Send money to Mauritius
See today's live rates — and exactly what your recipient receives, after every fee.
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Today's best rates to Mauritius
As of 4 November 2026, sending £1,000 to Mauritius, your recipient gets the most with Revolut: 62,991.18 MUR, the best of 3 providers compared.
| Provider | Rate | Fee | Recipient gets | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
62.991 0.86% worse | £0 | 62,991.18 MUR | Within 2 days | Send | |
63.437 0.16% worse | £17.93 | 62,299.87 MUR | Within 2 days | Send | |
60.748 4.39% worse | £0 | 60,747.64 MUR | Up to 4 days | Send |
When you send money home to Mauritius, the cheapest route is almost always a specialist money-transfer app or company rather than your bank. The cost that matters most is hidden in the exchange rate: a bank typically keeps 2% to 5% in the rate, on top of any fee — so always judge a provider by the amount that actually arrives, not by a "no fee" claim. And Mauritius uses the IBAN, so paying into a Mauritian account is straightforward.
Mauritius is a small, open island economy with a steady stream of money flowing both ways - a sizeable Mauritian community in the UK and France sending home, and the island's role as a financial hub.
The rupee floats, so the rate is genuinely market-set, and the Bank of Mauritius publishes a daily consolidated indicative rate built from what the local banks themselves quote.
The one thing to know going in is the IBAN: Mauritius has a long, 30-character IBAN that unusually ends in the letters MUR, and getting that exactly right is what makes a bank deposit land cleanly.
How the money reaches Mauritius
What account details you need
Yes - Mauritius uses an IBAN, and it has an unusual quirk: it is 30 characters long and actually ends in the three-letter currency code (MUR for rupees).
The full structure is the country code MU, two check digits, a bank and branch code, the account number, then a three-character currency code at the end. Your recipient can pull theirs from their banking app - the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), SBM and the rest all show it.
For a straight bank deposit the IBAN is normally all you need; the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC may also be used behind the scenes for the international leg.
Copy every character exactly, including the MUR at the end, because one wrong character fails the check or, worse, lands in someone else's account.
How the money is delivered
Once your pounds are converted, the money is delivered locally inside Mauritius. You don't choose the network — the provider does — but here is what is used.
Ways your recipient can receive it
Most providers can pay into a bank account: deposit to the recipient's 30-character Mauritian IBAN (ending in MUR) at any Mauritian bank (Mauritius Commercial Bank/MCB, SBM Bank, Absa Bank Mauritius, MauBank) or cash pickup: collected with an ID document at a Western Union or MoneyGram agent counter, widely available across the island. The right choice is usually whichever is cheapest and fastest for your recipient. Cash pickup is the fallback where a bank account or wallet isn't available.
What you actually pay to send money to Mauritius
The Mauritian rupee floats, so the headline rate is set by the market and is honest - which means the provider's added spread, not a managed peg, is where the real cost of your transfer hides.
The exchange-rate mark-up
The big one. Banks and some apps quote a rate a little worse than the real mid-market rate and keep the difference — often 2% to 5%. Because it is a slice of the whole amount, it usually dwarfs any upfront fee.
Correspondent-bank fees
An ordinary bank wire can pass through one or two intermediary banks, each able to take a small cut before the money arrives. Specialists using local payment networks usually avoid this entirely.
"No fee" hiding a poor rate
A headline "zero fee" means little if the rate is weak. Judge an offer by the money that actually arrives, not by whether a fee is shown — the comparison above ranks providers exactly that way.
A floating rupee means the spread is the whole game
The rupee's rate is set by the open market, and the Bank of Mauritius publishes a daily consolidated indicative rate from what local banks quote. That makes comparing providers simpler and more important: the cheapest transfer is whoever delivers the most rupees after their margin and fee.
Because the market rate is fair to start with, almost the entire difference between a good deal and a poor one is the spread the provider adds on top.
The Mauritian IBAN ends in the letters MUR - that is part of it
The Mauritian IBAN ends in the letters MUR - that is part of it
Mauritius has one of the more unusual IBANs in the world. It is 30 characters long, and it ends in a three-letter currency code - MUR for a rupee account.
