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Immigration and Permanent Residence in Seychelles

1. PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS Valid passports or other travel documents are required for entry into Seychelles.

2. VISA REQUIREMENT Visa is not required for entry into Seychelles. (Refer to other permits.)

3. VISITORS PERMIT A visitor’s permit is issued on arrival in Seychelles to a person who comes for the purpose of holiday, pleasure, business, visit friends or family and who –

(a) is not a prohibited immigrant; and

(b) is not the holder of a Dependant’s Permit or a Gainful Occupation Permit;

(c) holds a valid return or onward ticket for duration of visit;

(d) has confirmed accommodation;

(e) has sufficient funds for duration of the stay. (Minimum of US$ 150.00 or equivalent per day).

The Visitor’s Permit is initially valid for the period of visit of up to one month. It can be extended for a period of up to three months from the date of issue and capable of further extensions for successive periods not exceeding three months at a time to a maximum period of twelve months, provided that the person still meets the criteria of a bona fide visitor. The visitor’s permit is issued free of charge for the first three months after which there is a fee of Sr. 1000/- for extension covering each period of three months or any part thereof. Extension of Visitor’s Permit is also subject to (a) – (e) above.

4. GAINFUL OCCUPATION PERMIT

A Gainful Occupation Permit allows the holder to be gainfully occupied in Seychelles and this could be as an employer or as a self-employed person. Applications for Gainful Occupation Permits should be submitted at least ten weeks before the employee is due to start work, and he/she must not enter Seychelles for the purpose of taking up employment prior to obtaining the Gainful Occupation Permit. The application form is to be completed by the person seeking the permit in the case of a self employed or by the prospective employer. There is a processing fee of Sr. 600 for processing of the application. The fee for the whole duration of the permit being sought for is Sr. 1,500- per month or part thereof should also accompany the application. In considering an application for a Gainful Occupation Permit, the followings are taken into account:

(a) the character, reputation and health of the prospective employee and where relevant, any member of his/her household to be endorsed on the permit;

(b) the professional or technical qualification of the person to be employed;

c) the availability of the services of persons already exist in Seychelles;

(d) the protection of  local interest;

(e) the economic and social benefit which the applicant/ prospective employee may bring to Seychelles or enhance by his presence.

5. RESIDENCE PERMIT

A Residence Permit is issued to a person who

(a) is not a prohibited immigrant;

(b) has a family or domestic connection with Seychelles;

(c) has made or will make special contribution to the economic, social or cultural life of Seychelles.

The holder of a Residence Permit

(a) Must during the validity of the permit reside in Seychelles for at least five days during each twelve months of the term of the permit;

(b) If the permit holder reside in Seychelles for more than one month (in any year) he/she shall keep a deposit with a bank in Seychelles or provide a bank guarantee to the Director General of Immigration, of not less than Sr. 20,000 and allow the Director General of Immigration to draw on the deposit or call on the guarantee for the purpose of meeting expenditure incurred by the government in connection with the care, treatment or maintenance within or removal from Seychelles of the permit holder and his/her dependants;

(c) if the permit holder reside in Seychelles for more than one month (in any year) he/she shall after 14 days of each anniversary of the issue of the permit, adduce evidence to the satisfaction of the Director General of Immigration that the permit holder has brought into Seychelles for his own use, foreign exchange through the Central Bank of Seychelles of an amount equivalent to not less than Sr. 100,000;

(d) Paragraph (b) and (c) shall not apply where the Director General of Immigration is satisfied that the permit holder or another person who forms the same household as the permit holder, has sufficient investment in Seychelles to cover the amount in subparagraph (c) or subparagraph (d) and (c) as the case may be;

(e) During the term of the Residence Permit, the holder must explore opportunities for contributing to the economic, social or cultural life of Seychelles;

(f) The holder of the permit shall not be entitled to free medical service in Seychelles or to any social security benefit under the Social Security Act, 1987 other similar Legislation; The holder of a Residence permit is not permitted to be gainfully occupied in Seychelles.

