Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

The users of the Expat.com website (the User) and the registered members (the Member) of the Expat.com website (the Website) commit to respect the following Terms and Conditions.

General Conditions of Use

Our mission is to help and accompany you in your global mobility project. We therefore provide a range of services relating to life abroad to expatriates and expatriates-to-be. In these General Conditions of Use, 'we', 'us', 'our' and 'Expat.com' refers to 'Expat Blog Limitée'. 'Expat.com website' refers to the website of Expat Blog Limitée, namely www.expat.com. 'Member' is a user who is registered with Expat.com.

Our Services

Benefit from a customised experience

Our members benefit from a customised experience on the website, according to their destination of interest. Many sections of the Expat.com website such as the Forum, Jobs, Housing, Events, and the Business Directory sections are adapted to the user profile data.

Members and users also receive customised notifications according to the pages, destinations, topics, or themes visited.

Guidance along your relocation project

Members and users have access to different sections and services allowing them to achieve their global mobility goals. Below is a list of services offered by Expat.com:

  • A country/city interface
  • A global expat community, including expats and expats-to-be
  • An events section
  • A pictures section
  • An expat blog directory
  • An expat magazine
  • Country guides for expats
  • A business directory
  • A "recommended service" section relating to global mobility (information relating to international health insurance, relocation, etc.)
  • A jobs listing including CVs/résumés
  • A housing listing
  • A classifieds ads section
  • Country and city forums
  • A newsletter with the latest updates on the platform

Interacting with the community

Expat.com members can interact with the other members in different ways and on various topics. Sharing information or engaging with the community members is a good way to facilitate your relocation. Based on their activities on Expat.com website and information provided on their profile, our members are more likely to be connected with people who can help them with their relocation.

Help in discovering new products and services

We display different types of promotional items such as sponsored content, banners, recommended services on your browser and via emails (newsletter, promotional emails). These items are sponsored by our business partners as part of their own business development strategy. We make sure that our members have access to the most relevant information based on their profile and their browsing experience on Expat.com website.

Providing you with a safe and friendly platform

The well-being of our members on Expat.com website is very important to us. Our core values are:

  • Mutual help: Expat.com is above all a benevolent platform where everyone can ask for advice and provide feedback on their relocation project.
  • Friendliness: We encourage friendly and sincere exchanges of information among Members.
  • Respect: We encourage respect among our Members.

To achieve this, we take all the necessary measures including intervening in forums, moderating contents, deleting accounts, and if we consider necessary, instituting legal proceedings.

Conducting research to improve our services

To improve the services we provide, we regularly conduct research, often through aggregated data analysis. However, Expat.com will not disclose your personal information other than as described in these General Conditions of Use.

Our Privacy Policy

Expat.com adheres to the data protection law principles. To access to our Privacy Policy, click here.

Our Cookie Policy

To access to our Cookies Policy, click here.

Your commitments to the Expat Website

Using Expat.com

The user acknowledges that the computer facilities that are used to access the Expat.com website contain no viruses or any malicious software. Expat.com uses its best efforts to ensure that the Expat.com website may be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except in cases of force majeure, technical issues, or problems related to the communications networks.

Expat.com reserves the right to modify, suspend, or interrupt, without notice, the range of services provided. Expat.com also reserves the right, at its own discretion, to restrict, suspend, or terminate access to any part of the Expat Website at any time for any reason without notice or liability.

The user acknowledges that the Expat.com website may contain information, software, photographs, illustrations, audio files, video files, animations, flash files, data files, code snippets, and any other material (collectively referred to as "Content") that is protected by copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of Expat.com and its affiliates or other third parties (including other members).

A user is solely responsible for the authenticity of photos and captions the user uploads on the Expat.com website. By uploading their photographs on the Website, the users give their non-exclusive rights to Expat.com to use, distribute, and modify such photographs.

You are not allowed to modify, publish, transmit, transfer or sell, reproduce, create derivative works, distribute, transform, display, or exploit the content of the Expat.com website by reverse engineering or any other means, part or whole, unless you have obtained a written authorisation from Expat.com, and if specifically permitted in these General Conditions of Use.

