Registering Property in Mauritius

This section records the full sequence of procedures, time, and cost involved in registering property in Mauritius. The Doing Business project assumes a standardized case of an entrepreneur who wants to purchase a piece of property in the periurban area of the economy’s largest business city. The property consists of land and a building, is already registered, and is free of title dispute. The process of property registration is complete once the property title has been transferred to the buyer’s name, so that the buyer is able to use the property for expanding business, as collateral for new loans, or, if necessary, to sell it to another business.

The country data appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2009.

The table below provides a summary of property registration requirements (along with the associated completion time and cost). The table is followed by additional country-specific details for registration requirements.

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Standardized property

Property Value: MUR 10,122,869
City: Port Louis

Registration Requirements Summary:


  Procedure Time to complete: Cost to complete:
*1 Notary checks for encumbrances at the Registrar General 2 days (simultaneous with procedures 2) no cost
*2 A land surveyor prepares a new survey plan and a situation plan 4-8 days (simultaneous with procedures 1) MUR 1,500
3 A notary prepares and notarizes the deed of sale 4 days Notary’s fees according to a cumulative schedule: approximately MUR 64,364
4 The notary deposits the signed deed for registration and transcription 15 days (transcription) 5% of property value (transfer tax) + 5% of property value (registration fee) + MUR 1,000 (stamp duty)
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Registration Requirement Details

Procedure 1.
Notary checks for encumbrances at the Registrar General
Time to complete:
2 days (simultaneous with procedures 2)
Cost to complete:
no cost
Name of Agency:
Registrar General
Comment:
The notary public consults the register of transcriptions and the list of deeds which are waiting for transcription in order to ascertain the title of the seller, the status of encumbrances, charges, liens, etc. The notary pays an annual subscription to the Registrar General, which enables him to check the registers free of charge. He may however pass the cost to the client as part of the fees charged for the whole transaction. (Note: The annual fee paid by the notary to the Registrar General is Rs12,000 since last budget).
Procedure 2.
A land surveyor prepares a new survey plan and a situation plan
Time to complete:
4-8 days (simultaneous with procedures 1)
Cost to complete:
MUR 1,500
Name of Agency:
Land Surveyor
Comment:
The seller must obtain a situation plan done by a Land Surveyor.
Procedure 3.
A notary prepares and notarizes the deed of sale
Time to complete:
4 days
Cost to complete:
Notary’s fees according to the following cumulative schedule:
Value of property (in MUR) Notary Fees
Up to MUR 250,000 2% (minimum MUR 50)
From 250,000 to 750,000 1.5%
From 750,000 to 1,750,000 1%
Excess over MUR 1,750,000 0.5%
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The notary prepares the sale deed. The seller is responsible for giving all the required documentation to the notary. The deed is signed by the parties and the notary.
Procedure 4.
The notary deposits the signed deed for registration and transcription
Time to complete:
15 days (transcription)
Cost to complete:
5% of property value (transfer tax) + 5% of property value (registration fee) + MUR 1,000 (stamp duty)
Name of Agency:
Registrar General
Comment:
The notary will deliver the signed deed + one copy of the Deed to the Registrar General for registration. According to the law, the notary has up to 10 days to submit the deed at the Land registry. If this delay is not respected, there is a penalty of 50% to be paid.

The notary will pay the registration fee, the stamp duty and the transfer tax on behalf of the seller when applying for registration at the Registrar General’s office.

The transfer tax is 10% of the property price, but it is reduced to 5% when the seller has been the owner of the property for more than 5 years.
The stamp duty amounts MUR 1000.
The registration fee is equal to 5% of the property value.

Once payment is made, the Land Registry will enter this transaction in the book and will give a Transcription Number (TN) to the notary. Once this TN number is available at the land registry, the property is opposable to third parties. The notary will then issue the “Copie authentique” to the buyer. The Finance Bill Act 2008 set up a statutory time of 15 days for the Registrar to complete the transcription and give a Transcription Number (TN) to the notary (Section 37 of transcription and Mortgage Act amended by the Finance Bill Act 2008).
After the TN has been issued, the Land registry will verify and re-assess the transaction through internal processes. The original deed is available for pick-up by the notaries in about 3-4 months to the notary for his file (he shall keep the document for 100 years).