Seychelles Offshore Company Formation and Incorporation

by ISOG

Seychelles Offshore Company Formation and Incorporation.

Seychelles is a republic, consisting of an archipelago of some 115 islands, scattered across the western Indian Ocean northeast of the island of Madagascar, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. There is an estimated population of 85,000 and a land area of 454 square kilometers. The official languages are English, French and Creole (a patois based on French). The primary industries are tourism, agriculture, and fishing. The rapidly expanding financial sector, linked to the establishment of the Seychelles International Business Authority and a suite of progressive laws facilitating the establishment of offshore structures and encouraging inward investment, is now a significant element of the economy.

Seychelles Offshore Company Formation

Seychelles offshore companies can carry out the same types of business as onshore companies and the liability of its shareholders is generally limited to the amount of capital they have invested into the company.

The tax rate applied by the government in the jurisdiction in which an offshore company is incorporated is very low if not zero. In some jurisdictions, offshore companies offer a high level of confidentiality which onshore companies do not have.

Usually an offshore company cannot operate in the jurisdiction where it has been incorporated. An exception is Panama, where a Panama offshore company can at the same time operate offshore at a zero tax rate and onshore at the local tax rate.

Seychelles offshore company incorporation and Seychelles offshore company formation are quite simple, as well as its management and administration, but it requires some planning. In fact, a company does not need to be administered in the country of its incorporation.

What you need to think about is the objectives you want to achieve by setting up a Seychelles offshore company: Do you need confidentiality?; Do you need to operate freely in European countries?; Do you need to operate in countries which have a double taxation agreement in place?; or Do you need to protect your company assets from confiscation or expropriation orders or similar actions by foreign governments? In all these cases, ISOG Seychelles lawyer and Seychelles attorney at law can help you with Seychelles offshore company incorporation.

Highlights of Seychelles Offshore Company:
  • Minimum 1 director
  • Minimum 1 shareholder
  • Bearer shares not permitted
  • Confidentiality on directors and shareholders information
  • Corporate seal required
  • Minimum licence fee: USD 100
  • Incorporated in English or French language
  • British dependent territory
  • Neutral tax jurisdiction
  • Regulated financial services industry
  • Enable inward and outward investment