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If you run a Mauritian company, the AML/CFT guidelines are the document you will be measured against in practice. The statute sets the duties; the guidelines and the handbook explain how a supervisor expects those duties to be met. The AML/CFT guidelines Mauritius supervisors issue differ by sector, so the first task is to know which version applies to you.
This page does not summarise the legislation itself; for that, see AML/CFT legislation explained for business owners. Here the focus is reading method: what to look for, what to skip on a first pass, and what to turn into written procedures.
Guidelines, handbook and Act: how they fit together
Three layers sit on top of each other.
- The Act. The anti-money laundering law of Mauritius is the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act (FIAMLA), Act 6/2002, in force since 10 June 2002. The consolidated version published by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in 2026 incorporates Act No. 3 of 2026.
- Regulations. These fill in detail on specific points and bind in the same way as the Act.
- Guidelines and handbook. These are issued by supervisors and explain how they read the law, what evidence they look for and what good practice looks like.
The Act is binding in the strict sense. Guidelines are treated differently: they are not a substitute for the law, but a supervisor will expect you to follow them or to explain, in writing, why your approach is equivalent. Ignoring them is rarely a defensible position.
| Layer | What it tells you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| FIAMLA and regulations | What is required and what is an offence | Reference for obligations; read the sections that apply to you |
| Supervisor guidelines | How the supervisor interprets the duties | Basis for your written policies |
| Handbook | Worked procedures and examples | Template for day-to-day controls |
| Your own manual | How your company actually applies all of the above | The document an inspector asks for first |
Which guidance applies to your company
Not every company is supervised in the same way, and this decides which text you open.
A company that holds a licence from the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is supervised by the FSC and reads the FSC's guidance. A company that is itself a reporting person under another regime is supervised by the body for that sector. An ordinary trading or holding company with no regulated activity is usually not a supervised entity in its own right, but it still deals with banks, auditors and corporate service providers that are, and they will pass their requirements down to it.
For most readers of this site, the practical picture is this:
- Your corporate service provider and your bank apply the guidelines to you as a client.
- Your auditor has its own reporting duties.
- If you carry out a regulated activity yourself, you apply the guidelines directly.
The registered agent of an Authorised Company also has defined duties. Under section 71A(8) of the Financial Services Act, as consolidated at 1 September 2026, these include filing the declarations and documents required under the Financial Services Act, the Income Tax Act or the Companies Act, passing on communications with the FSC, the MRA and the Registrar, applying anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism measures, and keeping records such as minutes, resolutions and transaction documents.
If you are unsure which category you fall into, that is a question for an adviser. The answer depends on your activity and licence, not on the size of the company.
The sections that matter most in practice
A first pass through a long handbook should be selective. These are the parts that most often turn into daily work.
Risk assessment and risk-based approach
Almost everything else in the guidance depends on the business risk assessment. It determines how much due diligence a client receives, how often files are reviewed and where monitoring effort goes. The Act, as amended by Act No. 3 of 2026, changed Part IV of FIAMLA with effect from 18 April 2026, and risk assessment is one of the areas it touches. If your last assessment predates that amendment, check it against the current text. Our page on the business risk assessment for AML purposes explains how to structure one.
Customer due diligence
This is the longest and most operational section. Read it for:
- who must be identified, and what counts as acceptable evidence;
- how to deal with companies, trusts and foundations as clients, including the look-through to the people behind them;
- when enhanced measures apply;
- what to do when identification cannot be completed.
The related topics have their own pages: KYC for corporate clients, who counts as a beneficial owner and source of funds and source of wealth.
Politically exposed persons and sanctions
Guidelines usually set out how to identify politically exposed persons, what approvals are required and how long the status is monitored. Sanctions screening is treated as a separate control. See politically exposed persons and sanctions screening.
Suspicious transaction reporting
Read this section twice. Under section 14 of FIAMLA (consolidated text, 2026), a reporting person or an auditor must report a suspicious transaction to the FIU as soon as they become aware of it, and no later than 5 working days after the suspicion arises. The FIU itself is established by section 9 of FIAMLA, and section 10 lists its functions.
The guidelines add what the Act leaves open: what an internal escalation looks like, who decides, how the reasoning is recorded and how to avoid tipping off the client. The statutory deadline leaves little room, so the internal route has to be written down before it is needed. Practical detail is in suspicious transaction reports in Mauritius.