You agree not to use the Expat.com website for any purpose which is unlawful or not permitted by these General Conditions of Use. You are fully aware of, and agree that when uploading any content on the server which hosts the Expat.com website, for example, during any type of communication or exchange on the Expat.com website (including in forums and chat rooms), the following is strictly prohibited:

  • Defamation, abusive, harassing, threatening, hate, or discriminatory statements, or anti-human rights propaganda, such as homophobic or racist comments.
  • Any unlawful or inappropriate material or information, including but not limited to violent, nude, partially nude, hateful, pornographic, including child pornographic materials or any other photos which are otherwise unlawful via the service.
  • Downloading or transferring files containing software or other material which is protected by intellectual property laws (or the rights to privacy or protection of confidential information unless you are the owner or you have the rights, or have received the required consent).
  • Downloading or transferring files containing viruses, corrupted files, or other software or programs that may damage or prevent the use of another computer.
  • Deleting any author credit, legal notice, property designation or label from any file that is uploaded to the server.
  • Falsifying the origin or source of software or other material contained in a file uploaded to the server.
  • Offers of services, even for free, ads, polls, contests or chain letters.
  • Downloading any file uploaded by another forum user knowing or ought to have known is illegal or is in breach of the rights of another person.
  • Use of any communication or content or other information obtained by the Expat.com website in a competitive manner against Expat.com's activities.

The Expat.com website reserves the right to delete without notice any Member's account. It also reserves the right to notify any inappropriate behaviour of a Member to their Internet Service Provider or any investigatory body where we have a legal obligation to do so.

You acknowledge that all forum communication is public. Furthermore, you acknowledge that no third party or content communication is endorsed by Expat.com website and that no third party or content communication may be considered as reviewed, sorted, or approved by Expat.com.

You also agree not to use the Expat.com website, in any way to damage, destroy, overburden, or otherwise harm the website or interfere with the use and enjoyment of other Members of the Expat.com website. You also agree not to attempt unauthorised access to the accounts of other members, or other computer systems or networks associated with the Expat.com website. You also agree to not obtain, or attempt to obtain any material or information, in any way, that is unintentionally available or provided via the Expat.com website.

To protect your identity, Expat.com strongly advises you not to communicate special categories of data neither on your forum posts nor on your ads, but to use either the private messaging system or the appropriate fields available when you add an ad.

Updating your profile

You agree to keep your profile up to date. If your profile has not been updated over a period of one year, we will send you notifications via e-mail inviting you to review your profile and update it.

Premium Account

Subscribing to a premium account is subject to payment and implies acceptance of Expat.com's General Terms and Condition of Sale (GTCS). Click here to view the GTCS. A hypertext link will be displayed when accepting the GTCS. Upon clicking on the GTCS tab or on the hypertext link, you will be able to view a page on which Expat.com's GTCS is displayed.

Advertising

We are very committed to providing free access to the Expat.com website. Everyone can have access to information and advice from our community. Advertising space on the website, as well as our newsletter and promotional emails significantly contributes to this free access. Cookies placed on your browser (see our Cookie Policy) and your profile data (see our Privacy Policy) make it possible to provide you with the relevant advertisements. Expat.com and potential third party cookie issuers have contractual obligations under an agreement they have entered into to ensure that the user is informed of the use of cookies before deciding to install or to reject them. The Expat.com website uses Google's services primarily for advertising (DoubleClick For Publisher, AdSense) as well as other channels and networks such as Facebook.

Who can use Expat.com

You represent and assure that you are of legal age to use the Expat.com website. You agree to be held responsible for your use of the Expat.com website, as well as of your Member Name and password(s) by others where they have been disclosed to them, including, without limitation, minor children (less than 18 years old living with you). You agree to monitor the use of the Expat.com website by minor children (on your behalf or in your account).

Intellectual property

As a web host, Expat.com cannot technically review or edit all communication or content uploaded on the Expat.com website, and cannot be held responsible for the content uploaded. Expat.com makes no commitment as to the accuracy of the website's content. Notwithstanding this document, Expat.com reserves the right to delete, move, reject, or edit any communication or content that it may determine, at its own discretion, as a violation or potential violation of the Terms and Conditions of Use.

You are solely responsible for all communications or contents made on the Expat.com website with your login credentials. Expat.com has the right, but not the obligation, to correct any error or omission in any content, as determined, at its own discretion.

