Sending Money from France to Mauritius: Transfers, Fees and Exchange Rate
SWIFT transfers, bank fees, exchange rates and the payment rules for a property purchase: how to move money from France to Mauritius without losing margin.
To send money from France to Mauritius, you use an international SWIFT transfer, either in euros or after converting to rupees. Three things drive the final cost: your French bank’s fees, the receiving bank’s fees (plus any intermediary bank), and above all the exchange rate applied. If you are a non-citizen buying property, EDB rules and the notary also set how the payment must be made: the funds arrive in foreign currency and are converted when the price is settled.
A SWIFT transfer, with fees at every step
Mauritian banks bill international transfers in foreign currency through SWIFT, and they say so in their tariff guides. BCP Bank’s 2026 guide lists MUR 375 or MUR 425 for an outgoing international transfer in foreign currency, depending on the account package, plus the fees of the correspondent bank. These are charges for sending from Mauritius, not for receiving, but they show the mechanics: a fixed bank fee, then intermediary fees that the bank cannot always tell you in advance.
On the French side, each bank has its own tariff for transfers outside the SEPA area. Ask for it before you place the order, along with the expected timing. Our guide for the same route from Dubai says a SWIFT transfer generally takes one to five working days to reach a Mauritian account, longer if a public holiday falls in either country.
The exchange rate costs more than the fixed fees
Fixed fees run to tens of euros. The rate gap is a percentage of the amount, so it runs to hundreds or thousands of euros once you are moving a property deposit. Banks rarely convert at the market rate: they keep a margin on every euro.
An older expat forum post shows how large the gap can be. A bank transfer was converted at MUR 37.02 per euro, while a currency broker had quoted MUR 39.20 before the transaction, about 5.9% more. The two rates are not from the same day and the rupee moved in between, so this is neither a rule nor a tariff, only a reason to compare. Always ask for the rate that will be applied before you send the transfer, not after.
One option is not to convert in France at all. The main Mauritian banks open multi-currency accounts in rupees, euros and dollars: you receive euros, keep them in euros, and convert when you have to pay in rupees. Our guide to opening a bank account in Mauritius covers the banks and the paperwork.
SHA, BEN, OUR: who pays which fees
The transfer order asks who bears the charges. With SHA, the sender and the beneficiary share them. With BEN, the beneficiary pays everything. With OUR, the sender pays everything. OUR looks safest if you want the exact amount to arrive, but an experienced Expat.com forum member points out that the sending bank may then add a margin to the receiving bank’s charges, and recommends SHA or BEN instead. That is one person’s experience, not a rule: the safest course is to ask your French bank what will actually be deducted under each option.
Buying a property: how the money must arrive
When a non-citizen buys, payment is not free-form. The EDB guidelines for IRS, RES and PDS schemes (online since 2022; have your notary confirm them before any transfer) state that the price of an immovable property bought by a non-citizen is transferred to the notary’s account in US dollars, euros or another convertible currency. The notary then pays the promoter 85% of the price in rupees and the remaining 15% in foreign currency or rupees.
The same text requires the funds to be transferred to Mauritius from abroad in hard currency first. Where the price exceeds USD 750,000, the first USD 750,000 (or its equivalent) must be transferred and paid to the promoter in rupees; the balance can be financed by a loan from a Mauritian bank, repaid in foreign currency. The document also says the notary pays registration duty in convertible foreign currency.
In practice, a French buyer does not need to convert euros before signing: the transfer goes to the notary’s account, in euros. The notary’s role is explained in the notary in a Mauritian property purchase, and the schemes concerned in our selection of new developments.
The documents the bank will ask for
A large transfer triggers compliance checks on both sides. A Mauritian bank’s standard file includes the passport, recent proof of address, a bank reference or statements, and proof of the origin of the funds. Prepare documents that explain where the money comes from: statements, the deed of sale of a property in France, a probate certificate, payslips or a tax notice, depending on the case. The details are in our guide to the bank account in Mauritius.
If you are aiming for a residence permit through a purchase, see also our page on the residence permit through property.
Before you send the money
- Open the Mauritian account (or get the notary’s IBAN and SWIFT code) and check the exact beneficiary name.
- Ask your French bank for the fees, timing and any exchange rate for a transfer outside SEPA.
- Choose the currency: euros if the notary or your multi-currency account accepts them, so you do not convert twice.
- Prepare the proof of the origin of the funds before the request, not after the transfer is blocked.
- For a large sum, send a small test amount first.
The same exercise from the Emirates has its own features: see transferring money from Dubai to Mauritius.
Sources and checks
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