Direct answers, organised by topic

No. We don't accept clients resident or domiciled in a country on the FATF Call for Action list or the FATF Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring list, and we won't register an entity that would be linked to those countries — for example by owning assets there or trading with persons there. We also decline anyone involved in pharmaceuticals manufacturing, adult entertainment, or the arms trade, and we won't support businesses raising funds from the public or offering financial services without the licence that activity requires. We may also decline to act for prominent politicians or public figures on a case-by-case risk basis. This isn't a formality: our compliance team screens every applicant against sanctions lists and adverse-media sources before any registration fee is charged, and we'd rather turn away a file at that stage than accept one we can't stand behind later. If we decline, we'll tell you why, in plain terms, rather than leaving the reason unexplained.

No. Bearer shares were abolished in Seychelles in 2013 and remain prohibited under the current IBC Act, 2016 — in line with FATF Recommendation 24 on beneficial ownership transparency. All shares must be issued in registered form, with a share register recording the shareholder's name, address and holding, which we maintain as part of our registered agent duties. In practice this means ownership can never be transferred simply by handing over a physical certificate — every transfer has to be reflected in the register and, where the shareholder changes, checked against our know-your-customer requirements first. If you're comparing jurisdictions and a competitor claims to offer bearer shares for a Seychelles entity, treat that as a red flag rather than a feature: it would mean the provider isn't following the current law, and any structure built on that basis wouldn't hold up to scrutiny by a bank or regulator later.

No. Under the Beneficial Ownership Act 2020, we hold your beneficial ownership declaration on our local register and report it to the FSA and Financial Intelligence Unit's central database — that database is not open to public search. Since 1 January 2025, periodic review of beneficial ownership data has been mandatory for every Seychelles company, which is why we'll periodically ask you to reconfirm your details rather than treat the initial declaration as permanent. The distinction that matters here is between confidentiality and secrecy: regulators, and in defined circumstances law enforcement, can access the register through the FSA and FIU, so this isn't a mechanism for hiding ownership from authorities. It is, however, kept out of public search — meaning a competitor, journalist or curious third party can't simply look up who owns a Seychelles IBC the way they might for some onshore company registries.

Yes. A Seychelles IBC can have a single director and a single shareholder, and they can be the same individual or the same corporate entity. There's no requirement for a second officer, and no residency requirement for directors or shareholders — anyone over 18 who hasn't been disqualified by bankruptcy or a relevant conviction can be appointed. This makes the structure straightforward for a solo founder or freelance consultant who wants a simple international vehicle without needing to recruit a co-director or nominal shareholder purely to satisfy a formality. It also means governance decisions can move quickly, since there's no requirement to convene a multi-person board or coordinate shareholder approval across several people. If your circumstances change later — for example, you want to bring in a co-founder or investor — additional directors or shareholders can be added at any point; nothing about the single-person structure locks you in permanently.

No statutory minimum exists. In practice, we set the working minimum at one unit of any international currency — most clients authorise USD 1, 5,000 or 100,000, with no obligation to actually pay that amount up unless the company is wound up, at which point shareholders remain liable for any unpaid portion of subscribed shares. The authorised share capital figure you choose is largely a matter of how the company will present itself: a higher authorised (but unpaid) capital can look more substantial to a bank or counterparty during due diligence, while a nominal figure like USD 1 keeps things simple for a holding vehicle that doesn't need to signal scale. Whichever figure you pick, it can be changed later by resolution if your needs change, and there's no annual capital-maintenance filing or audit requirement tied specifically to the amount — Seychelles doesn't impose the kind of minimum-capital rules common in some European company law.

A signed nominee shareholder agreement or director service agreement, which functions like a declaration of trust: the nominee confirms in writing that the shares (or directorship decisions) belong to and follow the instructions of the beneficial owner, and that they won't act without your written consent. As registered agent, we won't process a change of directors or transfer of shares held by a nominee without the beneficial owner's written approval — that check sits on our side as an additional safeguard, not just in the paperwork between you and the nominee. These agreements typically also address what happens if the nominee becomes unreachable or the relationship needs to end: a resignation mechanism, a requirement to sign transfer documents on request, and confirmation that the nominee has no beneficial interest in the shares or company assets. We can walk you through the specific clauses before anything is signed, and recommend having your own advisor review the agreement if the arrangement is significant to you.

