Seychelles

Starting a Business in

Seychelles

Listed below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome in order to incorporate and register a new firm, along with their associated time and set-up costs.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Standardized Company

  • Legal Form: Limited Liability Company
  • City: Victoria

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Verify uniqueness of company name

The name is reserved for 30 days.
1-2 days no charge
2 Notarize signatures of the Memorandum and obtain declaration by notary or attorney that company documents comply with the Companies Act.

For the registration of a local company the following documents need to be filed at the office of the Registrar of Companies:
- Declaration by a Notary or Attorney At Law that the requirements of the Companies Act has been complied with by the company subject to the application for incorporation.
- Memorandum and Articles of association. The memorandum needs to be signed by all directors and shareholders of the company and number of shares held by shareholders needs to also be specified



 1 day Between SCR 5000 to SCR 15000
3 Deposit documents at Companies Division of Registrar General for stamp duty assessment

The promoters must deposit the memorandum and articles of association with the Company Registry. (Standard articles of association are outlined in the Companies Act.)

Fee schedule for company registration:
If nominal capital does not exceed SCR 25,000: 0.5% of nominal capital plus SCR 500.
If nominal capital exceeds SCR 25,000: 0.5% of nominal capital plus SCR 500 with the following addition:
- For every SCR 15,000 or part of SCR 15,000 of nominal capital in excess of SCR 25,000, not being an excess greater than SCR 45,000: SCR 50.
- For every SCR 15,000 or part of SCR 15,000 of nominal capital in excess of SCR 70,000, not being an excess greater than SCR 1,500,000: SCR 10.


3-4 days see comments
4 Pay stamp duties at the Registry


1 day included in procedure 2
5 Obtain registration certificate

Upon registration of the memorandum of a company, the register shall certify under the hand of the Registrar that the company is incorporated and the date of the registration. The certificate issued by the Registrar shall be in the form as prescribed by the Companies Act.
7-10 days no charge
6 File particulars of the directors and company, and the registered office


7 days SCR 50 per document
7 Obtain business license

A business license is required from the Seychelles Licensing Authority. To apply for a license, proof of address (rental agreement) is required. The license is renewed annually. For certain sectors, companies must obtain approval by the investment authority. The approval is generally obtained before obtaining the license and takes about a month to obtain.

The business license fee ranges from SCR 150 to SCR 10,050, depending on business activities.
7 to 21 days SCR 1,000 (for retail)
8 Register for taxes at the Revenue Commission

All new business must register with the Seychelles Revenue Commission within 15 days of commencing business. Along with a completed business registration form, the following documents must be submitted:
-A copy of business license
-A copy of the Certificate of Incorporation and the full name and ID of the Public Officer

 1 day no charge
9 Register as an employer with social security division

All new businesses must register as an employer within 7 days of hiring an employee.

While the employee pays 5% of salary toward social security payments, the employer pays on a scale, depending on the employee’s salary:
- Up to SCR 1,000: 10%.
-SCR 1,001–2,000: 20%.
-SCR 2,001–10,000: 30%.
- Over SCR 10,000: 40%.
1 day no charge
10 Register with Employment Services Bureau


1 day no charge
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