No. Mauritius has no direct citizenship-by-investment (CBI) through real estate — buying property does not grant a passport. What a qualifying purchase grants is a residence permit (see our residency question). Citizenship can follow later, by naturalisation: broadly after 7 years of residence, reduced to 5 years for Commonwealth nationals, and reducible to 2 years where an additional investment of at least USD 500,000 is made. Mauritius permits dual nationality. These are the current statutory contours; confirm eligibility and current rules with the Passport & Immigration Office and a Mauritian adviser.
Why 'buy a passport' is a myth here
Unlike some Caribbean or Pacific programmes, Mauritius does not sell citizenship directly for a property purchase. There is no scheme under which handing over a set sum for real estate yields a Mauritian passport at completion. What the property route delivers is residence: a USD 375,000 approved-scheme purchase confers a residence permit for you and your immediate family. Residence and citizenship are different legal statuses, and conflating them is the core of the myth.
This distinction is not a technicality. A residence permit lets you live in Mauritius (and, tied to ownership, for as long as you hold the property); citizenship confers a passport, voting rights and unconditional right of abode. Buyers who are told, or assume, that a villa purchase 'gets you Mauritian nationality' are being misinformed. If a passport is the actual objective, the property purchase is at best a first step toward the residence clock that naturalisation later counts.
The real naturalisation path, and dual nationality
Citizenship in Mauritius is acquired through naturalisation once a residence-based qualifying period is met. The general requirement is around 7 years of residence; for nationals of Commonwealth countries this is reduced to about 5 years; and where the applicant makes an additional qualifying investment of at least USD 500,000, the period can be compressed to as little as 2 years. In every case, naturalisation is a discretionary legal process with its own conditions — not an automatic consequence of time or money alone.
Helpfully for international buyers, Mauritius permits dual nationality, so acquiring Mauritian citizenship by naturalisation does not, from the Mauritian side, require renouncing your existing nationality (your home country's rules are a separate matter). The practical takeaway: treat the property purchase as buying residence and optionality, not a passport. If citizenship matters, map the naturalisation timeline and the USD 500,000 accelerator with the Passport & Immigration Office and a Mauritian immigration lawyer before you rely on any 'fast-track' claim.
Sources
Primary and expert sources behind this answer:
- Passport & Immigration Office, Mauritius — Residence, retired non-citizen and naturalisation ↗
- Economic Development Board (EDB) Mauritius — Acquisition of Immovable Property by Non-Citizens & Residence Permit guidelines ↗
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Mauritian property, residence, succession and tax rules are technical and change frequently — notably the 1 July 2026 registration-duty change. Every figure and rule here must be confirmed with a Mauritian notary (notaire), a tax adviser (fiscaliste) or a lawyer for your specific situation before you act.
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