Expat.com respects the intellectual property of its members and requests its users and members to do the same. If you believe that your work is being copied in such a way that violates your intellectual property rights, please contact the Expat.com team as soon as possible.

All rights of reproduction of texts, images, logos, and any element of the pages of the Expat.com website cannot be reproduced, as a whole or in part, without specific and prior consent of Expat.com.

Any copy, in part or as a whole, for advertising or commercial purposes, on any medium whatsoever, is strictly prohibited and/or is subject to the prior written consent of Expat.com. Any request for authorization to copy must be sent to: [email protected]

The Expat.com website contains links to third-party websites which are owned and operated by resellers or independent service providers. It is the user's responsibility to make all necessary verification prior to continuing a transaction with a third party. We cannot be held responsible for any prejudice or damage relating to any transaction made by the user with a third party.

User Contributions

The user declares and guarantees:

  • To be the owner or holder of necessary rights and/or authorisations related to the copyrights, personality rights, or other intellectual and/or industrial property rights which may be attached to their contribution.
  • To obtain a prior written authorisation from each person who can be identified in their contribution to use his or her name and/or image and voice for the purpose of diffusion on the services.

In return for the use of the services, the user releases to Expat.com, free of charge, their rights in their contributions to the forum, for the following operations:

  • Reproduction, in part or as a whole, of their contributions, their integration, and communication on the Expat.com website and applications, accompanied or not by other content, and their communication to the public by any means of communication known or unknown to date.
  • Anonymization of contributions.

This disposition is free of charge worldwide. In case an account is deleted, Expat.com reserves the right to preserve the contributions of its members, which will then be displayed as anonymous on the website.

Clearly illegal content and duty of care

The Member is invited to report any illegal content as explained below.

Any content is considered to be illegal if:

  • It is considered as a violation to intellectual property rights or personality rights; for example, content without the authorisation of the authors and producers or represented persons, entirely or in extracts, cinematographic or audio-visual works, music videos, a person in the context of their private life or infringing their right to the image.
  • It is likely to disrupt public order, respect for a person or their dignity, equality between women and men, and the protection of children and teenagers.
  • It encourages crime, trade and consumption of prohibited substances, prostitution, terrorism, sexual assault, theft, suicide, violence, deliberate damage and deterioration that can be a hazard to people, interfere in the course of justice, etc..
  • It constitutes an argument for, or denies or challenges war crimes, and/or crimes against humanity.
  • It encourages or prompts hatred or violence against a person or groups of people, including on the basis of their origin, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion, their disability, their sexual preferences, or any other difference.
  • It is considered as rude, insulting, or defaming to others, including but not limited to materials by reference to people's origin, ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, disability, sexual preference, or any other difference.
  • It contains pornographic materials, child pornographic materials, or solicits the exchange, sale, or purchase of pornographic or child pornographic materials, including but not limited to photographs, films, videos, and images, whether realistic or not.

The member can report any obviously illegal content via the "Report" button provided for this purpose.

Expat.com commits to respond promptly to any report, made in an appropriate manner and clearly justified, and to take all necessary measures, in particular to remove the contentious content or to make it inaccessible and to exclude its author from Expat.com, including, in appropriate cases, block the user's or member's access to the services where we determine that the user or member has acted in contravention of the law or these General Conditions of Use.

Additional provisions

Updates to the general conditions

We are regularly working to improve our services and the Expat.com website features. As a result, we may need to update these conditions occasionally so that they reflect our services and practices. When these updates have an impact on the use of the website, you will be notified and given the opportunity to read the revised conditions. We will specify the changes for better understanding. By choosing to continue using our services you thereby accept the revised conditions. Users who do not agree to these Terms & Conditions of Use must not use the Expat.com website.

Confidential information

Confidential information means any data, information, document, software, or material relating directly or indirectly to the business affairs of Expat.com, its members, affiliates, licensors or licensees, which is designated as confidential or could reasonably be considered as confidential, including but not limited to: their business model and operations, processing, products, designs, pricing, promotions, business plans, business opportunities, finance, research, development, know-how, secrets, training materials, staff, identity or personal information of any kind belonging to members, clients, methodologies, third-party content of the website and other intellectual property.