The full string runs: the country code MU, two check digits, a bank and branch code, the account number, then those three currency letters at the very end.
The trap is that people see MUR at the end and assume it is just a label for the currency, so they leave it off when they type the IBAN into a transfer form. It is not a label - it is part of the IBAN, and dropping it makes the number invalid and bounces the payment.
When your recipient sends you their IBAN, ask them to copy the whole 30-character string straight out of their banking app (Mauritius Commercial Bank, SBM and the rest all display it) and paste it, rather than reading it out, so nothing - especially the MUR - gets trimmed in transit.
How to avoid fraud when sending money to Mauritius
On any large transfer the biggest risk is rarely the exchange rate — it is criminals getting between you and the money. These simple rules are worth knowing before you send.
Fake cash-pickup reference scam
Rule: never share the transfer reference or pickup code (the MTCN on a Western Union or MoneyGram transfer) with anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Whoever holds that code plus an ID document can collect the cash at an agent counter, so only ever pass it to the person you are actually sending to - and only after you have confirmed by a call or message you started.
"Send a fee to release your money" scam (advance-fee fraud)
Rule: no Mauritian bank and no transfer agent charges your recipient an upfront fee, 'tax' or 'release charge' to free an incoming transfer - the payout is automatic. Anyone in Mauritius asking your family to pay something before they can collect money that is on its way is a fraudster; a genuine inbound family remittance arrives without a release fee.
Wrong-IBAN / fake-refund scam
Rule: if you ever need to send money back, make a fresh transfer yourself to an IBAN you have confirmed in writing. Never use a 'refund' link, a reversal button or a payment request someone sends you - and double-check all 30 characters of the IBAN, including the MUR at the end, before you send, because a transfer to the wrong account is very hard to claw back.
If you are a victim of fraud, in the UK, report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040; in Mauritius, your recipient can raise a complaint with the Bank of Mauritius or the Financial Services Commission.
Is money sent to Mauritius taxed?
What the rules say
an ordinary family remittance sent home to Mauritius is not taxed as income for the person receiving it - Mauritius taxes income earned in-country, not support sent by relatives abroad.
This is general information, not tax advice; for anything large or unusual (buying property, an inheritance, a business stake) the recipient should take advice from a qualified Mauritian adviser
Keep your paperwork
On a large transfer the UK firm must run a source-of-funds check — that is a compliance step, not a tax. Keep evidence of where the money came from (a sale statement, pension or investment paperwork, or bank statements) and a big transfer moves through far more smoothly.
When is the best time to send money to Mauritius?
For a one-off transfer the rate on the day is what counts — and it moves constantly. The aim is less about guessing the perfect moment and more about removing risk on payments you already know are coming. As a guide, once the money is sent minutes to a couple of hours for cash pickup at a Western Union or MoneyGram agent; usually same day to one or two working days for a bank deposit landing in the recipient's 30-character Mauritian IBAN; the slow part is normally the compliance checks on the UK sending side before the money leaves.
The rupee floats, so its rate moves with the market - tourism and import flows both push on it - rather than sitting in a managed band.
There is no single festival that reliably widens spreads on this corridor, so timing is less about a calendar date and more about not sending on a day the rupee has dipped against you if the transfer can wait.
The Bank of Mauritius publishes a daily consolidated indicative rate from what local banks quote, which is a useful sanity check on whether a provider's offer is fair. The steadier saving is picking a provider with a tight margin.
Lock the rate for a known date. If a payment is weeks away, many specialists let you fix today's rate now (a forward contract), so a sudden market move can't blow a hole in your budget before the money is due.
Set a target with a rate alert. For flexible transfers, you can set the rate you want and be notified (or trade automatically) when the market reaches it — useful when you have time on your side and no fixed deadline.
The costliest mistakes when sending to Mauritius
A handful of avoidable slips account for most of the money people lose. Each is easy to sidestep once you know to look.
Defaulting to your bank without comparing. The bank's rate mark-up usually costs far more than any fee, and it is easy to miss because it is built into the rate rather than shown separately.
Judging by the fee, not the amount delivered. A "no fee" offer can still be the worst deal if the rate is poor. Always compare on what actually arrives.
