Records in Seychelles, not in a drawer abroad
Accounting & Bookkeeping in Seychelles
The accounting record rules changed materially. Many existing Seychelles companies are still not compliant with them.
GCC business setup specialists
Records must be kept in Seychelles
Following amendments to the International Business Companies Act, accounting records must be kept at the registered office in Seychelles and a financial summary provided annually. This applies to dormant companies too. If your Seychelles company has been running on bank statements in a folder abroad, it is behind.
- The current record obligation explained plainly
- Records maintained to the standard actually required
- Dormant companies brought into compliance
20+
Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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What is required
Accounting obligations by vehicle
They are no longer trivial for any of them.
| Vehicle | Records | Annual position |
|---|---|---|
| International Business Company | Kept at the registered office in Seychelles | Financial summary provided annually |
| Domestic company | Full accounting records | Business tax return and accounts |
| Special Licence Company | Full accounting records | Audited accounts filed |
| Dormant company | Still required | Still required |
| Licensed entity | Per the licence conditions | Regulator reporting |
| Retention | For the statutory period | Available on request |
Record keeping and filing obligations are set by statute and have changed significantly. Yours are confirmed against current law. An International Business Company must at all times have a registered agent licensed by the Financial Services Authority. That is a statutory requirement in Seychelles, not a commercial preference. We co-ordinate your engagement with a licensed Seychelles registered agent and manage the process end to end; the regulated filings are made by them.
How it works
Keeping the records properly
Monthly discipline, annual summary.
01
Set up
Chart of accounts, period, and the arrangement for records to be held in Seychelles as required.
02
Maintain
Transactions recorded regularly rather than reconstructed at year end, with supporting documents retained.
03
Report annually
Financial summary or accounts prepared as the vehicle requires, and the tax position settled where applicable.
To keep records properly
What we need from you
Reconstruction a year later is expensive and error-prone.
- Bank statements for all accounts
- Sales invoices issued
- Purchase invoices and receipts
- Loan and financing agreements
- Intercompany agreements
- Payroll records where you employ
- Fixed asset purchases
- Shareholder transactions
- Opening balances on transfer
- Financial year end
- Any prior accounts prepared
- Details of dormancy if the company is inactive
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Accounting set up for your vehicle
- Arrangement for records held in Seychelles
- Regular bookkeeping
- Bank reconciliations
- Annual financial summary preparation
- Accounts preparation where required
- Co-ordination with the registered agent
- Guidance where prior years are incomplete
Not included, quoted separately
- Government and agent fees, paid at cost
- Audit, quoted separately
- Reconstruction of long-neglected prior years unless quoted
- Tax advice in your home country
- Accounting software licences
- Valuations
- Penalties for periods before engagement
- Regulated filings, made by the licensed registered agent
Verify independently
Official Seychelles authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Financial Services AuthorityRegistrar of CompaniesSeychelles Revenue CommissionSeychelles Licensing AuthorityMinistry of InvestmentSeychelles Pension Fund
Questions
Seychelles accounting — FAQs
Do Seychelles companies have to keep accounts?
Yes. Records must be kept at the registered office in Seychelles with a financial summary provided annually. The old assumption that an IBC needs nothing is wrong.
Does this apply to a dormant company?
Yes. Dormancy reduces the volume, not the obligation.
Where must the records be held?
At the registered office in Seychelles. Keeping them only abroad does not satisfy the requirement.
What if previous years were never done?
We assess the gap and quote the catch-up work. It is better dealt with than discovered.
Is an audit required?
It depends on the vehicle and any licence. A Special Licence Company and licensed entities generally face audit; an ordinary IBC usually does not.
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