SEYCHELLES
Seychelles Offshore Company Formation
The Seychelles International Business Company is one of the fastest and cheapest offshore vehicles available — incorporated in about 24 hours, owned and directed by one person, with no minimum share capital and no tax on income earned outside the country. Since 1994 the islands have built a serious financial sector around the IBC, and reforms over the last few years have added real accounting and beneficial-ownership obligations that keep it bankable. Black Swan provides the registered agent, the registered address and everything after incorporation.
24 hours
Typical time to complete incorporation, with original documents couriered in 3–7 days
0%
Seychelles tax on income earned outside the country — the system is territorial
1 person
One director who may also be the sole shareholder and beneficial owner
None
Minimum share capital required to register an IBC
WHY SEYCHELLES
Why Set Up an Offshore Business in Seychelles
Seychelles is a group of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, the largest being Mahé. Since the Seychelles International Business Authority was established and the 1994 legislation opened the door to International Business Companies, trusts and free trade zone licences, the islands have grown into a genuine alternative to the British Virgin Islands.
No Tax on Foreign Income
Seychelles operates a territorial tax system. An IBC earning its income outside Seychelles pays no Seychelles business tax on it, and there is no capital gains tax, no withholding tax and no inheritance duty.
Flexible Company Structure
One person can be the sole director, sole shareholder and beneficial owner. Corporate directors are permitted, shares can be issued in any currency, and there is no minimum capital to deposit before you trade.
One of the Fastest Registrars Anywhere
Seychelles is consistently among the quickest IBC registrars in the world. Electronic documents are usually ready within 24 hours of the file being complete, with originals couriered inside a week.
Privacy Without a Public Register
Directors and shareholders are not published in an open public register the way they are in the UK. Seychelles does maintain registers of directors, members and beneficial owners, and shares beneficial-ownership data with the Financial Intelligence Unit — privacy, not anonymity.
No Exchange Controls
Funds move in and out without approval and an IBC may trade in any currency. For a business settling invoices across several markets that removes a layer of friction entirely.
A Stable Jurisdiction That Has Reformed
Seychelles has been politically and socially stable for decades, and has reformed steadily to meet OECD and EU standards. Accounting records, beneficial-ownership registers and substance rules are now real obligations — which is exactly why banks still work with Seychelles structures.
FULL SUPPORT FOR YOUR OFFSHORE COMPANY
What Our Seychelles Service Covers
Registration is the easy part. Everything that keeps an IBC operating properly afterwards is where most providers stop and we do not.
Registered Agent and Address
Every Seychelles IBC must have a licensed registered agent and a Seychelles registered address — this is a legal requirement, not an add-on, and a residential address elsewhere cannot be used. We act as your agent and hold the statutory registers.
Incorporation and Company Documents
Name availability checks, preparation of the incorporation documents, filing, and custody of the corporate documents afterwards. We also prepare and maintain the registers of directors, members and beneficial owners.
Bank Account Introductions
A corporate bank account is where most offshore structures stall. We prepare the file the bank will actually ask for and manage the introduction, including merchant accounts for businesses taking card payments online.
Nominee Directors and Shareholders
Where the structure calls for it, we provide nominee director and shareholder services, along with company management and administration. Beneficial ownership is still recorded and reported — a nominee changes who appears on documents, not who the company belongs to.
Licensing, IP and Trademarks
Assistance with special licence applications where the activity requires one, plus intellectual property and trademark registration, serviced office facilities and business licensing.
Secretarial, Mail and Trusts
Company secretarial work, mail forwarding, custody of documents, change of registered agent where you are moving from another provider, and trust and foundation services for clients structuring longer term.
THE PROCESS
How Seychelles Company Formation Works
Six steps from first call to a registered company. Everything is handled remotely — you do not need to travel to Seychelles.
01
Choose Your Package
We start with a free consultation to establish the right structure for what you are actually doing — IBC, trust or free trade zone company — and then match it to a formation package rather than selling you the largest one.
02
Submit the Order and Confirm the Name
We check the availability of your proposed company name with the Registrar, answer the questions that always come up at this stage, and issue the invoice for the services agreed.
03
Make Payment
Settle by debit or credit card, PayPal or bank transfer, or in person at our Dubai office. Work on the incorporation file begins as soon as payment clears.
04
Document Collection
Our team contacts you the same day the order and payment are received, to confirm the details and collect the certified documents needed for incorporation. Papers are signed before a Notary Public where you are, or in front of us in Dubai.
05
Incorporation
Once the documents are signed, registration is filed. Electronic documents are typically ready within 24 hours of completion, and the original set is couriered to you within three to seven days.
