Seychelles Company Formation: Costs, Steps and Timeline

Seychelles is one of the fastest and cheapest places to register an offshore company: one director, one shareholder, no minimum capital, and a certificate in days rather than weeks. In this post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know before you incorporate: the requirements, the documents, the real costs, the annual obligations, and the privacy rules changing in 2027.

Quick Summary

• A Seychelles IBC needs one director and one shareholder (the same person is fine), no minimum capital, no local residency, and no travel; the whole process is remote.

• The certificate of incorporation is typically issued 1-3 business days after your KYC documents are approved.

• The government charges US$130 to register and US$140 per year; our all-in formation package is US$850 for year one and US$850 per renewal.

• Every year: accounting records to the registered office by 31 July and 31 January, and the annual fee on your anniversary; at 180 days unpaid, the company is struck off and dissolved on day 181.

• Shareholders are not public and beneficial owners sit in a non-public government database; director names become public from 1 January 2027.

When a Seychelles Company Makes Sense (and When It Doesn't)

A Seychelles International Business Company is a low-cost legal entity that can contract, bank and hold assets in its own name, with no tax on income earned outside Seychelles. It's an ideal fit if:

• You sell to customers outside Seychelles. Consultants, agencies, SaaS and software businesses, and ecommerce operators with an international customer base are the bulk of the register.

• You trade internationally and need a neutral entity for invoicing, contracts and supplier relationships across several countries.

• You need a holding vehicle for shares, property or intellectual property held abroad, kept separate from your personal name.

• You run a crypto, forex or fintech business and are prepared to go through the licensing that comes with it.

• You want low setup and running costs. One director, minimal filings, and a few hundred dollars a year in fees.

It's the wrong tool if:

• You'll manage it from a country with strict controlled foreign company rules and expect your home tax bill to disappear. It usually won't.

• Your model depends on double tax treaties. An IBC cannot use them; that's CSL territory.

• You plan to trade with Seychelles residents or buy Seychelles property. Local tax and licensing apply, which removes most of the point.

The full list of Seychelles offshore company benefits comes with the drawbacks attached, and it pays to read both halves before you spend anything.

Seychelles Company Formation Requirements

The International Business Companies Act 2016 keeps the entry bar low. One director and one shareholder, and they can be the same person, an individual or a company, of any nationality, living anywhere. A non-resident can own 100% of a Seychelles company with no local partner. There is no company secretary requirement and no annual general meeting.

Two lines in that table are legal requirements rather than choices. Every IBC must maintain a registered office in Seychelles, and incorporation is filed by a corporate service provider licensed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Both are handled as part of formation, and the office is a legal address for records and notices, not a trading address. The detailed Seychelles IBC requirements on share classes and corporate directors matter for unusual structures, but for most owners the table above is the whole story.

Documents Required to Register a Seychelles Company

The Registrar never sees your passport; your provider does, because anti-money laundering law puts the identification duty on them. For each director, shareholder and beneficial owner of 10% or more, you'll need:

• A certified copy of a valid passport.

• Proof of residential address dated within the last three months (utility bill or bank statement, no PO boxes).

• A short, specific description of the business: what it sells, to whom, in which countries.

• A source of funds statement with one supporting document.

• One to three proposed company names, in order of preference.

Corporate shareholders add their own incorporation documents, a certificate of good standing under six months old, and the same personal documents for everyone owning 10% or more of them.

Certification is where first submissions stall. The certifier must confirm they saw the original, that the photo is a true likeness, and give their name, position, contact details and stamp. Lawyers, notaries, accountants, bankers and embassy staff all qualify. Documents in languages other than English or French need a certified translation.

How to Register a Company in Seychelles (Step by Step)

1. Pick and check the name (same day). The name must end with Limited, Corporation, Limited Liability Company, Company or Incorporated, or the abbreviations Ltd, Corp, LLC, Co or Inc. Names that copy an existing company or use restricted words like bank, insurance, trust or royal without consent are refused. Sending two or three options avoids losing a day to a rejection.

2. Submit KYC (one to three business days to clear). This is the real bottleneck in every Seychelles company formation. Clean, properly certified documents clear in a day; a missing certifier stamp or an address bill in someone else's name adds a round trip.

3. Drafting and filing (same or next business day). The provider drafts the memorandum and articles, director consent and first resolutions, then files with the Registrar. The licensed provider signs the filing, so there is nothing to notarise or sign in person.

4. Certificate of incorporation (one to three business days after KYC). The Registrar enters the company on the register and issues the certificate. A digital pack with the certificate, memorandum and articles, registers, resolutions and share certificates follows within a day or two, and for most online businesses that is enough to start opening accounts.

5. Apostille and courier (optional, one to two weeks). Seychelles joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 1979, so documents are apostilled rather than embassy-legalised. Most banks want apostilled originals.

6. Bank or EMI account (one to eight weeks, in parallel). The slowest step by far, covered below.

Seychelles Company Formation Costs and Fees

The government's share is small. Under the FSA's published fee schedule, registration costs US$130 and the annual fee is US$140, due on each anniversary of incorporation. Pay the annual fee late and a 10% penalty applies for the first 90 days, rising to 50% after that.

