Online, and banking-limited
E-commerce & Online Business Setup in Seychelles
Seychelles has no e-commerce licence. What it does have is a payment acceptance problem worth knowing about first.
GCC business setup specialists
Payment acceptance is the real issue
An online business can be established here easily enough. Getting a merchant account or payment gateway to accept a Seychelles company, particularly an International Business Company, is considerably harder than incorporating it. That constraint should shape the plan rather than surprise you after setup.
- Payment acceptance raised before you incorporate
- Vehicle matched to where your customers are
- Trade licensing identified where sales are local
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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 applies
Obligations for an online business
Few licences, but real practical limits.
| Area | Position in Seychelles |
|---|---|
| E-commerce licence | No specific licence for most models. |
| Trade licence | Required where sales are domestic. |
| Vehicle | IBC for cross-border, domestic company for local sales. |
| Payment handling | Regulated if you hold or transmit funds. |
| Payment acceptance | The real constraint, not a legal one. |
| VAT | Registration once the threshold is crossed on local supplies. |
Licensing, payment services rules and VAT treatment change. Your model is checked against current requirements before launch. 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. 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
Setting up the online business
We test the payment question first.
01
Map the model
What you sell, where customers are, how you will be paid and whether the activity touches Seychelles at all.
02
Test the payment route
Whether a provider will accept the structure, because that often decides the jurisdiction rather than the other way round.
03
Incorporate and operate
Vehicle established, trade licence pursued where sales are local, and accounting and VAT set up.
To assess your model
What we will ask
Payment acceptance is the question that changes the plan.
- What you sell and to whom
- Where your customers are located
- Whether you hold stock anywhere
- How you intend to accept payment
- Which payment providers you have approached
- Whether you handle customer funds directly
- What personal data you process
- Expected turnover and transaction sizes
- Whether sales are made in Seychelles
- Whether you operate a marketplace for others
- Platforms and systems used
- Whether subscriptions are involved
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Model assessment against licensing requirements
- Honest view on payment acceptance
- Vehicle recommendation
- Incorporation
- Trade licence support where sales are local
- VAT assessment and registration where required
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Flagging where payment licensing applies
Not included, quoted separately
- Government fees, paid at cost
- Payment services licensing, quoted separately
- Merchant account approval, which rests with the provider
- Website and platform development
- Payment gateway contracts
- Logistics and fulfilment
- Marketing
- Terms and conditions drafting by a lawyer
Verify independently
Official Seychelles authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Financial Services AuthoritySeychelles Licensing AuthoritySeychelles Revenue CommissionDepartment of EmploymentImmigration and Civil Status DivisionSeychelles Pension Fund
Questions
Seychelles e-commerce setup — FAQs
Do I need an e-commerce licence in Seychelles?
No specific licence for most models. A trade licence is needed where sales are domestic.
Will a payment gateway accept a Seychelles company?
That is the real question, and often the answer is no or only on unfavourable terms. We raise it before you incorporate rather than after.
Can I process payments myself?
Not without authorisation. Holding or transmitting customer funds is a regulated activity.
Should I use an IBC or a domestic company?
An IBC for cross-border sales; a domestic company with a trade licence where you sell into Seychelles.
Does VAT apply?
To taxable supplies made in Seychelles once the threshold is crossed. Cross-border models need assessing individually.
Go deeper
More Seychelles services
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For founders and business decision-makers considering paid business services. Not for job applications, employment searches or personal visa-only requests.
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At Black Swan Business Setup Services, our mission is simple: to empower entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes to establish and expand their presence in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and beyond.
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