How to Verify a Mauritius Global Business Company (GBC)
How to check a Mauritius Global Business Company: confirm its CBRD registration, check its FSC Global Business Licence, and spot red flags such as a lapsed GBC2 or a missing management company.
Mauritius is a major hub for cross-border investment into Africa and Asia, and many of the companies you meet there hold a Global Business Licence (GBL). Verifying one takes two checks, because two bodies are involved: the CBRD, which registers the company, and the Financial Services Commission (FSC), which licenses its global business activity.
Two registers, two questions
- CBRD (Corporate and Business Registration Department): does the company legally exist, under what name and file number, and is it live, dormant or defunct?
- FSC (Financial Services Commission): does the company hold a current Global Business Licence, and is its licence in good standing?
A GBC is first incorporated as an ordinary company with the CBRD and then licensed by the FSC. So a CBRD record alone proves the company exists, not that it may conduct global business.
Step 1: check the CBRD registration
- Get the company's exact name or its CBRD file number. Company file numbers start with C.
- Search it on Fylings. We match it against the CBRD register.
- Check the status (live, dormant or defunct), the company type and the incorporation date.
- Compare the name and file number with the documents you were given. Any mismatch is a reason to stop and ask.
Step 2: check the FSC licence
Global Business Licences are issued by the FSC, which publishes information on its licensees and enforcement actions at fscmauritius.org. Confirm the licence category, that it is current, and that no revocation or suspension notice has been published against the company.
GBC1, GBC2 and the 2019 reform
Before 2019 Mauritius had two categories: GBC1 (licensed, tax resident, treaty access) and GBC2 (lighter, non-resident). Following the Finance Act 2018, the FSC stopped issuing GBC2 licences from 1 January 2019, and existing GBC2s were grandfathered only until 30 June 2021. They then had to become an Authorised Company, convert to a GBL, or wind up.
Other signs worth checking
- Management company: GBL holders and Authorised Companies operate through a licensed Mauritius management company. Ask which one, and check that it is licensed too.
- Substance: GBL holders must meet substance requirements in Mauritius, such as local directors and a local bank account. A company with no local footprint at all deserves questions.
- Status: a defunct CBRD status means the company no longer exists, whatever its letterhead says.
For more on the register itself, see how to check if a company is registered in Mauritius and our CBRD search guide.
How do I check if a Mauritius GBC is real?
Confirm two things: that the company is on the CBRD register with a live status, and that it holds a current Global Business Licence from the FSC. You can search the CBRD register free on Fylings by name or file number.
Who licenses Global Business Companies in Mauritius?
The Financial Services Commission (FSC). The company itself is incorporated with the CBRD, the Corporate and Business Registration Department.
Does GBC2 still exist in Mauritius?
No. The FSC stopped issuing GBC2 licences from 1 January 2019, and grandfathered GBC2s lapsed after 30 June 2021. They had to become an Authorised Company, convert to a Global Business Licence, or wind up.
What is a CBRD file number?
It is the unique identifier the CBRD gives each registered entity. Company file numbers start with C, for example C117853.
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