Why Seychelles?

Offshore Seychelles

No data to third parties, this is regulated by the constitution of the Seychelles

Offshore Seychelles

More than 200,000 offshore companies founded in the last 20 years

Offshore Seychelles

OECD white listed, invoices of your company are accepted worldwide

Why Seychelles is the right jurisdiction for you?

Offshore company Seychelles, no travel, no paperwork, anonymous and fast

No data to third parties, more than 200,000 offshore companies, OECD whitelisted

Seychelles is a multi-party democratic republic with an independently elected President heading the executive branch and a National Assembly consisting of 33 democratically elected representatives.

  • Location: between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator in the Indian Ocean
  • About 1500 km from the east coast of Africa
  • Time zone: GMT+4
  • Population: around 100,000 ([current_date format='Y'])
  • Capital: Victoria
  • Airport: Seychelles International Airport
  • Language: English, French and Creole are official languages, although English is the main language of business.
  • Political system: Democratic Republic
  • International dialling code: +248

An International Business Company (IBC) of Seychelles is the most versatile and flexible way of setting up a business, worldwide. Similar to other offshore countries, the Seychelles IBC is well known and popular for its international use and operational capability.

While many other overseas jurisdictions have directories of directors, shareholders. UBO and shareholders, Seychelles allows absolute anonymity through a non-public register and a constitutionally clear privacy policy. Furthermore, the free movement of companies in Seychelles in terms of exemption from any accounting obligations and also the fact that no annual audits are required goes far beyond the usual scope of offshore companies out.

Since the introduction of the Seychelles International Business Companies Act in 1994, over 200,000 companies were incorporated in Seychelles. The number of new registrations per month is more than 1000 and should: "why Seychelles?", answer.

  • No data about you

    • No access to the register of directors or founders (trust)
    • No public access to the data of shareholders or beneficial owners (OBO)
    • Under the Seychelles Constitution, it is prohibited by law to disclose or make available any data outside Seychelles to any third party.
  • More than 200,000 offshore companies

    • Only one director or shareholder required
    • A Seychelles IBC can become the owner of aircraft and vessels registered in the archipelago. This means that, for example, ship and yacht owners are also anonymous
    • Low start-up costs, as well as low annual Subsequent costs
    • 100% Tax exempt
    • A large number of tax treaties with many countries allow the transfer of profits to the Seychelles and taxation of 0%.
    • International Free Trade Areas
    • No corporate income tax
    • No obligation to hold annual meetings
    • No accounting obligation
    • Commercial register information is not publicly accessible. Anonymity is absolutely guaranteed!
    • Asset preservation
    • Considered and respected worldwide as an offshore country
    • The laws on the free movement of companies enable global work and the best possible development
    • No data exchange agreements with third countries
    • 46 double taxation agreements valid according to OECD standard
    • No shareholder or Board of Directors data is publicly available
    • No controls on free trade in foreign exchange
    • English is the language of business
    • The population has a high standard of education and is consistently at least bilingual in English/French.
  • The Seychelles are OECD-whitelisted


    Based on the internationally agreed tax standard, the OECD has formulated "white", "grey" and "black" lists:

    • White list - jurisdictions that have implemented the internationally agreed tax standard - i.e. not considered a tax haven by the OECD.
    • Grey List - jurisdictions that are committed to the internationally agreed tax standard but have not yet substantially implemented it - i.e. may meet some of the above tax haven criteria.
    • Blacklist - jurisdictions that are not bound by the internationally agreed tax standard - i.e. the jurisdiction has not taken steps to cooperate with the OECD in implementing the standard.
  • Simple management

    • No obligation to prepare or file annual accounts
    • No obligation to appoint an auditor, no tax audit
    • No accounting obligation
    • The Seychelles do not keep current accounts.
      It is only since 01.04.2012 that the simplified obligation to retain documents at the place of administration has applied.
    • The minimum capital does not have to be paid in.
    • There is no obligation to attend Annual General Meetings
    • Favourable, ongoing costs
    • Tax advantages
    • Discretion and asset protection
  • Tax exemption for offshore companies in the Seychelles

    • The Seychelles offshore company is not subject to the taxation of profits at its place of incorporation.
    • This applies if the offshore company's turnover was generated outside the Seychelles.
    • Since this is likely to be the case in most cases, it is referred to as a zero tax company.

