Seychelles has long been one of the most popular jurisdictions globally for International Business Companies, and its appeal has always rested partly on the confidentiality it provides. That confidentiality framework is being adjusted, not dismantled, by the International Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2026, signed on 11 August 2026 and published in the Official Gazette on 24 August 2026. From January 1, 2027, one category of information enters the public domain for the first time: director names and their dates of appointment. Everything else — UBO identity, shareholders, nominee details, addresses, nationalities — stays strictly private. Understanding exactly where the line sits is now essential for anyone who owns, manages, or advises on a Seychelles IBC.
What Changes from January 1, 2027
Seychelles FSA · Certificate of Official Search · director names public from 1 Jan 2027
The sole change to the public information landscape is the expansion of the Certificate of Official Search. From January 1, 2027, only a director's name and date of appointment become public, via a Certificate of Official Search issued by the Seychelles IBC Registrar upon application by any party. This is a meaningful change from the current position, where the Certificate of Official Search confirms company status, registration number, and registered office but contains no information about who directs the company.
Two data points only enter the public domain. Name. Date of appointment. Nothing else. Address, nationality, identification numbers, nominee status, and nominator particulars all remain confidential and are not disclosed via the Certificate of Official Search or any other public mechanism.
For companies using nominee directors, the position is clear: the nominee's name and appointment date will appear in the public search from 2027. The identity of the nominator (the person giving instructions to the nominee) is recorded in the internal corporate register but is not public. A nominee director arrangement remains fully legal and continues to provide a meaningful layer of privacy between the public record and the ultimate beneficial owner.
Existing IBCs using nominee directors must update their register of directors to include the nominee status flag and the full identification details of the nominator by December 31, 2026, then file a copy with the Registrar within 30 days. First directors must now be appointed within 30 days of incorporation, reduced from the previous nine-month window.
What Stays Private: The Full Confidentiality Map
| Information | From 1 Jan 2027 | Who Can Access |
|---|---|---|
| Director name | PUBLIC | Anyone via Certificate of Official Search |
| Director date of appointment | PUBLIC | Anyone via Certificate of Official Search |
| Director address, nationality, ID | PRIVATE | Internal register only |
| Nominee status and nominator identity | PRIVATE | Internal register only |
| Shareholder identities | PRIVATE | Authorities on lawful request only |
| UBO names and details | PRIVATE | FIU, FSA, law enforcement, tax authority only |
| UBO address, nationality, NIN, TIN | PRIVATE | FIU database only — not public |
The UBO Framework: Private by Design
FIU central database · UBO data private · authorities only · no public access
The Seychelles beneficial ownership framework operates at two levels. The first is the internal register of beneficial owners maintained by the licensed resident agent. The second is the centralised database maintained by the Seychelles Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), to which resident agents submit UBO data electronically. The FIU database is a private government database, accessible only to the FIU, the Central Bank of Seychelles, the FSA, the Seychelles Licensing Authority, and law enforcement — not to third parties or the general public.
The threshold for beneficial ownership is 10% or more of ownership or control. Anyone meeting or exceeding that threshold must be identified in the register and reported to the FIU. Required particulars include full legal name, date of birth, residential address, nationality, and (under recent amendments) National Identification Number and Tax Identification Number where applicable.
Changes to beneficial ownership must be reported to the resident agent within 21 days of the change occurring. The resident agent then updates the FIU database. From 2026, licensed local banks and registered agents also have access to the FIU database for AML and due diligence purposes. This represents a modest widening of access beyond pure law enforcement but remains far removed from any form of public register. There are no current plans to make UBO data publicly accessible in Seychelles.
What IBC Owners Should Do Now
IBC compliance checklist · deadline 31 December 2026
Three actions are required before December 31, 2026:
- Review your director register. If you use a nominee director, confirm the register explicitly flags nominee status and records the nominator's full identification details. If these are not yet recorded, instruct your resident agent to update the register immediately.
- Verify your UBO filing is current. Confirm that your resident agent has filed accurate and up to date beneficial ownership particulars with the FIU, including NIN and TIN where required under the 2021 amendment. Any change in UBO details must be reported within 21 days of occurrence.
