Insurance

Insurance in Mauritius

Insurance is a contract between an insurance company and its client in which, upon payment of a premium, it is mutually agreed that, on the occurrence of certain events, the insurance company will either make payments to its client or the latter’s beneficiaries, or meet certain costs as applicable.

Insurance in Mauritius is regulated by the FSC Mauritius under the Insurance Act 2005(IA). The FSC Mauritius regulates insurance companies, which are its licensees, and ensures that they comply with provisions of the IA. The FSC’s objective is to maintain a fair, safe, stable and efficient Insurance industry in Mauritius.

Who needs Insurance

Insurance is designed to protect an individual, company or other entity against certain risks such as unexpected loss. In Mauritius, it is a requirement of the law to subscribe to a motor insurance, while other types of insurance are optional.

Types of Insurance

Insurances can be broadly divided into two types: long term insurance and general insurance.

A typical example of a Long-Term insurance is Life insurance which pays the beneficiaries a lump sum upon the insured's death or at the end of the term. Other types of long term insurance include unit-linked insurance which also combines investment, i.e the policy holder pays a monthly premium which is partly invested. At maturity or when the insured wishes to withdraw his money, the sum paid is based on the current market value.

General Insurance

Offers indemnity given to an event of loss often over a shorter period, e.g., damages to your assets.

  • Types of general Insurance

  • o Motor insurance
  • o Health insurance
  • o Property insurance

Infographic

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Question and Answers

Why take an insurance cover?

To protect yourself, your family and your assets, and safeguard against a wide range of risks. Insurance is about managing risks. If you have an insurance cover, you transfer part of the risk to your insurer/insurance company. Without insurance, you bear the risk by yourself.

How does an insurance cover work?

When you subscribe to an insurance policy, you become a policy-holder or insured person. You pay a certain amount of money called a ‘premium’ to the insurance company for being covered against certain risks. If something goes wrong which is covered by the policy, you can make a claim and may be indemnified for your loss.

How to decide on what insurance you need?

Taking an insurance involves cost, therefore it is important that you take the appropriate insurance cover depending on your personal and financial situation. Your decision should be based on what you would like to insure. For general insurance, you need to consider the value of the asset you are thinking to insure, the financial loss you would suffer if that asset is lost or damaged, and how much it would cost to replace. For life insurance, you need to consider who is dependent on you and your income in case you are no longer around or become sick or injured and are unable to work. If you have children or parents to support, your needs for life insurance may be greater than if you are single with no dependents. You also need to consider any debts that would need to be repaid, e.g. personal loans or housing loans.   Points to consider before taking an insurance cover:

  • Whom or which asset do you want to protect?
  • What risks do you want to insure against?
  • How likely it is for any incident to occur and can you mitigate against the relevant risk?
  • What would happen to you and your family or how much would you suffer financially if it occurs?
  • How much does the insurance policy cost?
  • Can you afford to pay the premium especially if it is long term?

Who are the parties of an insurance?

Parties are:

  • The insured also known as policy-holder
  • Insurance Company also known as the insurer
Professionals:
  • Insurance Salesperson
  • Insurance Agent
  • Insurance Broker
Please note that Insurance Companies and all the professionals mentioned above need a license from the FSC to operate.

First you need to contact the Insurance Company or the relevant professionals.

 

You can also contact:

 

Office of Ombudsperson for Financial Services

8th Floor, SICOM Tower, Wall Street Ebene

Telephone number: 468 6475

Fax number: 468 6473

Email: ombudspersonfs@ofsmauritius.org

Helpful Tips

When taking an insurance policy

When taking an insurance policy
  • Assess your current financial situation.
  • If you have savings, you can think about having an insurance cover.
  • Determine what insurance cover you need and shop around to choose an insurance policy which meets your needs.
  • Know the benefits of each different type of insurance cover.
  • Ensure that the Insurance company/professional you are buying the insurance from is regulated and has a license or is duly authorised by the FSC Mauritius.
  • Seek professional advice where required.
  • Read and understand the terms and conditions before signing the contract.
  • Enquire and take cognisance of any exclusion clause set by the insurer.
  • Be aware of the premium (monthly, annual or one-off) you need to pay.
  • It’s never too early to have a life insurance.
  • Pay the premium. Depending on the policy, this could be an annual payment, monthly instalments or a one-off payment.
  • Contact your insurer as soon as possible if you need to make a claim.

Cancellation of an insurance policy

Cancellation of an insurance policy
  • You can cancel your policy at any time, but you will stop being covered by the insurance policy.
  • Let the company know you wish to cancel your insurance policy before stopping any payment.
  • You may require to pay a surrender fee depending on your contract (check your policy document to know more).
  • You may not recover the whole amount of the premium you paid because a proportion may have been used to cover your risks and to service the policy during the period you were insured.

Investment Funds

An Investment Fund is made up of money taken by a company, trust or limited partnership from many investors and pooled together in one large pot.

Investment in Shares

Any member of the public cannot go on a securities exchange directly to buy/sell securities (e.g shares, debentures, bonds etc).

Things to know

S 81 of Insurance Act 2005 : Free choice of insurance policy

According to the provisions of Section 81 of the Insurance Act 2005, any person who has to subscribe to an insurance policy to guarantee a debt or other obligation with respect to a:

  • (1) loan;
  • (2) leasing arrangement; or
  • (3) credit facility

has a free choice as to the insurance policy required to guarantee this transaction? The insurance policy to be provided can take the form of:

  • (1) a new insurance policy;
  • (2) an existing insurance policy; or
  • (3) a combination of the two above.

A person who chooses to contract a new insurance policy may freely:

  • (1) choose his insurer or if required his insurance agent;
  • (2) decide if the benefits of this insurance policy would be provided in an event other than death or disability of the insured; and
  • (3) decide if the value of the benefits provided under this new insurance policy taken in aggregate with the value of the benefits to be provided under any other insurance policy shall exceed the value of that debt or other obligation.
  •  

Any person who is required to subscribe an insurance policy to guarantee a debt or other obligation must be able to confirm, in writing, that he has been informed of his right to this free choice under Section 81 of the Insurance Act 2005 and that he has exercised this right freely and willingly.

The provisions of Section 81 of the Insurance Act 2005 which provide for free choice of policy do not apply to a loan granted by a long term insurance company to a long term insurance policyholder where this loan is to be guaranteed by the said long term insurance.

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