Updated 13.08.2026
Legal structures · Private foundations
A private foundation in the Seychellesthe lowest entry threshold
The Seychelles foundation is the most accessible construction in the range: quick registration and low upkeep. A workable option for a first structure and moderate capital, provided the banking question is settled in advance.
- We speak plainly about the reputational constraints of the jurisdiction
- We line up the bank before the registration — that is the bottleneck
- We prepare the source-of-funds file in advance
The guide figures depend on the composition of the assets, the number of beneficiaries and the bank’s requirements. The exact quotation for the set-up and the annual upkeep is fixed before the agreement.
Applicability
Is Seychelles the right structure for your task
01 Main purpose
02 Assets
03 Beneficiaries
04 Bank account needed
The selector does not give a legal opinion: applicability is confirmed after the analysis of assets, family and tax residence.
The structure
What a Seychelles foundation is
A private foundation under the 2009 law: a legal person without members that owns assets and distributes them under its charter. The construction repeats the civil-law model, but at the lowest price.
The most accessible structure in the range — suitable when the capital is moderate but the structuring is already needed.
The establishment takes two to three weeks and the paperwork is straightforward.
The jurisdiction does not apply the EU sanctions restrictions by citizenship.
The foundation may own company shareholdings, portfolios and accounts, and act as the holder of family property.
Fit
Applying the structure: when it fits and when it does not
A plain filter, reputational risks included.
- A first structure with moderate capital
- The task is to separate the assets and set the rules of succession
- The assets are shareholdings in offshore companies, accounts and portfolios
- The budget is limited but the structuring is already necessary
- You are ready to settle the banking question in advance
- You need an account with a European or Swiss bank: Seychelles structures are treated warily
- The priority is the reputation of the structure with counterparties
- Substantial capital: for that, jurisdictions with a stronger reputation make more sense
- The main task is protection from creditors: the Cook Islands and Nevis trusts are stronger
Roles
The legal structure and the governing bodies
The civil-law model: the organs of a legal person instead of trust roles.
Transfers the assets and approves the charter. After the transfer they do not own them personally.
The governing body: decisions on the assets and the distributions strictly within the charter.
The controlling figure: approving key decisions, changing the composition of the council.
The family, the children, you yourself. They receive distributions under the charter; the names are not published.
Protection
The legal limits of using the structure
The strengths together with the limits — the reputational ones included.
The property belongs to the foundation: it does not form part of the founder’s estate and is not divided on divorce.
Capital passes under the foundation’s rules, bypassing inheritance procedures.
The structure is created quickly and costs less to run than any alternative in the range.
The jurisdiction applies no sanctions restrictions by citizenship.
The limits we state plainly: the structure does not protect against claims that arose before the assets were transferred — such transfers can be set aside. It does not cancel the tax obligations of the founder and the beneficiaries and does not make assets invisible: the exchange of information and the duty to declare both operate. Criminal proceedings, sanctions regimes and maintenance lie beyond what any structure can do. Anyone who promises otherwise is misleading you. Separately, on reputation: the Seychelles are under the observation of international organisations as a higher-risk jurisdiction. In practice that means long checks at banks and refusals by some institutions to work with the structure. We say this before the work begins and settle the banking question before the registration.
Prices
The options for the structure and the cost
The «from» prices are for a standard structure with a confirmed source of funds. The exact quotation is fixed by the agreement.
from $6,500
Annual upkeep: upkeep thereafter from $3,500 a year
A first structure: separating the assets and setting the rules of succession
Included
- Design and the foundation charter
- Registration of the foundation in the Seychelles
- The foundation council and the agent — the first year
- The rules for distributions
- Government fees
from $9,500
Annual upkeep: upkeep thereafter from $5,000 a year
The assets are held by an underlying company
Included
- Everything in the «Foundation» package
- A company to hold the assets — formation and the first year
- The structure for holding the shareholdings
- The corporate documents
from $15,500
Annual upkeep: upkeep thereafter from $7,000 a year
The complete circuit with the banking question settled
Included
- Everything in the «Foundation + company» package
- The protector: the control arrangement
- The source-of-funds file
- Choosing the bank and opening the account
- The rules for distributions
The package does not include the bank’s own charges, legal work in the countries of the assets when real estate and shareholdings are transferred, or a professional controller if you want one.