06
Bank Account and First-Year Compliance
With the company registered we open the corporate bank account and put the annual cycle in place — registers, accounting records and the renewal date — so nothing is missed in year one.
Documents Required for Registration
- Certified true copies of the passports of every director, shareholder and beneficial owner
- Certified true copies of address proof for each of those individuals
- Details of the business — sector, services offered and the main countries it will operate in
- The proposed company name, plus a second choice
- Confirmation of the shareholding split and who the ultimate beneficial owner is
TAX AND COMPLIANCE
What a Seychelles IBC Owes and Files
Seychelles used to be sold as a zero-tax, zero-paperwork jurisdiction. That description is out of date, and getting it wrong is how companies end up struck off. Here is the position as it actually stands.
Territorial Tax, Not Zero Tax
Seychelles taxes on a territorial basis: income sourced outside Seychelles is not taxed there. Income arising inside Seychelles is taxable at the standard business tax rates. Separately, an IBC that forms part of a multinational group is treated as a covered company, and its passive income is deemed Seychelles-sourced and taxable unless it can demonstrate real economic substance. For a straightforward trading or holding IBC owned by individuals, foreign income remains untaxed.
What Seychelles Does Not Charge
No capital gains tax. No withholding tax on dividends, interest or royalties paid out. No inheritance or estate duty. No exchange controls, so capital and profits move freely in any currency.
Accounting Records Are Now Mandatory
Since 2022 every IBC must keep accounting records and lodge them with its registered agent twice a year — by 31 July for January to June, and by 31 January for July to December. Records must be available at the registered office and kept for seven years. Companies above the revenue threshold must also prepare an annual financial summary within six months of their year end. Penalties run from roughly USD 2,000 to USD 10,000 per breach, and persistent failure leads to strike-off.
Registers and Beneficial Ownership
An IBC must maintain a register of directors, a register of members and a register of beneficial owners, held by the registered agent, with beneficial-ownership information reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit. Seychelles is not an anonymity jurisdiction and has not been one for several years — anyone selling it that way is describing a company no reputable bank will open an account for.
Annual renewal: the renewal fee falls due before the company’s incorporation anniversary, and late payment attracts penalties that escalate quickly. We send a reminder two months ahead so there is time to prepare, and we handle the accounting-record lodgements alongside it — the two deadlines are what catch out clients who registered through a cheap agent and never heard from them again.
ADVANTAGES
Advantages of a Seychelles Offshore Company
What the structure is actually good for, once the paperwork is set up properly.
Global Business Opportunities
A Seychelles IBC can trade anywhere in the world without restriction on currency or market. For a business selling across several countries it is a clean single entity to invoice and contract from.
Cost-Effective to Run
Registration and annual maintenance are among the cheapest of any credible offshore jurisdiction — materially less than the BVI or Cayman for a structure that does much the same job.
Legal Protection
Intellectual property law is well developed and there is a functioning dispute resolution framework, so assets held through the company are protected by something more than distance.
Holding Assets and Investments
A common use is holding shares, intellectual property or investment portfolios outside your home jurisdiction, with no capital gains tax on disposal and no withholding tax on distributions out.
Asset Protection Structures
Alongside the IBC, Seychelles offers international trusts and foundations — useful where the objective is succession planning or separating personal and business assets rather than day-to-day trading.
Straightforward to Pair With a UAE Licence
Many of our clients run a Dubai licence for the operating business and a Seychelles IBC for holding. The two work together well, provided the substance and the invoicing are planned rather than improvised.
WHY BLACK SWAN BSS
Incorporate in Seychelles Without the Hassle
We built our business setup service to take the friction out of incorporating abroad. Alongside company formation we handle accounting, bookkeeping, tax consultancy and legal advisory, so the company is supported after it exists rather than registered and forgotten.
Experience Across Industries
Our consultants have set up companies across a wide range of sectors and know what registrars, agents and banks actually ask for. That knowledge is what turns a filing into an approval.
Advice That Keeps Up
Offshore rules have changed faster in the last five years than in the previous twenty. We track the changes and revise structures rather than repeating advice that was correct when the page was first written.
Licensing, Visas and Banking
Beyond incorporation we handle licensing and visa formalities, banking and the groundwork that lets the company trade. Seychelles is also a pleasant place to spend time, and we can talk through residence options if that is of interest.
START YOUR COMPANY IN 7 DAYS
Register Your Company in Seychelles
Taking a business international does not have to be complicated or expensive. A Seychelles IBC is quick to form, cheap to maintain and flexible enough to hold assets, own intellectual property or trade across borders — provided it is set up properly and the annual filings are actually done. Talk to Black Swan and we will handle the registered agent, the incorporation, the bank introduction and the compliance calendar from start to finish.
