There are three main types of companies that may be used for international business in Seychelles: the International Business Company (IBC), the Company with a Special Licence (CSL) and the ordinary “domestic” Seychelles company.
The IBC is the general-purpose option for international business and is used for most activities. Because an IBC will usually have minimal activity in Seychelles and because it will not usually derive Seychelles-sourced income, it is not automatically registerable for tax purposes in Seychelles, and it does not have to file tax returns unless is registers voluntarily. It is typically used as a holding entity, or for a special purpose (as a special purpose vehicle) e.g. to receive and extinguish toxic assets. It can be used for Seychelles business, but the local market rarely opts for it.
The domestic company is normally used for business taking place in Seychelles. If you will be operating a bank, insurance company or other professional financial services business in Seychelles (as well as non-financial services businesses like hotels, shops and construction) you will need a domestic company. A domestic company is also popularly used to own Seychelles land and buildings. You could also use it for international businesses and you could use it exclusively for international business in which case it would be similar to an IBC but you would have to file annual returns and tax returns. Seychelles has a territorial tax system so there would be a tax liability only if you derived income from a source in Seychelles, or if the company was part of multi-national group, and it derived foreign passive income without having sufficient substance in Seychelles.
A CSL is sort of in the middle of the domestic company and the IBC. It is intended for businesses that will be mostly international in nature but which will have an increased domestic presence. If you want a local office that generates or adds value to your international business the CSL is possibly the vehicle to explore. It can also benefit from the double taxation avoidance agreements (DTA) that Seychelles has with many fast-developing countries in Asia and Africa.