Everything above the government fees is the provider's package: the registered office for the year, drafting, filing, the beneficial ownership submission, the statutory registers and the compliance work. We charge a flat US$850 for Seychelles IBC formation, covering government fees, the registered office, all registers and filings, the digital document pack and compliance reminders, with renewals at the same US$850. Optional extras are priced separately before you commit: nominee director or shareholder at US$800 per year, accounting from US$350 per year, a certificate of incumbency at US$150.

Fees checked August 2026. Whatever provider you choose, get the renewal price in writing before paying for year one; the true Seychelles company cost is a year-two number, not a year-one number.

Opening a Bank Account for Your Seychelles Company

A certificate of incorporation is not a bank account, and the account is the slowest, least predictable part of going offshore. Banks inside Seychelles onboard IBCs with a complete file and four to eight weeks of processing. Regional banks in Mauritius and Asia want real substance and larger balances. Electronic money institutions are where most small online businesses land: quicker to open, higher per-transaction fees, and selective about industries, with acceptance policies that change every year.

Every route reviews the same things: your document pack, certified ID and address proof for each owner, evidence the business is real, and a source of funds story that matches what you said at formation. Regulated activities need their licence before any account is possible. We handle Seychelles company bank account applications as a separate engagement, because account approval is always the institution's decision and no honest provider guarantees it.

Annual Requirements for a Seychelles IBC

A Seychelles company is low maintenance, not zero maintenance. Four obligations carry real penalties:

The strike-off rule is the one that hurts. Under Circular No. 2 of 2025, a company still unpaid 180 days after its anniversary is struck off and dissolved on day 181. Restoration is possible for five years but costs more than the fees that were skipped.

Accounting records are bookkeeping, not audit: documents sufficient to explain the company's transactions, held at the registered office, retained for seven years, with larger and trading companies adding an annual financial summary within six months of year end. Our annual compliance service tracks every deadline in this table, and Seychelles accounting services cover the record preparation itself.

Beneficial owners, meaning anyone with 10% or more ownership or control, are recorded with the resident provider and submitted to the database run by the Financial Intelligence Unit. Changes must be filed within 14 days.

Does a Seychelles Company Pay Tax?

Not on income earned outside Seychelles. The tax system is territorial: only Seychelles-sourced income is taxed, at 15% on the first SCR 1 million and 25% above it, per the Seychelles Revenue Commission. A company whose customers and operations are all abroad pays no Seychelles business tax, no capital gains tax, and no withholding tax on dividends paid from that foreign income.

Two caveats. Companies that are part of multinational groups and earn passive income abroad (dividends, interest, royalties, rents) keep the exemption only with real staff and premises in Seychelles. And your home country's rules apply regardless: if you manage the company from a residence-taxing country, get local advice before relying on a 0% rate.

Is a Seychelles Company Private?

More private than most jurisdictions, but not anonymous, and the rules change in 2027.

Shareholders are recorded in a register kept at the registered office; it is not filed with the Registrar and not public. Directors are filed with the Registrar and are currently not published, but under the International Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2026 the names and appointment dates of current directors become publicly available from 1 January 2027. Shareholders stay private. Beneficial owners sit in the FIU database, which regulators and law enforcement can access and which is shared with foreign tax authorities on request.

Nominees remain legal, but declarations filed since 2025 mean the nominee and the person they act for are both on record. A nominee keeps your name out of a casual company search; it does not keep it from a regulator, a bank or a court. If a provider promises anonymity from authorities, they are describing a company that will struggle to open an account anywhere.

What a Seychelles IBC Cannot Do

Section 5 of the Act reserves certain activities for licensed entities: banking anywhere in the world, insurance, securities dealing and brokerage, fund management, corporate and trustee services, and gambling including online gambling. Since the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2024, exchanges, custody and other crypto services need a Seychelles VASP licence rather than a plain IBC, and forex brokerage sits under the securities dealer regime. If your plan touches any of these, the licence is the real project and the company is one document inside it. Everything else, from consulting to ecommerce to holding shares and property abroad, an IBC can do from day one.

FAQ

How long does it take to register a company in Seychelles?

Usually 1-3 business days after your KYC documents are approved, with document review adding 1-3 days before that. Apostilled originals add one to two weeks, and bank accounts take one to eight weeks in parallel.

How much does a Seychelles company cost to set up?

The government charges US$130 to register and US$140 per year. Our package is US$850 all-in for year one, including government fees, the registered office, registers, filings and the document pack, with renewals at US$850.

Can I register a Seychelles company without visiting Seychelles?

Yes. The entire process is remote: documents are certified where you live, the licensed provider files everything, and your document pack arrives digitally, with apostilled originals couriered on request.

Is Seychelles on the EU blacklist?

No. The EU removed Seychelles from its Annex II watchlist on 17 February 2026, per the Council of the EU, and it appears on neither EU list. It is also not on the FATF increased monitoring list.

What happens if I do not renew my Seychelles company?

Penalties of 10% then 50% are added to the annual fee, and at 180 days unpaid the company is struck off and dissolved on day 181. Restoration is possible within five years, at a cost that exceeds simply renewing on time.