You acknowledge that any confidential information obtained by you when adhering to these General Conditions of Use and the use of the Expat.com website constitutes valid and confidential information which is the property of Expat.com and its assignors, and accept that you will not disclose any confidential information without Expat.com's written consent, use or make known to any other person such confidential information, except as specifically mentioned in these General Conditions of Use or as permitted by the applicable law.

The user's IP address will be stored in the Expat.com website's database and may be disclosed to competent authorities for the detection and prosecution of offences, or if so required by a court order. The user agrees that all the information provided to the Expat.com website is stored in the website's database. Although this information is not communicated by the Expat.com website to a third party without the user's consent, Expat.com cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt to compromise the data beyond its control. To the extent required by the Mauritian data protection law, we implement security and organisational measures to protect your personal data.

Inactive account

An account is considered as inactive when no activity has been conducted using the account over a period of one year, on and off Expat.com (e.g., on Expat.com platform, accessing or reading newsletter accessed through Expat.com website, Expat.com presence on social networks). An inactive account is not deleted but remains visible to Expat.com members and visitors. However, ads and events are archived. In addition, the inactive account does not receive our emails and is not put forward on the "Members" section.

An inactive account can be reactivated when a new connection has been recorded using the account credentials. Nevertheless, classified ads will no longer be available.

Limitation of liability

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER THE LAW, EXPAT.COM AND ITS AFFILIATES (INCLUDING THEIR EMPLOYEES) DISCLAIM ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS (E.G., WARRANTIES REGARDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR PURPOSE, ACCURACY OF DATA AND NON-INFRINGEMENT). WE ALSO DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR ERRORS. THE SERVICE INCLUDING ACCESS TO THE CONTENTS OF THE EXPAT WEBSITE IS ON "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS.

EXPAT.COM SHALL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: EITHER EXPAT HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNLAWFUL CONTENT OR HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LET THIS UNLAWFUL CONTENT APPEAR, OR AS SOON AS IT WAS KNOWN, EXPAT REACTED PROMPTLY TO WITHDRAW THIS CONTENT OR MAKE IT UNAVAILABLE.

THEREFORE, IN NO CASE WILL EXPAT.COM OR ANY OF ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, SHAREHOLDERS, PARTNERS, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS, INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER LOSS OF ANY NATURE) IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CLAIM, LOSS, DAMAGE, ACTION, JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS OR OTHER PROCEDURE ARISING OUT OF OR OUTSIDE THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE USE OF, DEPENDENCE ON, ACCESS TO, OR OPERATION OF THE WEBSITE, THE CONTENT OR ANY OTHER PART OR RIGHT THAT HAS BEEN GRANTED TO YOU HEREIN, EVEN IF EXPAT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER THE ACTION IS BASED ON CONTRACT, FAULT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), INFRINGES TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OR OTHERWISE.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and not hold Expat.com and its affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents and licensees of the Content (collectively, the Parties of Expat ) liable for all claims, liabilities, losses, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal and client legal fees) incurred by any Party of Expat.com arising out of or in connection with: (i) any use or third-party use of the Expat.com website under your member name by any person, authorised or unauthorised by you, (ii) or the result of any communication or content uploaded to the server under your member name, (iii) any failure on your part to these General Conditions of Use. Expat.com reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defence and to control any problem otherwise subject to compensation from you, and in such cases, you agree to cooperate with the defence of Expat.com regarding such claims.

Terms and Termination

These General Conditions of Use are in effect until their completion. You may leave the Expat.com website and request to have you account deleted at any time by sending a written request to the Expat.com team, which will confirm your identity and your intention to terminate your Membership. Your account will be deleted as soon as possible.

Expat.com may also terminate and suspend your access to sections of the Website in case of inactivity, beyond a reasonable period of time defined by Expat.com, except in cases of force majeure, technical difficulties, or network issues for which the Expat.com website cannot be held responsible.

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

These General Conditions of Use are governed by and are construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mauritius without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. If any provision of these General Conditions of Use is held to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that provision will be deemed severable from these General Conditions of Use and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

Acknowledgement of the Document

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THESE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF USE, HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOU AGREE THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE DEFINITION OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND EXPAT.COM, WHICH PREVAILS ANY PREVIOUS OR VERBAL OR WRITTEN OFFER OR AGREEMENT, AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND EXPAT.COM REGARDING THE SUBJECT OF THIS MEMBERSHIP ADHERENCE AGREEMENT. TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY TRANSLATED VERSION OF THESE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF USE CONFLICTS WITH THE ENGLISH VERSION, THE ENGLISH VERSION SHALL PREVAIL.

