# Seychelles

 Country code: SC · Currency: SCR · Language: Seychellois Creole

**Pros**
- Absence of capital gains, gift, or inheritance taxes to maximize private wealth retention.
- Strategic territorial tax system with exemption of foreign-sourced income for non-resident entities.
- High level of personal safety and political stability within a serene tropical environment.

**Cons**
- Significant reliance on imported goods with resulting high operational costs and logistical complexities.
- Increasing regulatory compliance requirements from international pressure on offshore financial centers.
- Limited local labor pool and specialized talent with need for expensive foreign recruitment processes.

Long story short: Setting up an offshore company here stays simple and taxed at zero on your foreign income, but since the European blacklisting, local banks treat you like a suspect before opening an account.

The administration crawls at a tropical pace, petty counter corruption still lingers but nothing systemic if you keep a low profile. Infrastructure holds up in Victoria, except water and power that occasionally cut out.

Besides that: near total safety in upscale areas like Eden Island, excellent grilled fish and curry, stunning beaches and granite peaks, but anything imported will cost you a fortune.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Seychelles** doesn't tax personal income, and nobody comes sniffing around when you settle in. No withholding, no tax return, no centre-of-vital-interests trap waiting to snap shut.

Earn what you want: the taxman here simply doesn't know your name.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | NONE | no personal income tax framework |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | does not exist here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | does not exist here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Seychelles** keeps its hands off what you hold. *No capital gains tax*, no annual wealth grab, no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds in peace and leaves the way it came in; nobody's standing at the door with their palm out.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | NONE | no capital gains regime |
| Dividend tax | NONE | no dividend tax |
| Interest income | NONE | no interest income tax |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | ZERO TAX | Rate: 0% · Seychelles does not impose Capital Gains Tax. Personal Income Tax is limited to employment income (emoluments), meaning individual investment gains from crypto are not taxed. However, if trading activity is frequent enough to be classified as a business, it is subject to Business Tax at progressive rates up to 25%. The Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2024 regulates businesses but maintains the tax-free status for individual holders. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | NEUTRAL | a swap is not a taxable realisation event |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: YES.
**Seychelles** runs *no corporate income tax* and *no criminal liability* for misuse of corporate assets: fiscally and legally featherweight.

The catch: registries are *public*, so your name as shareholder is one search away for any curious stranger. They won't tax you, they won't prosecute you. They'll just put you in the shop window.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | NONE | no corporate income tax framework |
| VAT standard rate | NONE | no general VAT · no consumption tax framework |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | NO CRIMINAL | no criminal liability · Seychelles follows a Common Law approach to corporate governance and criminal law. For a solvent company with a sole shareholder-director, the use of company funds for personal expenses is treated as a civil breach of fiduciary duty or an unauthorized distribution rather than a criminal offense. Under the Penal Code (Cap 158), crimes like theft or fraudulent appropriation require 'dishonesty' or 'intent to defraud'; since the company's consent is identified with its sole owner, these criminal elements are legally absent as long as the company remains solvent and no third-party creditors are harmed. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Financial Services Authority (FSA) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Financial Services Authority (FSA) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called International Business Company. The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Government Registration Fee | USD 149 |  |
| Professional Incorporation & Registered Agent Service | USD 843 |  |
| Minimum Capital Deposit | USD 0 |  |
| Total | USD 992 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NO.
**Seychelles** has no treaty network at all, which buries the holding question, full stop.

Every dividend in or out eats the statutory withholding at full rate, and no domestic regime can patch a hole that sits on the source side. Don't park a holding here.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | TERRITORIAL | territorial — foreign-source income generally untaxed |
| Territorial · corporates | TERRITORIAL | territorial principle — foreign-source profits generally exempt |
| Participation exemption | 100% | 10% holding · 12 months min |
| CFC rules | NONE | no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | NONE | no withholding on outbound dividends |
| WHT · interest | NONE | no withholding on outbound interest |
| WHT · royalties | NONE | no withholding on outbound royalties |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 0 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: LITTLE.
Coming and going from **Seychelles** costs you nothing worth mentioning. *Territorial* regime (foreign income stays foreign), *no exit tax* at the door.

You show up with your stuff, you leave with your stuff, plus whatever you earned abroad in between. Borders the way they should all work.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | FORBIDDEN | naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | — | not available |
| Marriage | — | not available |
| Birth | — | not available |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: YES, CLOSELY.
**Seychelles** signed *every exchange framework that matters* and runs a *public corporate registry*. Whatever you do here (earn, hold, structure) is reported, searchable, or both.

Your money is watched from every angle; if discretion is part of your plan, this isn't your jurisdiction.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 3/9 active · 4 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | Signed | 2017 |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | Signed | 2014 |
| MLI | In force | 2021 |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | In force | 2015 |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | In force | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: SOMEWHAT.
**Seychelles** is *flagged* by a few national tax administrations (drawn from FR/ES/PT/BR) and sits outside the FATF club.

The friction is selective: anti-abuse rules fire on specific corridors, and counterparties ask more questions than usual. Neither the FATF nor the EU has it on their lists, which keeps the damage contained: a nuisance, not a scarlet letter.

**Blacklist exposure — Listed by 3 authorities**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Listed | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Listed | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Listed | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: PARTLY.
Press freedom in **Seychelles** is *partial* (RSF rank **\#45**): civic space exists, with walls you'll eventually touch. Crypto, on the other hand, rides *untaxed*.

Mixed deal: your money moves freely, your mouth a little less so.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 45/180 | score 68 · ↓ 8 ranks year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

NONE

no announced CBDC program · no pilot · no retail or wholesale prototype on record

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: POORLY CONNECTED.
The two rails that matter are both dead in **Seychelles**. *Stripe* won't onboard you, so card payments mean a foreign structure or a local processor with its own rules. *Amazon* doesn't deliver either.

Some secondary services run (**3/11**), but for an online business this is swimming against the current.

**Accept payments — 1/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Not available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Not available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 1/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Seychelles. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Nauru NR  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/nr) [   Vanuatu VU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/vu) [   Turks & Caicos Islands TC  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/tc)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   Wallis & Futuna WF  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/wf) [   St. Barthélemy BL  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/bl) [   Oman OM  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/om)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   San Marino SM  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sm) [   Curaçao CW  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cw) [   Niue NU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/nu)