Seychelles, an independent republic located in the western Indian Ocean some 1000kms north east of Mauritius, entered the International Offshore Financial centre arena in 1994. With its low annual fees, convenient time zone, political independence and English system of law and business, Seychelles has grown to become one of the 3 most popular Offshore Company registration locations.
Key features and benefits include:
- Fast Registrations: International Business Companies (“IBCs”) are registered in Seychelles within 24 hours.
- Low Cost: Seychelles has the lowest annual government licence fee of any Offshore Financial Centre.
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Political Independence: Whilst it also has the inherent advantages of being a former British colony (in that it has an English system of law and parliament) Seychelles does not have any information sharing treaties with either the UK, the US or any EU members and is immune from the challenges posed by the EU savings tax directive.
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Zero Tax: IBCs registered in Seychelles are not liable to pay tax on business profits locally and dividends can be remitted into and out of Seychelles tax free.
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Convenient Time Zone: At +4GMT Seychelles boasts a time zone extremely convenient to a number of major business centers including Europe, UK, China, India, Africa and the Americas.
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Unparalleled Privacy: There is no public register of Directors, shareholders or beneficial owners in Seychelles.
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Nominees Permissible: Nominee Shareholders and Professional Directors are permissible in Seychelles and the nominee can also be another (Offshore) Company.
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Name Availability: As a relative late bloomer in the International Financial Services Market there is a far wider choice of company names in Seychelles than in many similar jurisdictions.
- Bearer Shares permitted: Unlike many Offshore Financial Centres which are either phasing out or restricting the use of Bearer Shares, Seychelles permits unrestricted issuance and movement of Bearer Shares.
Other features include:
- Minimal Paperwork – There is no requirement to file annual returns or to have accounts audited for Seychelles IBCs and no financial or business records need be kept at the Company’s registered office.
- Account choices – With increased awareness of Seychelles as an OECD compliant financial centre corporate accounts can be opened easily in most major financial centres.
- Migratable - Seychelles recognizes that modern market expects an IBC to be able to shift location quickly and easily and have enshrined this right in legislation.
- Language Choices – A Seychelles IBC can be incorporated using non-English company names and corporate documents may be registered using non English language (eg Chinese) characters.
- Flexibility - Only one Director and Shareholder is required and board meetings can be held anywhere in the world.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the details contained herein are correct and up-to-date, but this does not constitute legal or other professional advice. We do not accept any responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any error or omission.
