Cost of setting up a trust in Mauritius: what you pay for
The cost of setting up a trust in Mauritius depends mainly on the structure: the trustees, the assets, the drafting and the qualified trustee's yearly work. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust or foundation in Mauritius on this page; annual administration, event-based work and third-party charges are quoted after we review your case.
The set-up fee for a Mauritius trust is shown under the key facts. The other groups of cost depend on the structure and are quoted after we review your case.
Set-up
Structure design and onboarding checks
Trust deed drafting by the law firm
Trustee acceptance and account opening
Ongoing
Annual trustee fee
Accounting, minutes and records
Reporting to authorities
Third party
Bank and custodian charges
Tax and legal advice in other countries
Registry or stamp duty where it applies
Key facts
Trust structure
A trust is of no effect unless created by an instrument in writing (s. 6)[1]
Governing law
The Trusts Act (Act 14 of 2001) governs Mauritius trusts[1]
Trustee requirement
A trust has up to four trustees; at least one must be a qualified trustee (s. 28)[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 9,500
Trust set-up in Mauritius: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by a licensed local partner trustee, coordinated by One Pacific Trust
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
Standard foundation
USD 11,500
Foundation set-up in Mauritius: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by a licensed local partner trustee, coordinated by One Pacific Trust
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
This fee includes the local partner trustee's acceptance fee as agreed with One Pacific Trust.
Set-up fees shown are One Pacific Trust fees in US dollars for the standard scope described, before government, registry, bank and other third-party charges, which are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Annual administration, event-based work and anything outside the standard scope are quoted after we review your case.
A published fee is not an offer and is not tax or legal advice; the terms that apply are those set out in writing when you engage us.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Illustration, not a real client.
At set-up you pay for work done by us and by the qualified trustee, and for the law firm and the bank.
In Mauritius, four items usually carry most of the set-up work:
our client acceptance, identity checks and structure design;
the law firm’s drafting of the instrument in writing (source: Trusts Act, s. 6) and help with your letter of wishes;
the qualified trustee’s acceptance of office and its opening records;
forming or transferring any holding company that sits under the trust.
The design decides the rest. A discretionary family trust, a purpose trust with an enforcer and a trust over an African holding company each need different papers.
The order in which these items happen is in the set-up guide.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
After set-up, the trustees’ yearly work is the largest recurring item. At least one trustee must be a qualified trustee (source: Trusts Act, s. 28), and its role is charged for each year.
That yearly work usually means accounts in the trust’s name, minuted trustee meetings, the trust’s registers and refreshed identity checks.
Reporting for tax information exchange is part of it too. What the trustees file is on the tax and reporting page.
One-off events are charged when they happen: a distribution, a deed amendment, a change of trustee or protector, or the sale of a holding.
Ask for the written list of event charges together with your estimate.
If you expect regular distributions or new beneficiaries, say so at the start, so the estimate reflects that work.
Third-party costs
Some costs are paid to others, not to us. Naming them at the start lets you compare estimates fairly.
Law firm. Its fee follows the drafting work on the deed and on any holding company papers.
Qualified trustee. The firm’s own fee for its role, set in its terms of business.
Bank. The bank sets its own account opening and yearly charges, which vary with the assets held.
Translation. Documents not in English or French may need a certified translation.
Tax advisers. Advice in your home country, in Mauritius and in each country where a holding sits.
Government and registry charges, where they apply, appear as separate lines in your written estimate.
Time is a cost as well. Late documents push back every later step, and some parties charge for each round of comments on a draft.
Send complete papers in one batch, and agree the law firm’s scope in writing before drafting starts.
What changes the total
Two families with similar assets can receive quite different estimates. Five factors explain most of the gap:
Form. A family trust, a purpose trust with an enforcer, or a trust above a holding company.
Assets. A bank portfolio needs less work than shares in an operating company or land on the island.
Countries involved. Each country where a beneficiary lives or an asset sits adds checks and advice.
Roles. A protector, an enforcer or more than one trustee adds signatures and records.
Paperwork. A complete, current set of documents shortens the checks.
Tell us early if land in Mauritius will go in. A trust holding land with a non-citizen beneficiary needs approval (source: Trusts Act, s. 22), which adds a step.
How the quote is built
Each part of the quote has one party responsible for it, as the table shows.
Part
Who charges
When
Client acceptance, design and coordination
One Pacific Trust
At set-up
Qualified trustee acceptance and yearly work
Qualified trustee
At set-up and each year
Drafting of the deed
Law firm
At set-up
Account and transfers
Bank
At set-up and each year
The amounts for each part stay in your written estimate, which lists them line by line.
How to get a quote
Tell us the trustees you expect, the assets and the number of beneficiaries. We reply with a quote. It lists each part separately, so you can see which cost belongs to whom.
Nothing in the estimate binds you. We confirm it after we have seen the structure and the documents.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Mauritius?
At set-up you pay for client acceptance and design, drafting of the deed and letter of wishes, the qualified trustee's acceptance of office, and any holding company. Yearly administration and bank charges follow. Each item is listed in the written terms.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Mauritius?
Yes. The qualified trustee's yearly work, such as accounts, meetings, record keeping and identity refreshes, is charged under the terms you sign. Bank charges and adviser fees add to it. Ask for the list of yearly items before you commit.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Mauritius?
Send us your expected trustees, the assets in view and how many beneficiaries there are. We reply with a quote that lists each part separately, and confirm it once the structure and documents are in front of us. Nothing is binding at this stage.
Pick a question for a short answer from our FAQ. Nothing you choose here is sent anywhere. This is a scripted guide from our FAQ, not live chat and not advice.
Setting up, the law and tax
What happens, step by step, when you set up an offshore trust?
First agree the purpose and who should benefit. Your lawyer drafts the deed under the chosen law while the trustee checks identity and the source of the assets. After signing, the assets move into the trustee’s name and are recorded. The guide shows each stage in more detail.
Usually the owner transfers the shares or membership interest to the trustee under the deed, after checking the company’s own documents and any consent a lender or partner must give. The trustee then holds the interest and the company carries on. Company, tax and local law checks come first, so involve your lawyer.
Yes, in the places whose law provides for them. A trust needs a lawful purpose, a valid deed under its governing law, and taxes and reporting dealt with where the people involved live. It cannot be used to hide assets, defeat existing creditors or evade tax. A trustee will refuse a trust whose purpose or funding it cannot confirm.
It depends on where the settlor, the beneficiaries, the trustee and the assets are, and on the law that governs the trust. Many countries tax trust income or distributions in the hands of the people they treat as owners or recipients, and exchange account data under international reporting rules. We do not give tax advice, so ask your own adviser before you sign.
How long does it take to appoint a Hong Kong trustee?
Time depends mostly on how quickly documents arrive and on checks by banks and registries outside our control, so we do not promise a date. Once you apply, the client portal shows each step and what is outstanding, and a 30-minute call sets out what to prepare first.
The cost depends on the structure, the places and assets involved, how many parties the trustee must check, and how much work the trust needs each year. We publish the set-up fee for each place; annual administration and event-based work are quoted after we review your case. Banking, legal and registry charges outside our control can add to it.
A trustee can borrow only if the deed and the governing law allow it. A lender will usually ask to see the deed, the trustee’s authority and the purpose of the loan. Some deeds limit borrowing or need a protector’s consent. Ask a lawyer before approaching a lender.
What is asset management, and is it what a trustee does?
Asset management means running investments for a client, usually under a licence. A trustee does something different: it holds the assets, checks instructions against the deed, approves distributions and keeps the record. A bank or licensed manager that the deed allows for can run the investments.
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