Pisces OffshoreICSP · Seychelles

§ The register · Corporate and licence applications

12 services, from company setup to regulated licence applications.

We provide corporate, accounting, legal, management and secretarial services, including bank account openings, VASP licence applications and securities dealer licence applications. Application outcomes and timing remain subject to the Financial Services Authority.

Index

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01International Business Companies Act, 2016

International Business Company

Formation and registered agency for a Seychelles IBC. It is the standard vehicle for holding shares, trading income or intellectual property from outside Seychelles.

An IBC is incorporated by our licensed team as registered agent, and exists only to deal with the outside world: it may not carry on business with residents of Seychelles. It is not liable to Seychelles tax on foreign sourced income, has no public register of members, and can issue any class of share. We prepare the constitution, reserve the name, file with the Financial Services Authority and hold the statutory records at our own office.

What it includes

  • Name reservation and incorporation filing
  • Constitution, first resolutions and share issue
  • Registered office and registered agent for as long as the company exists
  • Certified copies of the certificate and registers
  • Courier delivery of the minute book, or secure digital equivalent

Indicative timing

Name reserved same day; certificate of incorporation typically within one to three business days once due diligence is cleared.

Suited to

Trading groups, holding structures, founder vehicles, IP and royalty holding.

02Companies Act, licensed and supervised by the FSA

Global Business Company

A tax resident Seychelles company for clients who need treaty access, a substance footprint or a licence grade presence in the jurisdiction.

Where an IBC is deliberately invisible, a Global Business Company is deliberately visible: it is a licensed resident company, subject to Seychelles income tax and to economic substance requirements for relevant activities. That is exactly what makes it usable for banking relationships, treaty claims and regulated counterparties. We handle the licence application, the business plan and the annual substance reporting.

What it includes

  • Licence application and supporting business plan
  • Substance assessment for relevant activity categories
  • Local director, secretary or office arrangements where required
  • Annual licence renewal and substance return
  • Coordination with a Seychelles tax adviser on residency and treaty position

Indicative timing

Licensing typically takes several weeks; we set the critical path after the first call.

Suited to

Funds, operating companies, aviation and shipping ownership, clients whose banks ask for residence.

03Limited Partnerships Act, 2003

Limited Partnership

A general partner with unlimited liability and limited partners whose exposure stops at their contribution. It is the classic fund and joint venture wrapper.

A Seychelles LP is registered, not incorporated: it has no legal personality of its own but has a separate register and can own property, contract and sue in the name of the general partner. It is a familiar shape for investors, and it lets the economics of a vehicle be written down once rather than reconstructed through shareholder agreements.

What it includes

  • Partnership agreement drafted to the commercial terms
  • Registration with the Authority and certificate of registration
  • Registered office and registered agent
  • Register of partners and changes of interest
  • Annual renewal and dissolution if the vehicle runs its course

Indicative timing

Registration usually completes in a matter of days once the agreement is settled.

Suited to

Private funds, joint investment vehicles, family investment partnerships, project joint ventures.

04Foundations Act, 2009

Seychelles Foundation

A registered legal person that owns assets for a purpose rather than for shareholders. It is a civil law style alternative to a trust.

A foundation holds its own assets, is registered with a founder's charter and rules, and is governed by a council under an appointed protector. Because it is a registered person with a public facing certificate, it can be easier for counterparties and banks to accept than an unregistered trust deed, while still serving succession, purpose based holding and philanthropic structures.

What it includes

  • Charter, rules and initial endowment documentation
  • Council, protector and secretary appointments
  • Registered agent and registered office
  • Register of beneficiaries and council minutes
  • Annual renewal and change of rules filings

Indicative timing

Registration generally within one to two weeks of the rules being agreed.

Suited to

Family offices, succession holding, purpose vehicles, charitable and endowment structures.

05Trusts Act, 2021; ICSP Act, 2003 (trustee services licence)

Trusts & Private Trust Companies

Resident trustee services for Seychelles trusts, and the licensed trustee arrangements a private trust company depends on.

Seychelles law requires a trust to have a trustee that is either a licensed trustee service provider or a private trust company whose registered agent holds both a corporate and a trustee licence. We sit in that gap for clients: acting as licensed trustee where you want an independent hand, and providing the registered agency and trustee licence where a family runs its own PTC.

What it includes

  • Deed of settlement and letter of wishes
  • Licensed resident trustee or PTC registered agency
  • Protector and beneficiary communications
  • Trust register and record keeping at our registered office
  • Distribution support and annual trustee reporting

Indicative timing

Settlement can be completed within days of the deed being agreed.

Suited to

Succession across generations, PTC setups, protected shareholdings, settlors moving between jurisdictions.

06ICSP Act, 2003 · licensed corporate services

Registered Office & Registered Agent

The statutory address and the licensed agent a Seychelles entity is required to keep at all times, including when it transfers to us from another provider.

Every IBC, foundation, limited partnership and trust must keep a registered office in Seychelles and a registered agent that holds an ICSP licence. It is also the point where a provider change happens: records transfer to us, we file the change of agent, and the entity's compliance history continues unbroken.

What it includes

  • Registered office and statutory address for service
  • Receipt and forwarding of Authority correspondence
  • Custody of statutory registers and accounting records
  • Change of agent transfer from a departing provider
  • Records restored or reconstructed where a file is incomplete

Indicative timing

Transfers normally complete within a week, subject to the outgoing agent releasing the file.