Contacting us

The Expat.com website is owned and managed by Expat Blog Limitée, which may be contacted at the following physical address:

Expat blog Limit�e
17 Vishnu Kchetra Street
Port Louis
Mauritius

General Terms and Conditions of Sale (GTCS)

Expat Blog Limitée ("Expat.com") ensures that the acceptance of the GTCS is clear and straightforward by setting up a validation button. The member declares to have read and accepted the current GTCS unconditionally, and acknowledges to have benefited from the advice and information relevant to fit his needs. The member also declares to have the legal capacity to sign or legitimately represent a physical person or legal entity who commits to the GTCS of Expat.com. A 'member' is a user who is registered with Expat.com.

Purpose

The present General Terms and Conditions of Sale define the terms of sale and the rights and obligations of the member registered on the Expat.com website for a premium account. By registering as a member with Expat.com a contract is concluded between Expat.com and the member agrees to comply with these provisions.

Price & conditions of payment

The price of the premium account is indicated on the Expat.com website in US Dollars and in Euros, excluding any applicable tax. The payment may be subject to a foreign exchange transaction cost, a commission fee from your bank, or any other bank charges which you would be responsible for. The applied exchange rate will be the one relevant on the day of the transaction, or the day before. The Member will be subjected to, and responsible for, any local VAT based on the Member's country of residence, where applicable. The Company invites the Member to enquire about these aspects with the relevant national authorities. The premium account is activated once the full payment of the price is completed, regardless of the means of payment.

Finalisation of the online contract

The list of services offered by the Company as part of the subscription to the premium account can be found on the Expat.com website.

In order to create a premium account, the Member must follow those steps:

Step 1: Click on the "Handy Tools" tab at the top of the page and select "Business Directory"

Step 2: Click on the "Add a Business" button

Step 3: Fill out the form

Step 4: Click on "Next", then select a category and click on proceed

Step 5: Click on "Select" under the "Premium" column

Step 6: Complete the form, then click on "Validate"

Step 7: A summary corresponding to the information entered is displayed on the page, which will then be published on our website

Step 8: Select the payment method and confirm the order. If you click on "Buy with Paypal", you will be transferred to the Paypal website in order to proceed with the payment. If you click on "Bank transfer", a pop-up window will appear informing you that the bank details required for the payment will be sent to the email address you entered in the previous form. You will then be asked to confirm your registration by clicking on "Confirm your registration".

Step 9: Follow the payment instructions and complete your payment.

The member will then receive a confirmation of the payment of the order by email, as well as an acknowledgment of receipt of the order, with its confirmation and summary. Unless otherwise stated, information provided by the member and processed by Expat.com constitutes proof of the entire transaction.

Essential features of the service

The essential features of the services offered by Expat.com as part of the subscription to the premium account can be found on Expat.com.

By agreeing to these General Terms and Conditions of Sale, the member certifies to have received a detailed description of the terms of payment and fulfillment of the contract.

Duration

The member can access this service as part of the premium account for a period of three hundred and sixty-five (365) days from its activation.

Objection

A member may contact Expat.com using the following contact details: [email protected]at.com for any issue or objection.

Intellectual property rights

Downloadable documents and iconographic and photographic representations, including the underlying technologies or any other element of the Expat.com website (trademarks, logos, drawings, graphics, graphic charters, icons, texts, applications, scripts, functionality, etc.) appearing on Expat.com or the associated subdomains, are the exclusive property of the Company and are protected by copyright and trademark laws. It is prohibited to copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, display, or sell, by any process or form whatsoever, in whole or in part, any element of the Website or relating to it, and for any other purpose, including commercial purposes, except with the prior written authorization of the Company. Therefore, Internet users can only use these elements for exclusively private purposes and limited to the family circle. No assignment of intellectual property rights is carried out through these GTCS.

