Form a Seychelles IBC
Seychelles bank account guide 2026

Seychelles IBC bank account: opening one in 2026

Updated 11 November 2026Revenue Commission notice of 21 August 2026About 7 minutes to read
The short answer

A Seychelles IBC usually banks with a payment institution or a bank abroad. Banks identify everyone owning 10% or more and ask where the money comes from.

Since August 2026 Seychelles won't issue a tax number just for a bank; the bank form takes a reason instead.

The tax number question My document list
Who gets identified 10% ownership at which a person counts as a beneficial owner of a Seychelles company Not the 25% many pages repeat. Banks may use their own threshold, but your register works at 10%.

Seychelles companies have a reputation with banks, and much of it is out of date. The country left the EU's grey list in February 2026, keeps owners off public records and tightened its own rules every year since 2021. What trips Seychelles founders up in 2026 is smaller and newer: the bank's tax form asks for a company tax number that Seychelles no longer issues for that purpose. Here is how to handle that, and the rest of the account.

Key takeaways

  • Since 21 August 2026 Seychelles won't issue a tax number to an IBC that wants one only for a bank.
  • Most IBCs bank with a payment institution or a bank abroad, not in Seychelles.
  • Banks identify every director and anyone owning 10% or more, the Seychelles threshold.
  • From 1 January 2027 current directors' names are public, so banks will see them too.
  • Expect days at a payment institution and weeks at a bank.
  • We set the account up with you, as part of the company.
Chapter 1

The tax number question on your bank form

Seychelles IBC, owner abroad2026
Tax number just for a bankNot issued
Owners identified from10%
Directors public from1 January 2027
Payment institutionDays
The account is reported where you live. Yours: pick it

Every bank asks the company to certify where it is tax resident and give its tax number, because it reports accounts under the CRS. The Seychelles Revenue Commission notice of 21 August 2026 changed the answer for most IBCs.

Does the company earn income in Seychelles?
Is it part of a multinational group with consolidated accounts?
1
Key takeaway

No tax number for bank purposes: state the reason on the form.

Chapter 2

Where a Seychelles IBC can open an account

Payment institutionOpens online in days once documents are complete. Many currencies, transfers and cards. Not a bank.
Bank abroadA bank in a financial centre that accepts offshore companies, chosen by where your clients and suppliers are.
Seychelles bankA handful accept IBCs, one of them state-owned. Most useful if the company does business in Seychelles.
2
Key takeaway

Payment institution first, a bank abroad next, Seychelles banks for local business.

Chapter 3

Which account fits your Seychelles company?

Your clients mostly pay
The company will hold
3
Key takeaway

Match the account to the currency your clients pay in.

Chapter 4

Seychelles IBC bank account requirements

Owners with 10% or more
A nominee director
4
Key takeaway

Registers, IDs from 10%, and the tax number explanation.

Chapter 5

What a bank can see about a Seychelles company in 2027

On the public record
Shown by you, not the register

5
Key takeaway

From 2027 directors are on the public record; owners stay off it.

Chapter 6

How long it takes, and what we do

  1. Day oneYou tell us about the businessWhat it sells, who pays, in which currencies, and what it will hold.
  2. Within daysThe IBC is incorporatedCertificate, memorandum and articles, registers and the director in place.
  3. Same weekWe assemble the fileCertified copies, the ownership chart, a tax residency explanation and a business outline.
  4. DaysPayment institutionOnline review and a short video check of the director.
  5. 2 to 12 weeksA bankLonger when owners are many, money is large or the business is unusual.
  6. OutcomeIt almost always goes throughA request for more papers is normal; we answer it with you.
6
Key takeaway

Days at a payment institution, two to twelve weeks at a bank.

Chapter 7

The honest limits of a Seychelles account

The bank's callApproval, limits and fees are set by the bank alone.
Crypto servicesExchange or custody for others needs a Seychelles virtual asset licence before any bank will look.
ReportingThe account is reported under the CRS to where its controlling people live.
No shortcutsA nominee doesn't replace your own identification; banks see through to the owner.
7
Key takeaway

The bank decides, crypto services need a licence, and the CRS applies.

Chapter 8

Seychelles company bank account questions, answered

?!
Can a Seychelles IBC open a bank account?
Yes. Most open with a payment institution or a bank abroad; a handful of Seychelles banks take IBCs, mostly for local business. The bank decides after its checks.
Does a Seychelles IBC need a tax number to open a bank account?
Not necessarily. Since 21 August 2026 the Revenue Commission no longer issues one to an IBC that wants it only for a bank. On the bank's tax form you give the reason the company has none.
Can I still get a tax residency certificate for my IBC?
Yes. The Revenue Commission still issues tax residency certificates to IBCs on written request, for a fee.
Who does the bank need to identify?
Every director, and every person who owns or controls 10% or more, the Seychelles threshold. Many banks use 25% for their own checks, but your company register works at 10%.
Do I need to visit Seychelles to open the account?
Not for a payment institution or most banks abroad, which use video calls and certified copies. A Seychelles bank may want more.
How long does a Seychelles company bank account take?
A few days at a payment institution once the documents are complete, and from two weeks to three months at a bank.
Will a crypto business get an account?
A company paid in crypto or holding its own coins can, with clean records. Running exchange or custody services from Seychelles needs a virtual asset licence first, and a bank that accepts licensed firms.
Does Heirson set up the account?
Yes, alongside the company. We pick where to apply from what your business does, prepare the file and see the application through with you. It almost always goes through; the decision stays with the bank.

Changelog

  • 11 November 2026: first published.
Your Seychelles company

A Seychelles company, with the account opened alongside it.

We sort the tax number question and build the bank file while the company is formed.

See the Seychelles IBC Seychelles annual fees