SC
Seychelles · Investor visa · apply in person
Permanent residence for a person who invests the Seychelles-rupee equivalent of at least USD 1 million in a business in Seychelles. The holder may live and work without a Gainful Occupation Permit and may buy residential land at half the usual sanction fee. Selling or reducing that investment within the first ten years ends the permit.
| Type | Min amount | USD equivalent | Holding | Returnable | Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | USD 1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 10 yr | Yes | Required |
Section 17B of the Immigration Decree, inserted in 2013, allows this permit where the investment is in place and either the applicant had the means to support themselves during one year of residence in Seychelles, or they have had at least five years of business association from that investment. The five-year prior-residence test in the same section is written for the marriage, ability, degree and contribution categories, not for this investment category. The Investment Board's current page asks for all of the following together: the USD 1 million investment, means of support for one year, five years of business association, and five years already spent in Seychelles on a dependant's permit or a Gainful Occupation Permit. That cumulative list is stricter than the Decree. The Decree is the test stored here. The Immigration fee list prices an investor permanent-residence permit at SCR 150,000, about USD 10,155 at the Central Bank draft mid-rate of SCR 14.7715 per US dollar on 9 October 2026. Processing is a further SCR 1,000. The Investment Board page says SCR 350,000 is payable if the application succeeds. On the same Immigration fee list, SCR 350,000 is the old investor citizenship charge, and that citizenship section was repealed in December 2023. No dependent fee is printed for this permit. The Decree allows the names of a spouse and minor children to be entered when the Minister agrees. The permit is not issued for a fixed term and is not renewed. It ceases if the holder is absent for a continuous year without the Minister's permission, is imprisoned for a year or more, or is a prohibited immigrant. There is no published processing time. The application form is collected and lodged in person at Independence House. A police certificate not more than six months old is on the Investment Board checklist. A medical certificate is not. Citizenship by this investment, previously eleven years of residence with means of support, was repealed by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2023. Marriage naturalisation and a presidential grant for distinguished service remain in the Citizenship Act and are not a year-count of this permit. A citizen may hold another citizenship. Tax treatment matches the ordinary residence permit: Seychelles-source income is taxed, and foreign passive income of an individual is not, apart from the company substance rules.
Seychelles also offers a digital nomad visa for remote workers
Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 10, 2026 Source
Added
created. Permanent residence for a business investment of the rupee equivalent of USD 1 million, held 10 years, fee SCR 150,000 on the Immigration fee list. The Investment Board still prints SCR 350,000 and a stricter checklist (https://www.tradeportal.sc/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Act-12-of-2013-Immigration-Decree-Amendment-Act-2013-gazett.pdf).
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