Force majeure

The fulfillment of Expat.com's obligations to the GTCS shall be suspended in the event of the occurrence of an unforeseen event or force majeure that would prevent its execution. Expat.com will notify the member of the occurrence of such an event as soon as possible.

Nullity and amendment of the contract

If any of the provisions of the present GTCS is canceled, this nullity would not entail the nullity of the other provisions which will remain in force between Expat.com and the member.

Data Protection

Expat.com complies with the applicable data protection laws, namely the Data Protection Act 2017 (Mauritius) and if you are based in the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR). The Privacy Policy is available on the Expat.com website or by clicking here and can be communicated on request by email to: [email protected]

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

These GTCS are governed by and are construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mauritius without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. If any provision of these GTCS is held to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that provision will be deemed severable from these General Conditions of Use and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

Acknowledgement of the Document

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THESE GTCS, HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS INCLUDING THE PRIVACY POLICY. TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY TRANSLATED VERSION OF THESE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF USE CONFLICTS WITH THE ENGLISH VERSION, THE ENGLISH VERSION SHALL PREVAIL.

Privacy policy

Last reviewed: June 2018

Introduction

Expat Blog Limitée is registered with the Mauritian Data Protection Commissioner. We are dedicated to protecting the security and privacy of the personal information we receive, process and transfer. We comply with the applicable data protection laws, namely the Data Protection Act 2017 (Mauritius) and if you are based in the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR). In this policy, 'Expat.com', 'us', 'we' and 'our' refer to 'Expat Blog Limitée'.

The users browsing the Expat.com website (the User) and those registered on Expat.com (the Member) are the data subjects concerned in this Privacy Policy. Expat Blog Limitée collects information from you when you use our website ("Expat.com Website"), our services and request information from us. By using our services you accept that we process your personal data.

Expat.com carries out the following data processing:

  • Customization of the interface and functionalities of our platform
  • Adding Content on the platform
  • Community management
  • Customization of our newsletter
  • Diffusion of promotional content
  • Retention and communication of personal data in order to identify anyone who contributed to the creation of online content
  • Monitoring the status of members' accounts
  • Creation and use of cookies
  • Response to contact requests
  • Transmission of quote requests to our business partners
  • Management of customer files for certain services (direct marketing, advertising, premium account)
  • Research, Analysis, Reporting, and Statistics

Legal basis of data processing

The processing of personal data implemented by Expat.com as a data controller and data processor, is based on the execution of a contract to which the registered member is a party (General Terms and Conditions of Use); the execution of pre-contractual measures taken at the request of the latter (creation of the Expat.com account, request for quotation); and the prior consent of the users concerning the cookies (see our Cookie Policy). The legal basis for the retention and communication of data to identify any person who has contributed to the creation of content on the Expat.com website is a legal requirement to which the processor is bound. The legal basis for processing your data for the purposes of responding to a contact request or for marketing purposes is the legitimate interest of the processor. More information on the use of your data for marketing purposes are mentioned below.

Our contact details are:

Expat blog Limit�e
17 Vishnu Kchetra Street
Port Louis
Mauritius

Tel : +230 213 49 82 (non-surcharged call)
Email : [email protected]

Expat.com is not required to designate a representative in the European Union, as the data processing it carries on is occasional, does not include processing, on a large scale, of special categories of personal data or the processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, and is unlikely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms.

What information do we collect?

In order to provide you with the services mentioned above, we may collect and process your personal data including the following categories:

  • Identity and Contact Data
  • Business Information
  • Technological Data
  • Profile and Usage Data
  • Physical Access Data

What data do you provide us with?

When you create an account with Expat.com or when you use any of our services we may use forms to request your personal data in order to provide you with the services we offer. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory. The mandatory sections allow our authorized team to guarantee a high level of authenticity and reliability of the information posted online. The display of this information can be validated by the team once the forms are completed.

You may also provide us with personal data when you:

  • Update your profile
  • Add a property or real estate search
  • Publish an advertisement
  • Upload a job offer or a CV/résumé
  • Create an event
  • Add a company to our business directory
  • Create a blog
  • Upload a blogpost
  • Post an image
  • Register to a webinar
  • Register to an online event
  • Register to an event
  • Send a quote request
  • Send a contact request (individual)
  • Send a contact request (commercial or institutional partner)

Your use of the Expat.com website

We may collect information in regards to how you use our products and services, such as the type of content you see or interact with; the features you use; the actions you take; the people you interact with; the duration, frequency, and date of your visits. This information allows us to offer you an improved user experience and to suggest features, content, or profiles adapted to your browsing and preferences. We will collect your Internet Protocol address when you complete a form or register as a member. This data helps us determine your geographic location and it can be used as a security measure to fight unsolicited commercial communications (commonly known as 'spam').