- Assess whether nominee directors remain appropriate. If director name disclosure from 2027 creates an issue for your structure, consider whether the use of a corporate director or an alternative arrangement better serves your privacy requirements. 1Stop Connect and its accredited partner can review your existing Seychelles structure and advise on whether adjustments are required before the deadline.
For anyone considering establishing a new Seychelles IBC, the framework remains competitive. UBO data stays private. Shareholders stay private. The only public exposure from 2027 is the director name on the Certificate of Official Search, which a properly structured nominee arrangement addresses entirely. 1Stop Connect and its accredited partner incorporates Seychelles IBCs directly, with full resident agent and compliance support.
"Seychelles has not gone public. It has gone selective. One field, the director name, is now visible. Everything else remains exactly where it was. The jurisdiction's privacy framework is intact; what it requires now is proper structuring rather than assumptions."
— Dr. Dieter Hovorka, PhDFor a broader view of how Seychelles compares to other offshore jurisdictions on beneficial ownership privacy, see our article on Beneficial Ownership Registers: Where Privacy Still Exists. For an overview of how Seychelles structures fit into layered holding and trust arrangements, see Trust vs Foundation vs Company: Asset Protection Compared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Seychelles IBC shareholders become public from January 2027? +
No. The January 2027 change applies only to director names and their dates of appointment, which will be searchable via a Certificate of Official Search. Shareholder identities remain strictly private and are not disclosed through any public mechanism. They can only be accessed by competent authorities — the FIU, FSA, or law enforcement — on a lawful request basis. If privacy at the shareholder level is your priority, the 2027 reform does not affect it at all.
Can a nominee director still protect the real owner's identity after January 2027? +
Yes — but the picture needs to be clear. From January 1, 2027, the nominee director's name and date of appointment will appear in any Certificate of Official Search issued by the Registrar. The nominee's address, nationality, and identification numbers remain private. Crucially, the nominator's identity — the person who actually controls the company and gave instructions to the nominee — is recorded only in the internal corporate register and is not publicly accessible under any current mechanism. A properly structured nominee arrangement therefore continues to provide a meaningful privacy layer between the public record and the ultimate beneficial owner, even after 2027. The change makes the nominee visible, not the principal behind the nominee.
Who can access the Seychelles FIU beneficial ownership database? +
The FIU's central beneficial ownership database is a private government database, not a public register. Access is restricted to the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Central Bank of Seychelles, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Seychelles Licensing Authority, and law enforcement agencies. Since 2026, licensed local banks and registered agents have also been granted access specifically for AML and due diligence purposes — a modest widening of access but one that remains entirely within the regulated financial system. Third parties, commercial databases, competitors, or members of the general public have no access. There are no current plans to make the FIU database publicly searchable, and Seychelles has consistently resisted the EU-driven push toward fully public beneficial ownership registers.
What is the deadline for updating a Seychelles IBC director register ahead of the 2027 change? +
December 31, 2026. Existing IBCs that use nominee directors must update their register of directors before that date to explicitly flag the nominee status and record the nominator's full identification details. Once updated, the register must be filed with the Registrar within 30 days. The 2026 amendment also shortened the window for appointing a first director from the previous nine months down to 30 days from incorporation, so newly formed IBCs are affected immediately. Failing to update registers before the year-end deadline creates a compliance gap that resident agents are expected to flag and rectify. If you are unsure whether your existing IBC's records are compliant, now is the time to instruct your resident agent to review.
Is Seychelles still a viable offshore jurisdiction after the 2027 director disclosure change? +
Yes — and the case for Seychelles remains strong for well-structured IBCs. The 2027 change is deliberately narrow: only director names and appointment dates enter the public domain via Certificate of Official Search. Everything else — UBO identity, shareholder names, addresses, nationalities, nominee details, and all financial information — stays confidential. The Seychelles beneficial ownership framework keeps UBO data in a private FIU database with no public access route, and there are no plans to change this. For anyone who structures correctly — a nominee director arrangement where appropriate, current UBO filings, registers updated before December 31, 2026 — Seychelles continues to offer competitive privacy, zero corporate tax on international income, no exchange controls, and a mature legal framework. The jurisdiction has made one targeted concession to international transparency norms while protecting the substance of its privacy offering.