Company Incorporation Guide

Seychelles company registration: the IBC route

Applicable country/region: SC - Seychelles

Published: October 1, 2026Updated: October 1, 2026

Written by our advisory team
Seychelles rules and requirements
Checked against official sources

Guide overview

What a founder decides, and when

Seychelles company registration means incorporating an International Business Company (IBC) under the Seychelles International Business Companies Act 2016, filed for the founder by a licensed registered agent with the Registrar at the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Founders abroad often call it an offshore company in Seychelles. The first question is whether an IBC suits the business and what it may never do. After that come the lasting conditions of a licensed agent and a registered office in Seychelles, and what the cost lines reflect. Tax follows: the old IBC exemption has ended, and only some IBCs now get a tax number. Last come what the company owes each year and what the public Register will show about its directors.

COMPANY TYPES

Who can own an IBC, and what it may never do

A holding or trading IBC can be owned and run from abroad: a foreign individual or company can be its only shareholder and director, since a director may be a body corporate. A domestic company under the Companies Act 1972 must have a secretary ordinarily resident in Seychelles; an IBC needs none. Under the International Business Companies Act 2016, an IBC may never carry on banking, virtual-asset mining or mixer services, nor insurance or securities business in Seychelles; fund, corporate-service, gambling and other virtual-asset business need the licence the relevant law requires. Otherwise it may conduct business in Seychelles with the licence it needs. A name ending in Ltd, Inc or LLC leaves the form unchanged. Bearer shares are banned.

Reading the company types

Rows cover ownership, shareholder and director rules, capital and notes for each company type.

Seychelles IBC Basic Information

Ownership:

Private Ownership

Limited Liability:

Positive

Publicly Participates In Capital Market:

Negative

Seychelles IBC Shareholder / Director / Secretary Requirements

Requirements For Shareholders:

At least one.

Requirements For Directors:

At least one.

Legal Representative Not Mandatory:

Positive

Local Directors Not Mandatory:

Positive

Local Secretaries Not Mandatory:

Positive

Seychelles IBC Registered Capital Requirement

Minimum Registered Capital Requirement:

There is no minimum Share Capital required, and the capital may be expressed in any currency. The recommended Share Capital is US$5,000.

Capital Injection Not Required:

Positive

Capital Injection Requirement:

No requirement for capital injection

REQUIREMENTS AND ESTIMATED COST

What Seychelles company registration requires, and what sets the cost

The Seychelles address an IBC needs is its registered office, which the Act fixes at its registered agent's principal place of business in Seychelles; a founder's own address, or any other, cannot serve unless it is the agent's. Both are lasting requirements: the local registered agent, licensed to provide international corporate services, is needed at all times, and only the proposed agent can file the application. The FSA lists the licensed corporate service providers. Each director goes on the register of directors the agent files. The government fee is flat for every IBC except a protected cell company, whatever its authorised capital. A complete filing can get its certificate in one working day under the Registrar's service standard.

Reading the requirements

Base cost is the service and government fees; each requirement shows if it is included and what solving it costs; the estimate adds them up.

Base Cost

Service Fee:

GBP 1,275

Requirements

Registered Address: Seychelles companies need to have a Seychelles address

To register a company in the Seychelles, a Seychelles address is mandatory. If you do not have a Seychelles address, you can opt for the virtual address service provided by TKEG Expat ™ (NZ).

Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: GBP 950

Other Services: Each director is required to be filled

Each director of the prospective Seychelles company is required to be filled during the incorporation process. This product already includes one director's filling fee.

Included: Yes ×1.00

Estimated Cost

Estimated Cost:

GBP 1,275 – 2,225

Check Eligibility And Calculate Price

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TAX

Where tax applies to an IBC

The IBC tax exemption ended on 1 January 2019, putting IBCs under the Business Tax Act like any company. The Seychelles tax system is territorial: outside a multinational group, foreign-source income is not taxed there. Inside one, as most IBCs with a foreign parent are, foreign income has been taxed since September 2021: trading income unless earned through a permanent establishment abroad, passive income unless the IBC has adequate economic substance in Seychelles. Under a notice of 21 August 2026, the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) issues a Tax Identification Number (TIN) only to IBCs with Seychelles-source income or in such a group; many never will. The owners' home jurisdiction may tax the profits under controlled foreign company or similar rules.

Reading the tax data

Rows cover corporate income, withholding, value-added and capital gains tax, plus effective rates, for each jurisdiction.

PwC World Tax Summary OECD Statistics

Corporate Income Tax (CIT)

General CIT Rate:

Standard business tax: 15% on the first SCR 1 million, 25% above. Telecom, banking, insurance, alcohol & tobacco manufacturers: 25% on the first SCR 1 million, 33% above. Small business presumptive tax: 1.5% on turnover (non-VAT registered, under SCR 1M turnover).

CIT Return Due Date:

The business tax return is due by 31 March, three months after the end of a calendar tax year, or within three months after the end of a substituted tax year.

CIT Payment Due Date:

The business tax balance is paid with the return: by 31 March for a calendar tax year, or within three months after the end of a substituted tax year.

CIT Estimated Payment Due Date:

Business tax instalments are paid monthly under the SRC's Pay As You Go scheme, by the 21st day after the end of each month with a Business Activity Statement; the balance is paid with the return due by 31 March.

Withholding Tax (WHT)

Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):

0/0-15/NA

Non-Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):

15/15/15

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

General VAT Rate:

15%

Learn More Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Capital Gain Tax (CGT)

General Capital Gain Tax Rate:

Capital gains are not subject to tax in Seychelles.

Effective Tax Rate (ETR)

Composite Effective Average Tax Rate:

23.20%

Composite Effective Marginal Tax Rate:

17.33%

Conclusion

After the certificate of incorporation

The register of directors is filed within 30 days of each appointment or change, and from 1 January 2027 current directors' names go on the public Register. Shareholders do not; beneficial ownership changes go via the agent to a confidential database the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) keeps. Accounting records kept abroad reach the registered office at least twice a year, and the annual financial summary, where required, within six months of year end. A corporate bank account is a separate compliance step, with fresh checks on owners and documents. The annual fee is due through the agent by each anniversary of incorporation, so agree that date and the financial-year end with the agent before the first year runs.

Seychelles

Jurisdiction Overview

About Seychelles

Seychelles is a premier offshore financial center in the Indian Ocean, offering zero corporate tax for IBCs, a simple registration process, strong confidentiality provisions, and political stability.

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