Financial transactions

If you make a financial transaction with Expat.com through our platform or through a third party, we may collect your personal data in regards to the purchase.

Electronic devices

We collect the information about what type of device you are using when you are connecting to our Website. This information will allow us to perform browsing and performance analysis, to provide you with an improved user experience.

Third Party Partner Information

We use partners to conduct research and analysis on how our platform is used. We also use partners to distribute and display promotional and informational advertising and messages on and off the Website. The partners are Google (DFP, Analytics), Facebook, and Optinmonster.

Cookies, web tokens, and other similar technologies

You can consult our Cookies Policy.

How do we use this information?

Improvement of our services

We will use your personal information to improve our services and products with the objective of providing you with an optimized user experience.

Communications

We use the information collected to display or send you communications which may be of interest to you. This includes:

  • A newsletter, which keeps you informed on the latest updates on the platform, provides you with customized advertisements and offers you best-in-class tips to make your project a success. At any time, you can unsubscribe from the newsletter, but you will not receive useful and relevant content any more, which may make your project harder to achieve.
  • Electronic communications, inviting expatriates to share their experience on the forum and where soon-to-be-expatriates are invited to read the advice provided by expatriates.
  • Emails promoting products and services from our commercial partners, which are adapted to their profile, project or behavior on the site.
  • Emails or notifications where members are invited to take part of specific events or webinars.

Analysis and Research

We may use your personal data to assess the quality of the services we and our partners offer you, and to obtain statistics on the use and browsing of Expat.com.

Advertisement

We may use your personal data to promote our products and services, as well as those of our partners and customers.

Security and Investigations

We may use your personal data to check account activity, take the appropriate action in case of improper conduct, detect spammers and scammers, maintain the integrity of our website, and ensure a high level of security of personal data.

Marketing & Commercial Activities

By using our services on the Expat.com website, you agree that we may use your personal data to carry out marketing and commercial activities with business prospects.

Profiling Activities

We may conduct profiling activities based on your personal data in order to provide you with the right platform interface and send you relevant communications.

How and with whom is this information shared?

We may be required to disclose your personal data to comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

Please note that the authorized staff of auditing services (auditor, internal control procedures departments, etc.) may be required to access this information as part of their audit assignment.

Please note that Expat.com data processing providers shall, on our behalf and under our strict instructions, have access to your personal data pursuant to an agreement signed between the data processing providers and us to process such data for specified purposes.

Profile

Your profile allows you to be visible on and make the most of our website.

You may decide whether or not to share your profile data with all of our community and visitors. The authorized staff of Expat.com can access your profile data to customize your experience, to contact you, and as part of audit and security operations.

Posts, Likes, Comments

The data shared on the Website, including posts, announcements, or comments, are public and accessible to all.

Posts can be deleted by the author within one hour of posting. After an hour, and in order to fight spam, authors should contact the Expat.com by using the contact form.

Private Messages

Your private messages are only visible by its recipient and the sender. However, the authorized staff of Expat.com may be required to have access to private messages at the request of the recipient to prevent spam, scams, and other inappropriate behavior or by the relevant government body for the purposes of detecting and prosecuting criminal offenses or if required to do by a court order.

Contact forms

We use contact forms to collect the necessary data to communicate with you. The only recipients of your data are the Expat.com staff authorized to respond to your request for information. We use contact forms and forms on the Service Directory to collect the necessary data to connect with commercial and/or institutional partners. The forms received also allow us to respond to the requests as well as to build and operate a database for commercial purposes. We use contact forms on and off the Expat Website to validate your registration and to give you access to Webinars or online events. The forms received allow us to provide you with the services for which you have registered, to send you relevant messages, and to offer services that are complementary or adapted to your behavior on and off the Expat.com website. The recipients of this data are the authorized staff of Expat.com, and the sponsor(s) and/or contributors.

