Lynn Mackenzie, J.D., LLM
Courtesy of Samina Jaffery, Mauritius partner
Mauritius has introduced a Premium Travel Visa on 23 October 2020, valid for a period of one year, renewable, to welcome travellers seeking to experience the island living in a COVID-safe destination.
To qualify for the Premium Visa, interested visitors should produce proof of their long stay plans and sufficient travel and health insurance for the initial period of stay while meeting the following criteria:
i. the applicants should not enter the Mauritius labour market;
ii. the main place of business and source of income and profits should be outside Mauritius;
iii. documentary evidence to support application such as purpose of visit, accommodation etc.; and
iv. other basic immigration requirements.
From a personal taxation perspective, you will have to seek the advice of your tax advisor/ accountant in your current country of residence. This is because, if you have been spending a minimum of 183 days or more in Mauritius during a fiscal year, you will be considered as tax resident in Mauritius as per Clause 73 of the Mauritius Income Tax Act.
All your income and profits will be generated from outside of Mauritius as per the condition of the Premium Visa and therefore it is very much likely that you will already be paying taxes on those income generated outside of Mauritius in their respective source country. However, once you become tax resident in Mauritius after spending 183 days or more in a fiscal year, you will be liable to taxes in Mauritius on your income generated while in Mauritius, unless there are double taxation avoidance treaties in place between your country of residence and Mauritius, in which case, foreign tax credit can be claimed, if conditions are met.
The process is as follows:
• Step 1: Flight and hotel for quarantine pre-booking;
• Step 2: Apply online;
• Step 3: Get your premium visa approval via email after 48 hours;
• Step 4: Book your accommodation for stay in Mauritius;
• Step 5: Travel to Mauritius if PCR Test is negative; and
• Step 6: Comply with the quarantine upon arrival in Mauritius.
There is no processing fee payable to the Authorities in Mauritius for the application and approval of the Premium Visa. We shall be delighted to assist you with your Premium Visa application. Please feel free to get in touch with us via immigration@relocationafrica.com
The documents required are below.
Main applicant:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
iv. Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius)
v. Evidence for pre-booking for accommodation in Mauritius
vi. Proof of monthly income (bank statement / attestation of monthly income)
Dependent spouse:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
iv. Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius)
Dependent child:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius.
The content of this article is provided for general information purposes. The provision of this article does not constitute legal advice or opinion of any kind; no advisory or fiduciary relationship is created between Relocation Africa and any other person accessing or using this article. Relocation Africa will not be liable for any damages or loss arising from using any part of this article.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Mauritius’ Recently-launched Premium Travel Visa
Lynn Mackenzie, J.D., LLM
Courtesy of Samina Jaffery, Mauritius partner
Mauritius has introduced a Premium Travel Visa on 23 October 2020, valid for a period of one year, renewable, to welcome travellers seeking to experience the island living in a COVID-safe destination.
To qualify for the Premium Visa, interested visitors should produce proof of their long stay plans and sufficient travel and health insurance for the initial period of stay while meeting the following criteria:
i. the applicants should not enter the Mauritius labour market;
ii. the main place of business and source of income and profits should be outside Mauritius;
iii. documentary evidence to support application such as purpose of visit, accommodation etc.; and
iv. other basic immigration requirements.
From a personal taxation perspective, you will have to seek the advice of your tax advisor/ accountant in your current country of residence. This is because, if you have been spending a minimum of 183 days or more in Mauritius during a fiscal year, you will be considered as tax resident in Mauritius as per Clause 73 of the Mauritius Income Tax Act.
All your income and profits will be generated from outside of Mauritius as per the condition of the Premium Visa and therefore it is very much likely that you will already be paying taxes on those income generated outside of Mauritius in their respective source country. However, once you become tax resident in Mauritius after spending 183 days or more in a fiscal year, you will be liable to taxes in Mauritius on your income generated while in Mauritius, unless there are double taxation avoidance treaties in place between your country of residence and Mauritius, in which case, foreign tax credit can be claimed, if conditions are met.
The process is as follows:
• Step 1: Flight and hotel for quarantine pre-booking;
• Step 2: Apply online;
• Step 3: Get your premium visa approval via email after 48 hours;
• Step 4: Book your accommodation for stay in Mauritius;
• Step 5: Travel to Mauritius if PCR Test is negative; and
• Step 6: Comply with the quarantine upon arrival in Mauritius.
There is no processing fee payable to the Authorities in Mauritius for the application and approval of the Premium Visa. We shall be delighted to assist you with your Premium Visa application. Please feel free to get in touch with us via immigration@relocationafrica.com
The documents required are below.
Main applicant:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
iv. Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius)
v. Evidence for pre-booking for accommodation in Mauritius
vi. Proof of monthly income (bank statement / attestation of monthly income)
Dependent spouse:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
iv. Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius)
Dependent child:
i. Digital colour passport size photo
ii. Bio-data page of passport
iii. Travel and health insurance
Air ticket, including valid return ticket (including quarantine hotel details in Mauritius.
