Mauritius CRS Updates: Self-Certs, Resident FIs, Jurisdiction Lists

On February 9, 2026, the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) posted three communiques related to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Day 1 Self-Certifications

The MRA announced stronger requirements related to the collection of customer / investor self-certifications. Self-certifications are required to be collected from all new individual and entity account holders as well as from controlling persons of Passive Non-Financial Entities (NFE). Previously, a Financial Institution (FI) could take up to 90 days after account opening to obtain and validate a self-certification. Under the MRA’s new approach, accounts must not be opened or activated without a valid self-certification unless the limited circumstances outlined in FAQ 22 of the CRS Implementation Handbook apply.

FAQ 22 reads in part:

The Standard provides that a Reporting Financial Institution must obtain a self-certification upon account opening (Sections IV(A) and VI(A). Where a self-certification is obtained at account opening but validation of the self-certification cannot be completed because it is a ‘day two’ process undertaken by a back-office function, the self-certification should be validated within a period of 90 days.

There are a limited number of instances, where due to the specificities of a business sector it is not possible to obtain a self-certification on ‘day one’ of the account opening process, for example where an insurance contract has been assigned from one person to another or in the case where an investor acquires shares in an investment trust on the secondary market. In such circumstances, the self-certification should be both obtained and validated as quickly as feasible, and in any case within a period of 90 days.

(To read FAQ 22 in full, click and go to page 158 of the PDF).

If the new guidance is not followed, an FI may face consequences including:

• Mandatory account closure or freezing of account

• Penalties under the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) (Amendment) Regulations 2019

Companies treated as Non-Resident for CRS

A company incorporated in Mauritius shall be treated as Non-Resident if it is centrally managed and controlled outside Mauritius. The MRA pointed out that this situation generally applies to Authorised Companies (“ACs”). However, for purposes of CRS, an AC which is classified as an FI will be treated as resident in each jurisdiction where at least one of the following applies:

• The FI is incorporated under the laws of the participating jurisdiction; or

• The FI has its place of central management (including effective management) in the participating jurisdiction; or

• The FI is subject to financial supervision in the participating jurisdiction.

Where an FI is resident in two or more participating jurisdictions, the FI will be subject to the reporting and due diligence obligations in the participating jurisdiction in which it maintains its financial accounts. Accordingly, if an FI is an AC but maintains its financial accounts in Mauritius, the FI will be required to register and report pursuant to Mauritius CRS regulations.

Updated CRS Jurisdictions

The Mauritius list of CRS Reportable Jurisdictions now includes Cote D’Ivoire, Fiji and Zimbabwe. The list of CRS Participating Jurisdictions has been updated to include Nigeria, Thailand and Uganda. Each of the three communiques including the full list of jurisdictions in each category can be found on the MRA site. https://www.mra.mu/

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