FAQs

Seychelles is a great place to form IBCs because it has a fast and reliable registry, formation and annual fees are relatively low, and the service providers are very keen to help and are very professional. Depending on your exact requirements you can have a Seychelles IBC for less than the BVI government fee and it can be ready within 1 day. However, the “best” jurisdiction will largely depend on your specific requirements. Seychelles is good if you require a general-purpose IBC, particularly if you want a low cost holding company or an special purpose vehicle. If you will have very complex financial transactions and arrangements and you will require the sophisticated services of lawyers or accountants in places like London, New York, other offshore financial centres may be more viable. It can also be more challenging in some jurisdictions to open a bank account for a Seychelles IBC.

The main advantages are lower cost, higher availability of names, fast and reliable registration, order completion and delivery. Seychelles IBCs are also subjected to a substance requirements regime that is different to those of competing jurisdictions.

A jurisdiction is a territory with its own set of laws under the control of its own system of courts and its own government which are different to other territories. We are usually referring to a country when talking about a jurisdiction but this is not always the case.

An international business company (IBC) is a corporate entity that traditionally does not engage in business in the jurisdiction where it is incorporated. When people talk about an offshore company they are often talking about an IBC. IBCs are usually incorporated in an offshore financial centre which is “offshore” from where the promoters and founders are. The IBC then usually operates “offshore” as well, that is, in other jurisdictions and not where the IBC is incorporated. A number of jurisdictions offer IBCs and IBCs vary little between such jurisdictions. Most usually provide wide corporate powers to engage in diverse businesses and activities, reduced requirement to demonstrate corporate benefit, no requirement to appoint local directors or officers, and the requirement for a local registered agent providing a registered office. Advantages of one jurisdiction over another mostly relate to price, availability of names, familiarity, and speed of incorporation and order completion.