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Immigrate to Seychelles from South Africa

Immigrate to Seychelles from South Africa

Seychelles is mainly known as an offshore center, however, the small insular state offers many more opportunities for business and employment and the most advantaged from both points of view are African citizens, given the country’s geographical location in the Indian Ocean.

For example, if you will operate through a Seychelles offshore company, then you will have the right to be exempted from the payment of a tax on the global income of the company. 

The company is also exempted from the payment of other taxes that can be charged to onshore companies, such as the capital gains tax, the property tax, the withholding tax on dividends or the withholding tax on interest. 

Those who want to immigrate to Seychelles from South Africa need to comply with the visa and residency requirements imposed by the authorities in the insular state.

Below, our immigration lawyers in Seychelles will help those who want to relocate here from South Africa.

Short-term visits to Seychelles from South Africa

South African citizens planning short trips to Seychelles do not need a visa. They will only need their valid passports to travel here, however, they should note that their stays in this case cannot exceed more than 3 months (90 days).

Tourism, business and family visits are among the reasons that can be used for traveling to Seychelles from South Africa for such short periods.

If you are interested in starting a business here, our company formation agents in Seychelles can help you in this regard. Moreover, you are also eligible to obtain residency by setting up a local business.

Options for long-term immigration from South Africa to Seychelles

South African citizens are usually interested in moving to Seychelles for longer timeframes which usually include, study, employment or running their local businesses after registering them.

For these purposes, they can apply for one of the following types of residence permits:

  • – the gainful occupational permit,
  • – the ordinary residence permit,
  • – the dependent residence permit,
  • – the student residence permit.

For each type of residence option, there are specific requirements to meet by South African citizens. Our immigration lawyers in Seychelles can offer detailed information on each of them.

How to obtain a Seychelles gainful occupational permit as a South African citizen

The conditions for relocating to Seychelles from South Africa and obtaining a gainful occupational residence visa are:

  1. for the person to be of good character, morals and health,
  2. for the applicant to be qualified for the activity to undertake in Seychelles,
  3. for the services he or she offers not to be already available on the Seychelles market,
  4. for the person to have an important contribution to the local economy and to protect the interests of the country.

It should be noted that this type of residence permit is issued to highly-skilled migrants who can occupy management level positions in Seychelles companies or who can work as self-employed individuals.

The application for this type of permit should be filed at least 10 weeks before entering the country, as the Immigration and Civil Status Authority will need to complete a background check on the person.

The application can be filed by the South African citizen in person or by the employer, based on the type of activity to complete.

We can also offer support in opening a bank account in Seychelles.

Requisites for obtaining a residence permit in Seychelles as a South African citizen

The residence permit is another way of immigrating to Seychelles from South Africa provided that the following requirements are met:

  • – the applicant is not on the prohibited immigrants’ list,
  • – he or she has a connection to Seychelles (family, business, etc.),
  • – he or she will significantly contribute to the economy.

After obtaining the residence permit, the South African citizen must meet additional requirements, among which:

  • – he or she must reside in Seychelles for at least 5 days within a calendar year,
  • – if the person stays in Seychelles for more than one month, he or she must deposit a guarantee of 20,000 Sr.,
  • – based on the condition presented above, within 14 days of the first year of obtaining residency, the beneficiary must report to the Director General of Immigration,
  • – the residence permit holder is also required to submit proof of financial self-sustenance of at least 10,000 Sr.

Our specialists in Seychelles can offer more information on how to obtain a residence permit. If you want to move to Seychelles, you can contact our lawyers.

The dependent and student residence permits in Seychelles

South African citizens can also relocate to Seychelles as dependents or students.

In the first situation, the spouse and child or children of Seychelles citizens can obtain dependent residence permits.

In the case of students, these must be enrolled in full-time education and must have been accepted by a Seychelles approved school or university. They must also have sufficient money for sustaining themselves throughout their stay.

If you want to immigrate to Seychelles from South Africa and need assistance, do not hesitate to contact our lawyers.