500/year — charged every year the company is active
- Global Business Licence (Category 1): USD 1,950/year — for more complex holding and investment structures
- GBL (Investment Holding — Category 2): USD 1,200/year
So that Durban client paying USD 140 to the ROC? He’s also writing a USD 500 cheque to the FSC every year. Different body. Different invoice. Both mandatory.
The Real First-Year Total: Everything Combined
Honestly? This is what people actually need to see. Here’s what a first year genuinely costs for an authorized company in Mauritius:
- ROC incorporation fee: ~USD 140
- FSC annual license: USD 500
- Management company setup (one-time): USD 1,500–2,500
- Annual management, registered office, and company secretarial: USD 2,000–3,500
First-year total: approximately USD 4,500–7,000
Year two, the setup fee falls away. Ongoing annual costs for an active authorized company — USD 3,000–5,000, depending on your management company and how busy the entity is.
On management companies: they’re not optional. Full stop. FSC rules require authorized companies and GBL companies to have a licensed management company as their registered agent in Mauritius. They handle your registered office address, company secretary, ROC filings, FSC compliance — the whole administrative spine of your structure. Good firms in Grand Baie or Ebene charge USD 2,000–3,500 a year. If someone quotes you significantly under USD 1,500… I’d ask hard questions. Compliance shortcuts on this island have a way of surfacing at exactly the wrong moment — usually when you’re trying to open a bank account or move money.
Why Foreigners Choose the Authorized Company Route
Despite all of the above, the authorized company is still — by a wide margin — the most popular structure for foreign entrepreneurs setting up here. South Africans especially. And for good reason:
- 100% foreign ownership — no local partner required
- No minimum share capital for most activities
- Corporate tax at 15%, with effective rates often lower through partial exemption
- No exchange controls on foreign currency — this one matters enormously to people coming out of South Africa
- No requirement for local directors, though a Mauritius-registered agent is mandatory
The ROC fees and FSC costs are fixed and predictable. What moves your total bill is activity level — more transactions, more accounting work, higher management fees. A holding company sitting relatively quietly costs far less to run than an active trading entity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are ROC fees in Mauritius?
ROC fees are charges levied by the Registrar of Companies — the government body responsible for company registration under the Mauritius Companies Act 2001. They cover incorporation, name reservation, and annual return filings. Separate from FSC license fees. Separate from your management company’s charges.
How much does it cost to register an authorized company in Mauritius in 2026?
The ROC incorporation fee is approximately MUR 6,500 (~USD 140). But total first-year costs — FSC license, management company setup, annual maintenance — typically run USD 4,500–7,000 all in. Budget for the full picture, not just the ROC line.
What’s the difference between ROC fees and FSC fees in Mauritius?
ROC fees go to the Registrar of Companies. FSC fees go to the Financial Services Commission. Two different government regulators. Both mandatory for licensed structures. Neither one replaces the other.
Does a Mauritius authorized company need a management company?
Yes. No exceptions. Under FSC regulations, authorized companies must use a licensed management company as their registered agent. They handle your registered office, company secretary, ROC filings, and FSC compliance reporting. Pick carefully — this relationship shapes how smoothly everything runs.
If you’re trying to figure out which structure actually fits your situation — and what your real total costs would look like — that’s exactly the kind of conversation worth having before you start anything.
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