We use contact forms on and off the Expat.com website to register for events. These forms allow us to validate your registration and facilitate your participation in the event. The recipients of this data are the authorized staff of Expat.com, and the sponsor(s) and/or contributors.

We collect personal data as part of our intermediary activity with service providers (for example: Health Insurance, International Movers). The personal data that we collect is required by the companies with whom we work to provide the services you are interested to obtain. Forms are designed to encourage a more personalized interaction, and to offer a tailored quote. The data collected also allow us to carry out analysis and research, such as satisfaction surveys and to create database of similar profiles. Finally, this information allows us to display relevant advertising and promotional information. By using our services you agree that for the purposes of obtaining any services which we promote on our website you accept to us sending your personal data to our partners, whether within or outside Mauritius.

Advertisement

Advertisement campaign reporting is anonymous and shared only with our advertisers, and is accessible by authorized Expat.com staff.

Premium Account

The information collected for premium accounts and published in the business directory is public.

Payment information for customers who have subscribed to a premium account may be accessible by the authorized staff of Expat.com.

How long do we keep this information?

Member's profile

Your profile information is kept as long as you are a member and until the account is deleted.

Posts, Likes, Comments

Until the account is deleted, with the exception of posts and comments on the forum, which can continue to be used anonymously by Expat.com once the account is deleted.

Private Messages

Your private messages are kept until your account is deleted.

Data from Contact Forms

Data sent on the Contact Forms are kept until the purposes for which they were submitted no longer exist.

Data sent by professionals acting on behalf of a company, organization, or institution is stored according to the statutory limitation period.

Advertising Performance Report

Performance reports of the Advertisements do not contain personal reference information. They are kept for archival and statistical purposes for an indefinite period.

Data from quote requests or service registrations

Data from quote requests are stored for a period of 13 months, with the exception of email addresses, which are stored for two years for the sole purpose of creating similar audiences and offering products and services tailored to your profile. You also have the possibility to request to be removed from our database by contacting us at: [email protected]

Data from premium accounts

Until the end of the subscription period Expat.com does not store data related to payment transactions.

Other type of content

Ads posted by members on the platform on the "Classifieds", "Jobs" and "Housing" sections are stored for a period not exceeding 12 months.

Ads posted by members on the other sections are kept until their account is deleted.

Rights of access, management, and objection to these data

You have the right to access, rectify or erase your personal data, or to object to them being processed. You also have a right to the portability of your data. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the applicable supervisory authority (in Mauritius, it is the Data Protection Office). Furthermore, if you were asked to consent for the collection, processing and transfer of your personal data, you have the right to fully or partly withdraw your consent at any time. You can exercise these rights by sending your request via email to contact (at) expat (dot) com.

As a member of Expat.com, you can change your subscription options, including email notifications on your profile page, at any time. However, we reserve the right to provide you with informational messages, without the possibility of unsubscribing, such as announcements of new services or administrative messages related to your Expat.com account.

Please note that you have the option to opt out of receiving certain types of communication: we include an unsubscribe link in every email we send to you. Please note that for technical reasons, any objection to the use of your personal data for the purposes mentioned in this document may be tantamount to deleting your account. In this case, a member of our team will contact you in order to explain the technical issues that we encountered.

Expat.com must reply to you within a period of one month. If necessary, this period may be extended by 2 months, depending on the complexity and the number of requests received.

Account Deletion

Each Member can ask for the deletion of their account by using the Contact form. In this case, all personal data will be deleted from our servers and our data processing provider will also be requested to delete all such personal data.

Data transfer

Expat.com may transfer the data subjects' personal data to other countries.

When we transfer personal data to other countries we will ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place in regards to the protection of the personal data. We will use, share and safeguard the information as described above.

Expat.com may have to transfer your personal data to countries that do not provide the same level of protection as the country in which you reside. The transfer of your personal data to these countries will only take place in the following situations:

  • When it is necessary for the services we provide you
  • When it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims
  • When it is necessary for the performance of a contract
  • When it is subject to the safeguards that assure the protection of your personal information

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update and alter this Policy in order to reflect any changes in the way we process your personal data or in the legal requirement.

For the effective date of the current Privacy Policy, please see the top of the page.