Governance: the compliance officer and the MLRO
The guidance describes who must hold the compliance and reporting roles, what independence they need and what they report to the board. The role itself is covered in Money Laundering Reporting Officer: role and appointment.
Training, record-keeping and independent review
Supervisors ask for evidence, not intentions: training logs, retained identification files, and the results of any independent testing. The AML/CFT training and independent audit page covers what that evidence usually looks like.
Sections you can read more quickly
On a first reading, some parts deserve less time:
- Background and typologies. Useful for training, rarely something you must implement.
- International standards. Context for why a rule exists; the operative requirement is usually stated elsewhere.
- Sector-specific annexes that do not describe your activity. Skim the headings, then move on.
Do not skip definitions. A defined term such as "reporting person" or "beneficial owner" decides who is caught by a duty, and guidelines sometimes read it more widely than a casual reader would expect.
Turning guidance into procedures
Reading is only half the task. A useful way to work is to convert each relevant section into a one-line obligation, a named owner and a piece of evidence.
- Identify the applicable text
Confirm which supervisor's guidance and which parts of the Act apply to your activity.
- Extract the obligations
Turn each relevant section into a short, testable requirement.
- Assign owners and evidence
Name who performs each control and what record proves it was done.
- Write the manual
Put policies, forms and escalation routes in one document approved by the board.
- Test and update
Review after each amendment of the law or new guidance, and record the review.
A checklist for the first pass:
- Confirm which guidance applies and note its date and version
- Read the definitions before the operative sections
- Compare your risk assessment with the current text
- Check that your client onboarding form matches the due diligence section
- Write the internal escalation route for suspicious activity
- Record who holds the MLRO and compliance roles
- Schedule training and an independent review
- Keep a dated log of guidance you have read and acted on
Keeping up with changes
Guidance moves more often than people expect. The Corporate and Business Registration Department (CBRD) publishes a Guidelines page, and one item listed there is a document titled "BO Guidance – Identification of Beneficial Owners under the Companies Act 2001", dated 5 October 2026. Its detailed content is not summarised here, so read the original if beneficial ownership applies to your company. The beneficial ownership register page explains the register itself.
Three habits keep you current:
- Check the publication date and version on any guidance before relying on it.
- After a legislative amendment, re-read the sections that cross-refer to the changed provisions.
- Record, with a date, what you changed in your manual and why.
If a consolidated Act and an older handbook seem to disagree, the Act prevails. Take the question to an adviser rather than choosing the reading you prefer. For consequences of getting it wrong, see penalties for failing anti-money laundering duties. For the wider picture of the AML/CFT compliance programme, start with the main page.
FAQ
Are the AML/CFT guidelines legally binding?
The Act and regulations are binding. Guidelines are a supervisor's statement of expected practice. In practice you should follow them, or be able to show in writing that your approach achieves the same result. Whether a specific point is binding in your situation is a question for an adviser.
What is the difference between the guidelines and the handbook?
The guidelines state the supervisor's expectations; a handbook usually goes further into procedures, examples and templates. Both are read alongside the Act, and the Act takes priority if there is a conflict.
Which guidelines apply to a private company that is not licensed?
It depends on the activity. An unlicensed trading or holding company may not be supervised directly, but its bank, auditor and corporate service provider apply the guidance to it as a client. If you carry out a regulated activity, you apply the guidance directly.
How quickly must a suspicion be reported?
Under section 14 of FIAMLA in the 2026 consolidated text, a reporting person or auditor must report to the FIU as soon as they are aware, and no later than 5 working days after the suspicion arises. Your internal procedure has to fit inside that period.
How often should I review my AML/CFT manual?
The guidance expects a periodic review and a review after significant change, such as a legislative amendment or a change in your business. Act No. 3 of 2026 amended Part IV of FIAMLA from 18 April 2026, so a manual that predates it deserves a check. Keep a dated record of each review.
Where do I find the current text of the law?
The FIU publishes a consolidated version of FIAMLA, and the FSC publishes the Financial Services Act. Use the consolidated texts and check their dates, since earlier copies circulate widely.
Does the corporate service provider handle all of this for me?
Not entirely. A provider applies its own obligations, including client due diligence, but you remain responsible for your own duties, for instance as a director. Choosing a provider is covered in how to choose a corporate services provider, and you can send a request through the site form if you want an introduction.