We won't be able to pay the government's annual licence fee on your behalf, so the IBC falls out of good standing and, under the 2024 amendment to the IBC Act, can be struck off after a 180-day grace period. A struck-off IBC is deemed dissolved one year after strike-off, but can be restored before then by settling outstanding fees, a restoration fee, and any compliance penalties — restoration is treated as if the strike-off never happened. In the meantime, a company that has fallen out of good standing typically can't obtain a certificate of good standing, which many banks and counterparties ask for during periodic reviews — so the practical impact often shows up well before strike-off itself. We send renewal reminders well ahead of the due date specifically to avoid this outcome, and if you know in advance that you won't be renewing, letting us know lets us handle the wind-down in an orderly way instead of by default.

Yes. The IBC Act sets out a formal change-of-agent procedure. We don't obstruct clients who want to leave — we ask that outstanding fees are settled and that costs we incur from the transfer are covered, with no additional exit fee charged on our side. The process involves the new agent formally notifying the FSA-appointed registrar of the change, along with confirmation that the company's statutory records (register of directors, register of shareholders, and any beneficial ownership filings) are being handed over intact. We'll typically ask for a short window to complete outstanding administrative tasks — such as finalising an annual filing already in progress — before the handover, so the company doesn't land in an incomplete state with its new agent. If you're considering a move, it's worth asking your prospective new agent how they handle the transition before committing, since practices vary between providers.

We generally don't offer refunds once an order is fulfilled, with one exception: our 180-day satisfaction guarantee for newly onboarded clients on their first Seychelles IBC. If you genuinely can't use it for its intended purpose within that window, we'll work with you toward a solution, which may include a partial refund followed by our resignation as registered agent. This guarantee is deliberately scoped to first-time clients on their first company, rather than every renewal or every additional entity, because it's meant to cover cases where a structure turns out not to fit — not to function as a general cancellation policy. Government fees already paid to the Seychelles registrar are outside our control and aren't included in any refund, since they're set and collected independently of our own service fee. If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies, the fastest way to find out is to contact us directly rather than assume either way.

Yes. Seychelles is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, and apostilles are affixed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Seychelles. Original documents bearing an official signature or seal — such as a Certificate of Incorporation — can be apostilled directly; copies and other documents first need notarisation or equivalent certification before an apostille can be attached to them. In practice, the process usually takes a few working days once we submit the original document to the Registrar, and we handle the submission and collection on your behalf rather than requiring you to travel to Seychelles. An apostille doesn't change what a document says — it only certifies that the signature and seal on it are genuine and that the signing official had the authority to issue it — which is exactly what most foreign banks, courts or registries actually need before they'll accept a Seychelles document as valid on their side.

Only in some cases. Certain banks, government bodies or counterparties in transactions outside Seychelles may require an apostille as internationally recognised proof of a document's authenticity. If you're unsure whether your specific use case needs one, ask us before you incur the cost — it's often unnecessary for routine banking. As a rough guide, an apostille tends to matter most when a document will be relied on by a court, land registry, or government body in another Hague Convention country, and matters far less for day-to-day business use such as showing incorporation documents to a supplier or a payment processor. Because apostille requirements are set by whoever is receiving the document rather than by us, the most reliable approach is to ask the specific bank, authority or counterparty directly what they require, and we're happy to help you interpret their answer if the terminology is unfamiliar.

Yes, via a process called continuation or re-domiciliation, provided the laws of the company's current jurisdiction permit the move. We'll run due diligence on the company, its officers and beneficial owners, and you'll need to provide proof of good standing (such as a certificate of good standing) along with the company's existing constitutional documents. Not every jurisdiction allows outward continuation — some require a court order, others prohibit it outright — so the first practical step is confirming with your current registered agent or company registry whether redomiciliation out is even possible before we take on the file. Once the move is complete, the company keeps its trading history, contracts, and existing bank relationships (subject to the bank's own review), and simply operates under Seychelles law going forward with a new registered agent and registered office — it isn't treated as a new legal entity for continuity purposes, which is usually the main reason clients choose continuation over simply forming a fresh IBC.