The content of this article is provided for general information purposes. The provision of this article does not constitute legal advice or opinion of any kind; no advisory or fiduciary relationship is created between Relocation Africa and any other person accessing or using this article. Relocation Africa will not be liable for any damages or loss arising from using any part of this article.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Pre-Travel e-Visa Requirement for Kenya
Lynn Mackenzie, J.D., LLM
Courtesy of IKM Advocates
Please see the directive from the Directorate of Immigration Services (DIS) on the pre-travel visa requirement:-
In accordance with the attached directive, any person from a country that require visas to enter Kenya shall be required to apply for and obtain e-visa before traveling. The list of countries whose nationals are eligible to obtain an e-visa can be accessed through http://evisa.go.ke/eligibility.html.
The e-visa can be obtained through www.evisa@go.ke.
a. single tourist visa;
b. single entry business visa;
c. referral visas (RSEV);
d. transit visas;
e. courtesy entry visas;
f. East African tourist visas; and
g. multiple journey business visas
Should you require any further information and or assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at immigration@relocationafrica.com.
The content of this article is provided for general information purposes. The provision of this article does not constitute legal advice or opinion of any kind; no advisory or fiduciary relationship is created between Relocation Africa and any other person accessing or using this article. Relocation Africa will not be liable for any damages or loss arising from using any part oft his article.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Relocation Africa’s Monthly Social Responsibility Project, Month 3: Book Drive
As part of our constant drive to give back to our community, our team has endeavored to join together to participate in a monthly community-focused CSR initiative. The team comes together each month to participate in an activity aimed at uplifting the community around our head office in Cape Town, after which ideas are put forward for the following month’s initiative.
In this way, as South Africans, we are giving back not only on Mandela Day, but throughout the year, as the need doesn’t end after the holiday.
Naturally, we take all necessary COVID-19-related precautions when participating in the activities, so as to ensure the health and safety of our team members and those we are interacting with outside our office.
For our third month, in November 2020, we came together to collect books, with the theme of ‘Literature & Education are Vital’. We invited our neighbors to join us in collecting books they no longer needed, and dropping them off at our office’s reception. We then handed them over to charity Help the Rural Child.
Help the Rural Child is a chain of charity shops that support the Goedgedacht Path Onto Prosperity Rural Youth Centres. Help the Rural Child, through its charity shops, is doing its bit to help these children break out of the endless cycles of poverty that have trapped their parents for so many generations. Help the Rural Child has nine shops at present: two bookshops, one in Mowbray and one in Kirstenhof; four clothing and bric a brac shops in Mowbray, Retreat, Sea Point and Cape Town CBD; a furniture shops in Retreat and a Mobile Bookshop that goes out to schools. Their newest edition, connected to the Mobile Bookshop, is The Children’s Bookshop in Mowbray.
Their shops are all run with two staff members and a wonderful group of volunteers. All the stock of books, bric-a-brac, clothing, furniture and household goods are donated by the very supportive Cape Town public. We are pleased that we could be part of one of these donations.
Gallery
We hope this inspires our readers and other companies to start similar initiatives, as if we all work together, we can greatly improve the quality of life of those in need around us.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Western Cape Launches Safe Travels Tourism Website
The Western Cape province has launched its Safe Travels tourism website.
The website was developed by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism together with destination marketing and promotion agency Wesgro to help domestic and international tourists to navigate the restrictions on travel and be informed about the important health and safety protocols they need to follow when visiting Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier said the website aims to offer peace of mind to those travelling for business or leisure.
“As a result of national government’s risk-based approach to international travel and the ‘red list’ of countries restricted to travel to South Africa, there is still much confusion and uncertainty in the travel and tourism industry, especially as the ‘red list’ is not being reviewed consistently every two weeks as promised.
“And so, to guide tourists and ensure their visit to Cape Town and the Western Cape is as hassle-free as possible, our Safe Travels website provides the latest information on travel restrictions and the ‘red list’, as well as visa requirements and the latest Covid-19 health and safety information,” he said.
Maynier said the website is an example of the many ways that the province has worked hard since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to support businesses, especially tourism businesses in the Western Cape.
“International markets are a key economic driver for the tourism sector in the Western Cape, especially during the summer season, and will be critical to the survival of the sector. Which is why we have maintained from the start that national government must scrap the ‘red list’ and allow all visitors entry into South Africa subject to presenting a negative PCR test conducted at least 72 hours prior to departure, together with screening protocols,” he added.
The content for the Safe Travels website was largely developed using social listening tools which provided real-time insights into what potential travellers to South Africa and the Western Cape are concerned about so that we could develop the right content to help address these concerns.
To assist tourists in distress, the Tourism Safety Support Unit at the Department of Economic Development and Tourism is also available to answer queries via email.
Travellers looking to visit the Western Cape, and who require assistance can send their questions to tourismsafety@westerncape.gov.za
On the launch of the Safe Travels website Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris said SafeTravels.CapeTown has been established as the ‘go to’ page for all visitors coming to enjoy the world-class tourism experience on offer in the province. “It features safety news, FAQ’s and safety initiatives implemented in the province. We invite visitors to peruse the site and put their minds at ease knowing that Cape Town and the Western Cape is travel ready,” he said.
To visit the site, click here.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].