Mistyping the account number (IBAN). If the account details are wrong the transfer can bounce back after a delay, or reach the wrong account. Always check them against details your recipient sent in writing.
Trusting bank details that arrived by email. Payment-diversion fraud is a real risk — always confirm the receiving account by phone on a trusted number first.
Using an unregulated or cold-calling firm. Check the company on the FCA Register before you move any money, and never act on an out-of-the-blue offer.
Dropping the MUR at the end of the IBAN. The Mauritian IBAN is unusual: it is 30 characters and ends in the three-letter currency code MUR. People sometimes treat that as a label and leave it off, which makes the IBAN invalid and bounces the transfer. The MUR is part of the IBAN itself. Ask your recipient to copy the whole thing straight out of their MCB or SBM app and paste it to you, all 30 characters, so nothing is trimmed.
Letting your bank convert at its own rate. High-street banks usually keep 2% to 5% inside a poorer exchange rate when sending to Mauritius, on top of any flat fee. Because the rupee floats and the Bank of Mauritius publishes an honest daily reference rate, that hidden spread is pure avoidable cost. A specialist provider that converts near the mid-market rate almost always delivers more rupees - compare them on the amount that actually arrives, not the headline rate.
How do most people send money to Mauritius?
For most people sending money home, the simplest and cheapest route is a specialist money-transfer app or company paying straight into the recipient's bank account: deposit to the recipient's 30-character Mauritian IBAN (ending in MUR) at any Mauritian bank (Mauritius Commercial Bank/MCB, SBM Bank, Absa Bank Mauritius, MauBank). Judge every provider by the amount that actually arrives — and confirm the receiving details before you send.
Frequently asked questions about sending money to Mauritius
For a bank deposit, yes. Mauritius uses an unusual IBAN: it is 30 characters, starts MU and ends in the three-letter currency code MUR.
Your recipient can find theirs in their banking app - the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), SBM and the rest all show it. Copy the whole thing exactly, including the MUR at the end, because it is part of the IBAN, not a label. The bank's SWIFT/BIC may also be used behind the scenes.
Mauritius is one of a small number of countries whose IBAN ends with a three-letter currency code - MUR for a rupee account. It is genuinely part of the 30-character IBAN, not a separate label.
The most common mistake on this corridor is leaving those three letters off, which makes the number invalid and bounces the transfer. Always include the MUR at the end exactly as your recipient's app shows it.
Almost always a specialist money-transfer company rather than your high-street bank. Because the rupee floats and the Bank of Mauritius publishes an honest daily reference rate, the cheapest provider is whoever delivers the most rupees after their margin and fee.
Banks typically keep 2% to 5% inside a poorer rate - see the live comparison above to judge providers on the rupees actually delivered.
Cash pickup at a Western Union or MoneyGram agent often lands within minutes to a couple of hours. A deposit straight to a Mauritian bank account via the recipient's 30-character IBAN at MCB, SBM or Absa is usually same day to one or two working days.
The slower part is normally the compliance checks on the UK sending side before the money leaves, rather than anything on the Mauritian end.
No. An ordinary family remittance is not taxed as income for the person receiving it in Mauritius - the country taxes income earned in-country, not support sent home by relatives abroad. This is general information, not tax advice.
For anything large or unusual - property, an inheritance, a business stake - the recipient should check with a qualified Mauritian adviser.
Yes. The Bank of Mauritius operates a floating exchange-rate regime, so the rupee's rate is set by the market - tourism and import flows both push on it.
The central bank publishes a daily consolidated indicative rate built from what local banks quote, which is a handy sanity check on whether a provider's offer is fair. The headline rate is honest but moves, so the provider's spread and your timing both matter.
Mauritian rupees, in the normal case. The rupee (MUR) is a freely floating currency, so a transfer is converted at the market rate and paid out in rupees locally - to a bank account or as cash.
Compare providers on the rupees actually delivered, not on the headline exchange rate, because on a floating currency the market rate is fair and the provider's spread is where most of the cost hides.
Our sources & how we keep this current
Last updated: June 2026. The live rates above refresh automatically, and we review the rest of this guide every month — updating it whenever the rules on payments, tax or regulation change.