Professional Trustee Services in Mauritius
A licensed, independent trustee based in Mauritius — exercising genuine fiduciary oversight, ensuring regulatory compliance and protecting beneficiary interests.
Appointing a professional trustee is one of the most consequential decisions in the establishment of a trust. The trustee holds legal title to trust assets, exercises discretionary powers over distributions and acts as the fiduciary anchor of the entire structure. In Mauritius, acting as a trustee for third parties requires a licence issued by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Our licensed trustee service provides clients with a credible, independent and professionally resourced trustee that can withstand scrutiny from tax authorities, courts and counterparties in any jurisdiction. Under the Trusts Act 2001, a Mauritius trustee owes duties of loyalty, prudence, impartiality and good faith to all beneficiaries — duties that we take seriously and discharge through documented decision-making, formal trustee committee processes and active oversight of all assets held under trust.
What a professional trustee provides
Licensed and regulated status
Our trustee entity holds an FSC licence authorising it to act as trustee. This provides the structure with regulatory legitimacy — important for tax treaty access, banking relationships and international recognition. The FSC licence demonstrates to counterparties in any jurisdiction that the trustee is subject to ongoing regulatory supervision, AML oversight and professional conduct standards.
Independence from the settlor
A professional trustee provides genuine independence. This is critical for asset protection purposes: courts in many jurisdictions will look at whether the trustee exercised real independent judgment. A licensed trustee with its own governance structure and documented decision-making provides that independence. Retention of control by the settlor over trust assets can invalidate the trust or defeat its asset protection purpose — our trustee governance framework is designed to prevent this outcome.
Experienced fiduciary governance
We manage trustee decisions through a formal trustee committee. All material decisions — distributions, asset transactions, changes to investment policy — are documented by trustee resolution and retained on the trust file. Our committee members include qualified legal and financial professionals with experience in international trust structures.
Compliance and AML oversight
As a licensed entity, we maintain full AML/CFT procedures, conduct ongoing KYC reviews and fulfil all regulatory reporting obligations including CRS, FATCA and any FSC-mandated filings. Annual CRS and FATCA filings are prepared and submitted to the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) on behalf of each trust we administer.
Continuity and institutional stability
Unlike an individual trustee, a corporate professional trustee provides continuity of service regardless of personnel changes. The trust is never without a trustee, and succession within the trustee entity is seamlessly managed. There is no risk of a trust being left without a trustee due to the death, incapacity or resignation of an individual.
Protector co-ordination
Where the trust deed appoints a protector, we work constructively with the protector — respecting their powers while maintaining the trustee's independent judgment. We prepare all materials required for protector consultations, including briefing notes on proposed distributions, investment decisions and structural changes.
Investment oversight and delegation
We maintain overall trustee responsibility for the investment of trust assets while delegating day-to-day portfolio management to licensed investment managers under formal investment management agreements. We review manager performance, monitor compliance with the trust's investment policy and retain the power to change managers — ensuring the trustee's investment oversight function is genuinely exercised.
Trustee appointment process
Initial assessment
We review the proposed trust structure, the nature of the assets, the parties involved and the jurisdiction of the settlor to confirm that we are able to accept the appointment. We consider potential conflicts of interest, enhanced due diligence requirements and any structural features that may require modification before we proceed.
KYC and due diligence
Full KYC is completed on all parties: settlor, beneficiaries, protector and any underlying entities. We may request source of wealth documentation and third-party references. Enhanced due diligence is applied where any principal is classified as a PEP, is connected to a high-risk jurisdiction or where the asset profile warrants additional scrutiny.
Trust deed review
We review and negotiate the trust deed to ensure the trustee's powers, protections and indemnities are properly documented. Where required, we co-ordinate with the drafting solicitor. We pay particular attention to distribution provisions, investment powers, protector rights and trustee removal provisions — ensuring the deed is workable and robust.
Formal acceptance
On satisfactory completion of due diligence and agreement on the deed, the trustee formally executes the trust deed and issues an acceptance letter to the settlor and their advisers. The trust is registered in our administration system and a dedicated trust file is opened.
Asset transfer and onboarding
Assets are transferred into the trust. We co-ordinate with custodians, banks and legal counsel to ensure the transfer is properly documented and recorded. We issue a confirmation of asset receipt to the settlor and their advisers once all assets are confirmed in the trust's name or under its custody.
Ongoing trusteeship
We administer the trust on an ongoing basis — exercising fiduciary duties, managing distributions, maintaining compliance and providing annual reporting to relevant parties. The trust's compliance calendar is managed proactively, and the settlor or principal adviser is notified of any matters requiring attention.
Requirements for trustee appointment
- Completed trustee onboarding questionnaire
- Full KYC documents for all principals (settlor, beneficiaries, protector)
- Source of wealth and source of funds documentation
- Draft or executed trust deed for review
- Schedule of assets to be transferred into trust
- Details of any existing professional advisers (lawyers, accountants, investment managers)
- Identification of any US persons or other high-risk classifications
Indicative trustee fees
| Item | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Trustee acceptance / onboarding fee | USD 1,500 – 3,000 |
| Annual trustee fee (simple trust, single asset class) | USD 5,000 – 10,000 |
| Annual trustee fee (standard multi-asset trust) | USD 10,000 – 15,000 |
| Annual trustee fee (complex / high-activity trust) | USD 15,000 – 30,000+ |
| Annual accounts preparation | USD 1,500 – 3,500 |
| CRS / FATCA annual filing (per trust) | USD 500 – 1,200 |
| Trustee committee resolution (per event) | USD 350 – 700 |
| Distribution processing (per distribution) | USD 300 – 600 |