A Residence Permit shall cease to be valid if the holder:

(a) is in breach of the conditions of the permit;

(b) is convicted of an offence against the Immigration laws; or

(c) is deported from Seychelles.

The holder’s minor dependants can be endorsed on the Permit.

There is a fee of US$115/- for processing of the application.

The fee for the residence Permit is Scr. 50,000.00 for the main applicant and Scr. 25,000.00 for the spouse if applied at the same time. The fee for endorsement of each minor dependant on a Residence Permit is Scr. 1,000.00. The permit fees are payable in foreign exchange.

6. DEPENDANT’S PERMIT

A Dependant’s Permit is issued to a spouse or a minor child of a citizen of Seychelles, who is not:

(a) a prohibited immigrant; or

(b) the holder of  a Residence Permit or a Gainful Occupation Permit.

The application is made by the spouse who is a Seychelles citizen. In the case of a minor child, one of the parent who is a Seychelles citizen.

The fee for a Dependant’s Permit is Sr. 100.

A Dependant’s Permit does not allow the holder to be gainfully occupied. In the case where the Permit holder wishes to do so, a Gainful Occupation Permit should be applied for. The permit ceases to be valid if the holder:

(a) fails to enter Seychelles within twelve months from the date of issue or is absent from Seychelles for any period in excess of twelve months;

(b) is in breach of the conditions of the Permit;

Is convicted of an offence against the Immigration Laws; or

(d) is deported from Seychelles.

7. STUDENT’S PERMIT

A Student’s Permit is issued to a person who wishes to pursue studies in Seychelles and who can show proof that he/she:

(a) would be enrolled as a student in an approved educational institution; and has sufficient funds to meet the expenses that he/she would incur while residing in

Seychelles. A processing fee of Sr. 500 is payable on submission of the application. The fee for the permit is Sr. 1000 which is valid for the duration of the academic studies. A Student’s permit does not allow its holder to be gainfully occupied in Seychelles.

Source: http://www.sib.gov.sc

Questions and Answers about Relocation to Seychelles and Citizenship of Seychelles:

Question: Can you assist with organizing a residency permit in Seychelles and what are the financial conditions?
Answer: Yes, we can provide relocation to Seychelles services. Resident permit is the granting of residence in Seychelles for duration of 5 years renewable. The cost is 12,500 USD (150,000 Seychelles rupees) for each parent. For children under 18 years the cost is 2100 USD per child. Exchange rate for 1 USD is 12 rupees. This sum is payable to Seychelles Government (Government Fees). Each time you renew, you have to pay again the above sum. If you want to work in Seychelles residence permit is not sufficient. You will still need GOP. This is a Gainful Occupational Permitthat is required for all gainful employment in Seychelles. However, if you are a Director/Shareholder of a company in Seychelles (owner of business) you do not need a GOP. Our legal fee is fixed at 7,000 USD for all negotiations and support in successfully obtaining the Resident Permit (per one adult person), kids are free. Alternatively, you may apply for Permanent Residence Permit (not for 5-year permit as described above) if you purchase a property in Eden Island (special project of artificial island near Mahe) valued 420,000 USD or more. If you want to work in Seychelles permanent residence permit is not sufficient. You will still need GOP. Our legal fee for Permanent Residency is fixed at 10,000 USD for all negotiations and support in successfully obtaining the Permanent Resident Permit (per one adult person), kids are free.

Question: Can I get citizenship of Seychelles by investment into property or business?
Answer: There is no citizenship-by-investment program in Seychelles. There was such a program long ago but existed only for a short period of time and was abolished. Currently you are expected to demonstrate 5 years of legal residence in Seychelles in order to be eligible to apply for citizenship and passport of Seychelles. If you need a fast track citizenship program you should look for other island sates (for example, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica or Malta) where you can get second passport in scope of only 6 months without physical residency requirement. We can assist with citizenship application in those countries.

Important Notice: “Elma Global” does not currently provide legal and immigration services in Seychelles.

Updated 23.07.2023


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