Many people are asking if Paypal works in Mauritius. The short answer is YES. Paypal does work in Mauritius. But I think you could be asking the wrong question. If you are a digital nomad, services provider or interested in putting up an e-commerce store then correct question should be:
Can I get a Paypal payout in Mauritius?
Having experienced this process first hand, the answer is a definite YES. You can get a Paypal payout in Mauritius. All you need is an (Mauritius Commercial Bank) bank account with their MCB Juice App. Once that is done you can link it to your Paypal account.
It would be important to mention that you cannot link an existing or past Paypal account to your MCB Juice App. It checks the address of your Paypal account so linking it will fail. You would need to create a new Paypal account with a local address. Once completed you will find the process of linking Paypal to the MCB Juice APP rather seamless.
Paypal does not support the Mauritian Rupee (MUR) So even though you may bill in USD or other currencies, you will need to request a withdrawal via the MCB Juice App. The exchange rate will apply on the date the transaction is processed and will incur fees. You can find the FAQ on the MCB website.
Do many merchants accept Paypal as form of payment on the island?
No, they do not. One reason is that Paypal does not support MUR. Also, Mauritius does not have a culture of making online payments like other countries do. Some of the bigger e-commerce stores have merchant accounts with companies like DPO Group and Peach Payments. But their on-boarding process is strenuous. However Mauritius being a fast growing economy and investing heavily in digital transformation, it will get there sooner than you think.
Be prepared!
If you already have an MCB account, then good for you. But if not be prepared. It’s better to make an appointment, otherwise you will wait in a queue for hours.
Have all your documents handy. More so if you are not a resident. You could be asked for any of these documents.
– Passport
– Proof of address
– Proof of funds
– A letter of good standing from your current bank
– 6 months back statements
– Curriculum Vitae
– Visa
Contact the bank directly to see if their requirements have changed.
1You need to have a bank account with MCB
2You need to have the MCB Juice APP
3Create a new Paypal account and link to MCB Juice