Suited to

Entities already in existence, portfolios moving provider, clients who want one agent across all vehicles.

07ICSP Act, 2003 · licensed corporate services

Nominee Directors & Shareholders

Licensed nominee officers and a nominee shareholder, documented under a declaration of trust so beneficial control stays with you.

A nominee appears on the public facing record while your ownership and direction remain documented privately under a declaration of trust, waiver of any claim to the shares and undated resignation instruments. This is a service the Act expressly licenses, and it is only defensible when it is properly papered and the beneficial owner is known to the agent.

What it includes

  • Nominee director or shareholder appointment
  • Declaration of trust and waiver of interest
  • Undated resignation and share transfer instruments
  • Written limits on the nominee's authority
  • Annual confirmation that the arrangements remain in force

Indicative timing

Put in place alongside incorporation, or added to an existing entity.

Suited to

Founders who want day to day privacy, group reorganisations, joint ventures with staged disclosure.

08IBC Act, 2016; Foundations Act, 2009; LP Act, 2003

Corporate Secretarial & Annual Filings

Board minutes, registers, changes of officers and the annual licence fee. This is the maintenance that keeps an entity in good standing.

Most entities are not lost dramatically; they are struck off quietly because a fee was unpaid or a change of directors was never filed. We diarise every obligation against the entity calendar, prepare the minutes and resolutions, file the changes, and settle the annual licence fee with the Authority on your behalf.

What it includes

  • Entity calendar and diarised obligations
  • Board and member resolutions, minute book upkeep
  • Filings for changes of name, officers, capital or address
  • Annual licence fee payment and good standing confirmation
  • Certificates of good standing and incumbency on request

Indicative timing

Ongoing; routine resolutions turned around within two business days.

Suited to

Anyone holding more than one vehicle, boards that need records, families with several entities.

09AML/CFT Act, 2020; ICSP Act, 2003 fit and proper duties

AML/CFT & Beneficial Ownership

Onboarding due diligence, the beneficial ownership register and the file an examiner or a bank correspondent will ask to see.

As a licensed provider we are required to identify beneficial owners, verify source of funds and wealth, and keep the workpapers. Seychelles also requires the beneficial ownership record for a specified entity to be held by its licensed registered agent rather than on a public register. We build that file once, keep it current, and produce it cleanly when a bank, auditor or counterparty asks.

What it includes

  • Risk assessment, PEP and sanctions screening
  • Source of funds and source of wealth evidence
  • Beneficial ownership register held by the registered agent
  • Ongoing monitoring and periodic refresh
  • Correspondence with the Authority and with bank compliance teams

Indicative timing

Initial due diligence typically two to five business days depending on the structure.

Suited to

Founders setting up for the first time, structures with multiple layers, clients under bank due diligence review.

10ICSP Act, 2003 · licensed corporate services

Bank Account Openings

We open bank, EMI and payment accounts for the companies we form and administer. The application is prepared, submitted and followed through with the institution.

An account is where most offshore applications fail, usually on paperwork. We prepare the constitution, ownership chart, business narrative and due diligence pack, submit the application to banks, payment institutions and EMIs we work with, and follow through the information requests until the account is open. The account is opened in your name; we do not hold client money and we do not give investment advice.

What it includes

  • Application prepared and submitted to the institution
  • Ownership chart, business narrative and due diligence pack
  • Introductions to banks, payment institutions and EMIs
  • Coordination of the information requests that follow
  • Escalation support where the institution asks for further evidence

Indicative timing

Accounts typically open within one to three weeks once the file is complete; the institution sets the final clock.

Suited to

Newly formed entities, structures with banking rejected elsewhere, clients adding a second currency account.

11Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2024

VASP Licence Applications

Application support for Seychelles virtual asset service providers: wallet providers, exchanges, brokering services and virtual asset investment providers.

We coordinate the VASP licence application from initial scope through submission. That includes identifying the activity or activities covered, preparing the corporate and ownership material, organising the business plan and operating procedures, and managing the application file and follow up questions. Grant of a licence remains subject to the Financial Services Authority's assessment and approval.

What it includes

  • Wallet provider licence applications
  • Virtual asset exchange licence applications
  • Virtual asset brokering licence applications
  • Virtual asset investment provider licence applications
  • Application file coordination and regulatory follow up

Indicative timing

The timetable depends on the proposed activities, readiness of the application file and the Authority's review.

Suited to

Wallet businesses, virtual asset exchanges, brokers and virtual asset investment providers seeking a Seychelles licence.

12Securities Act, 2007

Securities Dealer Licence Applications

Application support for businesses seeking a Seychelles securities dealer licence, from structure and documentation through regulatory submission.

We coordinate the securities dealer licence application, including the Seychelles company structure, ownership and controller documents, business plan, compliance materials and the assembled submission. We then manage application correspondence and requests for further information. Grant of a licence remains subject to the Financial Services Authority's assessment and approval.

What it includes

  • Corporate structure and ownership review
  • Business plan and application document coordination
  • Compliance and governance document checklist
  • Submission file preparation
  • Regulatory correspondence and follow up

Indicative timing

The timetable depends on the business model, completeness of the file and the Authority's review.

Suited to

Brokerage and dealing businesses seeking authorisation to operate from Seychelles.

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