Seychelles company formation for non-residents

What a Seychelles IBC costs

Starter is a fixed quote for year 1. It includes the government incorporation fee, the registered agent and registered office for 12 months, the memorandum and articles, the statutory registers and the filing of the register of directors.

Growth (a fixed quote) adds a bank or EMI introduction and 12 months of mail scanning. Premium (a fixed quote) adds director and shareholder services, disclosed to the registered agent and authorities, 12 months of bookkeeping and the year-2 annual filing.

The government fees are set in the Second Schedule of the International Business Companies Act 2016. In the consolidation published by the Financial Services Authority (to 11 July 2025), an ordinary IBC pays US$130 to incorporate and US$140 a year after that; protected cell companies pay more.

From year 2 the renewal is a fixed quote on Starter. It covers the annual government fee, the registered agent and office, and the annual financial summary where one is required.

• Included: government fee, registered agent and office, memorandum and articles, registers, filing of the register of directors
• Included from year 2: annual fee, agent and office, financial summary (where required)
• Optional: director or shareholder services on Starter and Growth, apostilled documents
• Late payment: 10% of the annual fee within 90 days of the anniversary, 50% after that

How long it takes, step by step

Our timeline is 1–2 business days after KYC approval. An IBC can only be formed through a Seychelles registered agent, which runs its due diligence and then files with the registry at the Financial Services Authority.

After incorporation the company has 30 days to file a copy of its register of directors with the Registrar. We file it with the incorporation documents, so there is nothing for you to chase.

• Before KYC approval: order placed; passport, address proof and source of funds uploaded
• Business day 0: KYC approved and name reserved
• Business day 1–2: incorporated and certificate issued
• Same day as the certificate: memorandum and articles and registers in your portal

Annual compliance: fee, financial summary and records

The annual government fee is paid through the registered agent on or before each anniversary of incorporation. If it is late, the company pays a 10% penalty when it pays within 90 days, and a 50% penalty after that; unpaid fees can lead to the company being struck off.

The accounting rules were tightened in 2021. Under section 175 of the IBC Act, a company prepares an annual financial summary and keeps it at its registered office in Seychelles within 6 months of the end of the financial year. The exception is a holding company that is not a large company, as the Act defines it by turnover: it does not prepare the summary.

If accounting records are kept outside Seychelles, the company lodges them at the registered office at least twice a year and presents any records to the Seychelles authorities on request. The financial year is the calendar year unless the directors change it and tell the registered agent within 14 days.

These rules do not require an audit, and the summary is not filed on a public register. It still has to be prepared from real records, so keep your invoices, bank statements and contracts organised from the first month.

• By each anniversary: annual government fee through the registered agent
• Within 6 months of year end: annual financial summary at the registered office (not required for a holding company that is not large)
• At least twice a year, if records are abroad: lodge accounting records at the registered office
• Within 30 days of any change: updated register of directors to the Registrar

Directors, shareholders and beneficial ownership

An IBC needs at least one director and one shareholder, who can be individuals or companies of any nationality. The company keeps a register of directors with each director's service address and usual residential address. It files a copy with the Registrar within 30 days of appointing its first directors and within 30 days of any change.

The filed register is protected by section 152 of the IBC Act. The Registrar may disclose it only under a court order, when compelled to enforce a law, to the company's registered agent, or to a third party the registered agent or a director authorises. Members and directors can inspect the company's own register.

Beneficial ownership is governed by the Beneficial Ownership Act 2020 and its regulations, amended several times up to 2025. The company keeps a register of beneficial owners through its registered agent, and beneficial owners must report changes to the company within 14 days. The information is available to the competent authorities.

Tax: the territorial system and the 2021 substance test

The Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) explains that Seychelles has historically taxed only income sourced in Seychelles. Income from activities carried on abroad, and passive income such as dividends, interest and royalties received from non-residents, was treated as non-taxable business income.

That changed on 16 September 2021. The SRC now applies an economic substance test to passive income received from non-residents, so a holding IBC that receives dividends needs to look at the test closely.

A trading IBC earns mainly active income from work done outside Seychelles, which the 2021 passive-income test does not target. Your specialist confirms which rules apply to your activity before you pay.

For comparison, a company taxed in Seychelles pays business tax at 15% on the first SCR 1 million of taxable income and 25% above that (SRC, as of September 2026). Seychelles also takes part in the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), so account information is exchanged with your home country's tax authority.

If the company does start trading in Seychelles itself, the SRC requires new businesses to register with it within 28 days of starting to trade and to file a business tax return each year, even with no tax to pay.

What you provide and what we handle

For each director, shareholder and beneficial owner we need a passport copy and a proof of address. For the company we need a short description of the business, a source-of-funds statement and a CRS tax residency self-certification. If a shareholder is a company, we also need its registry documents and the individuals behind it.

We handle the name, the memorandum and articles, the filing through the registered agent, the government fee, the registered office, the register of directors filing and the beneficial ownership register. After incorporation we track the anniversary fee and the financial summary deadline.

Bank accounts, and when Seychelles fits

Seychelles IBCs usually bank with EMIs or selected banks abroad, and banks may ask for more documents. We pre-screen your profile before you pay and prepare the application on Growth and Premium, but the institution decides.

A Seychelles IBC fits international trading, consulting, and holding shares in online-business subsidiaries at a low annual cost. It is most useful when the owners do not need a high-street bank.

If bank acceptance in Asia matters most, compare the Hong Kong page. If investors expect a more widely used holding vehicle, compare the BVI business company.

Seychelles and Belize are often compared, and both have low government fees. The difference is in the registers: Seychelles keeps the filed register of directors closed except in the cases the Act lists, while Belize files registers of members and directors with its Registrar under the 2022 Act. For most owners the deciding factor is which one their chosen bank or EMI accepts, and we check that before you pay.