An overview for the IBC of Seychelles

Seychelles Income Tax and Company TaxNone
Doing business internationallyPermitted
Doing business within the SeychellesNo
IBC formally considered as resident in SeychellesYes
Official language / Language of documentsEnglish
Standard capitalUSD 100,000
Adaptable capitalYes, from USD 100 to USD 100,000
Minimum paid-in capitalNo deposit required
Bearer sharesNot allowed
Minimum number of directors1
Minimum number of members (shareholders)1
Non-resident directorsPermitted
directors of companiesPermitted
Registered agent and address in SeychellesRequired
register of directorsAvailable, but not publicly viewable
register of membersNot available
Register of Members filed for public recordNo
Disclosure of beneficial owners to the RegistrarNo
Disclosure of beneficial owners to the registered agentYes
Holding of the Annual General MeetingNot required
Directors / Members MeetingWorldwide, also possible online
Company minutes and resolutionsYes and to be kept at the place of the Director
Company sealNot required
Retention of accounting recordsRequired
Annual accountsNot required
AccountingNot required
Access to double taxation agreementsNot required
Subject to currency controls / restrictionsNo
Resettlement of a foreign company in the SeychellesYes
Resettlement of a Seychelles company abroadYes

Things to know about the Seychelles

History

The Seychelles Islands were first seen by Arab traders around 850 AD and later visited by Portuguese traders with Vasco da Gama around 1502. In 1742, the French captain Lazare Picault finally discovered the Seychelles. The first settlements were established in the Seychelles around 1770, when the islands were then settled by the French. The first permanent settlers came from France, Africa and India.
From the beginning, Seychelles has been a melting pot of different ethnicities, religions and traditions, which lives on today in the "Creole spirit". The Seychelles remained a French territory until it was later ceded to Great Britain after the Treaty of Paris in 1814. In 1903, the Seychelles were granted British Crown status. Seychelles remained part of the British Empire until 1976, when it gained independence. Seychelles remains a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Government

Seychelles is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations and the Francophonie. Seychelles is also a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

  • Tax base for locals/residents: territorial (i.e. the tax is levied only on 'accessible income', i.e. income derived from Seychelles).
  • Business tax for local companies, not Offshore3-33% (up to Rupee 1 million p.a. only 3%)
  • Personal income tax: 15% (effectively a payroll tax as it is only levied on remuneration paid by companies in Seychelles)
  • Capital gains tax: 0%

Seychelles is in good standing with international regulatory bodies such as the OECD's Global Tax Forum and the Financial Action Task Force. Seychelles is committed to the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative. Seychelles is an early adopter of the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and has entered into a Model 1 Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the US for FATCA.

Economy

The main economic drivers in Seychelles are tourism, fishing and financial services (i.e. banking, business services, trust services, securities, etc.). Gross Domestic Product (nominal) in 2019 was approximately $1.65 billion or just over $17,127 per capita, ranking Seychelles 53rd in the world and 1st in Africa out of 54 countries, surpassing even oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.
GDP growth in 2019 was 3,57%.
Status: [current_date format='F, Y']

Climate

The climate is warm all year round and usually stays between 24 and 32 degrees Celsius. With the exception of the southernmost islands, all the islands are outside the cyclone belt, which means that the country is spared the destruction caused by hurricanes / cyclones and tornadoes that often sweep across the Caribbean jurisdiction or Mauritius, for example.
The Republic of Seychelles is an independent country located on the Seychelles microcontinent in the Indian Ocean as an archipelago of 115 picturesque islands in the world. Seychelles covers an economic zone of about 1.4 million km2. 41 of these islands, including the largest island of Mahe, are the oldest mid-ocean granite islands in the world, and the rest are coral islands. The Seychelles plateau and inner islands were once part of the Gondwana supercontinent.

Telecommunications

Seychelles leads the African Union in internet speed. The main island of Mahe is connected to more than one major submarine cable network off the coast of East Africa via an undersea fibre optic cable link.
The main telecommunications companies in Seychelles are Cable and Wireless and Airtel.
Seychelles has an advanced 4G wireless infrastructure. Most businesses are connected by fibre optic cable. By 2020, the entire main island of Mahe, every home and every business will be connected by fibre optic cable.
5G will also be available from 2020.

Airlines

From the Seychelles, with just two connecting flights, there is access to almost every major city in the world.
The country has its own airline, Air Seychelles, which is jointly owned by the Seychelles government and Etihad Airlines, the operator.
Other major airlines with the most flights to Seychelles are Emirates and Qatar Airways, both of which fly daily. Other airlines that fly to Seychelles are Condor, Edelweiss, Air France, British Airways, Qantas, Turkish Airlines, Jet Airways, South African Airways, Austrian Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines and Kenya Airways.

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