International Business Companies Act, 2016
Seychelles IBC Formation
An International Business Company (IBC) is the standard Seychelles vehicle for international trading, holding and investment activity. It's governed by the International Business Companies Act, 2016, and must at all times maintain a licensed registered agent in Seychelles — that's our role, from incorporation through the life of the company.
Seychelles has been registering IBCs since the original IBC Act of 1994, and the jurisdiction remains one of the most active offshore registries in the Indian Ocean region. We formed one of the very first companies under that original Act, and have registered thousands more since the 2016 Act replaced it. An IBC gives you a distinct legal entity, capable of holding assets, entering contracts and opening bank accounts in its own name, entirely separate from your personal liability.
Because an IBC's constitutional documents (Memorandum and Articles of Association) are largely a matter of contract between the shareholders, the structure is flexible: single-director, single-shareholder companies are standard, multiple classes of shares with different rights are permitted, and there's no statutory minimum share capital. That flexibility is exactly why IBCs suit such a wide range of uses — from a simple invoicing vehicle for a freelance consultancy to a holding company sitting above operating subsidiaries in several countries.
What an IBC is not designed for is doing business inside Seychelles itself or with Seychelles residents — it's built for activity outside the jurisdiction. If your plans involve local trade, Seychelles real estate, or a Seychelles-facing service business, a different, domestically licensed structure applies, and we'll tell you that plainly during the initial risk assessment rather than register something that won't serve your purpose.
Best suited for
- International trading and invoicing companies
- Holding structures for shares, IP or investment portfolios
- Consultancies and service businesses operating across borders
Territorial taxation
Since the territorial system introduced by the Business Tax (Amendment) Act 2018 (effective 1 January 2019), foreign-sourced income with no Seychelles-source income is exempt from Seychelles business tax.
No bearer shares
Bearer shares are prohibited under the IBC Act 2016, in line with FATF Recommendation 24 — all shares are registered and held in the company's own register.
Mandatory registered agent
Every IBC must continuously retain a Seychelles-licensed registered agent (an FSA-licensed ICSP). We act in that capacity for the life of the company.
Nominee disclosure
Since the 2025 amendment to the IBC Act, any nominee shareholder must file a signed disclosure of their nominee status within 21 days of appointment.
180-day compliance grace period
The 2024 amendment shortened the grace period for non-payment of annual fees before a company risks strike-off to 180 days (previously one year) — a reason to keep annual filings current.
Confidential, not public
Beneficial ownership data is held by your registered agent and reported to the FSA/FIU under the Beneficial Ownership Act 2020 — the register itself is not open to the public.
Frequently asked
Formation questions, answered directly
How long does it take to register a Seychelles IBC?
Once we've completed name availability checks, KYC on the beneficial owners and risk assessment, registration with the FSA-appointed registrar typically takes a few working days. The overall timeline depends mostly on how quickly your KYC documents and source-of-funds evidence come back to us — most straightforward files are registered within a week of complete documentation.
Can an IBC own property or trade inside Seychelles?
An IBC is designed for international business. It can hold assets and conduct business outside Seychelles freely; conducting business with Seychelles residents or holding local real estate is restricted and would generally require a different, domestically licensed entity. Speak to us before assuming an IBC fits a Seychelles-facing activity.
Does Seychelles report my company to my home tax authority?
Seychelles has been an early adopter of the OECD Common Reporting Standard since 2017, and reporting obligations for financial institutions were reaffirmed in 2025. If your IBC holds a financial account, that account's information is exchanged with your jurisdiction of tax residence under CRS — an IBC is not a tool for concealing assets from your home tax authority, and we don't position it as one.