What drives the quote
The factors that affect the cost of the project
The packages cover the standard tasks. Here is what moves the budget — and it is counted before the agreement, not after.
Accounts and portfolios are simple. Real estate and shareholdings require lawyers in the countries where they are held.
Every country of assets adds a check and the formalities of the transfer.
Capital from several sources over a long period takes longer to assemble.
Banks differ in what they require: for some the basic pack, for others an extended one.
If the account is needed with a demanding bank, the work on the file and the correspondence is appreciably greater.
In the quotation we separate our own fee, the administrator’s fees and the government charges. The total is fixed by the agreement — there are no charges beyond the quotation.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the structure over three years
A structure costs money not only when it is created: administration, reporting and bank compliance recur every year.
- Creating the structure and the documents
- Registration and government fees
- Opening the structure’s bank account
- The first year of administration
- Administration of the structure
- Reporting and mandatory notifications
- Bank compliance and the KYC refresh
- Support of distributions to beneficiaries
- Administration of the structure
- Reporting and mandatory notifications
- Bank compliance and the KYC refresh
- A review of the structure as circumstances change
What each year contains depends on the jurisdiction, the assets and the bank’s requirements. We prepare the three-year calculation together with the set-up quotation — before the agreement.
Tax
Taxation, reporting and disclosure
The foundation’s income from sources outside the Seychelles is not subject to local tax. Your own obligations are determined by your country of residence.
Income earned outside the Seychelles is not subject to Seychelles tax.
A foundation is a foreign structure: participation is declared, and where there is control the CFC rules apply.
The Seychelles take part in the automatic exchange: data on accounts goes to the beneficiaries’ country of residence.
Substance requirements apply to certain activities — we take them into account in the design.
We do not build arrangements to conceal income and we do not work with funds whose origin is not evidenced by documents.
Banking
The banking infrastructure of the foundation
The main bottleneck: we deal with it before the registration, not after.
The UAE, Hong Kong and certain banks in Africa and Asia. European banks treat Seychelles structures with reserve.
Who the founder and the beneficiaries are, where the capital came from, why this jurisdiction was chosen.
Because of the reputation the documentary requirements are above the usual: the chain has to be flawless.
First we confirm the bank is willing in principle, then we register the foundation.
A refusal by a bank is not the end: we work out the reason and go to the next one with the file corrected. No one guarantees approval, and neither do we.
Documents
Documents and information for the establishment
We assemble the pack once — the same pack goes to the administrator and to the bank.
- 01Personal documents Passports and proof of address: the founder, the foundation council, the beneficiaries.
- 02The source of the capital Sale agreements, bank statements, dividend resolutions, tax returns.
- 03The list of assets What is going into the foundation: accounts, portfolios, real estate, shareholdings — with the title documents.
- 04Tax residence The countries and the taxpayer numbers of every party: the notifications and the reporting depend on them.
- 05The rules for distributions Who receives funds, when and on what conditions — these rules go into the foundation’s charter.
- 06Current obligations Claims, debts, guarantees and disputes: they determine whether the protection works at all.
No documents are needed at the first consultation — we work through the task in words.
Comparison
Compare Seychelles with other structures
| Seychelles | |
|---|---|
| Setup | from $6,500 |
| Annual | upkeep thereafter from $3,500 a year |
| Timing | 2-3 weeks |
| Typical use | A first structure with moderate capital |
Select up to two jurisdictions above. A detailed legal comparison is prepared for the specific task.
Process
The stages of establishing the structure
From the review of the task to a finished structure with an account.
What is being consolidated or protected, who the beneficiaries are, whether there are current disputes. We say plainly whether the structure is needed at all.
1-2 daysThe charter, the organs, the rules for distributions, the controller’s powers, the composition of the assets to be transferred.
3-5 daysIdentity documents and source-of-funds evidence for the administrator and the bank.
1-2 weeksThe constitutive documents, the appointment of the officers, registration.
2-3 weeksMoving the assets into the structure with correct formalities in the countries where they are held.
Opening the structure’s account and setting the rules for the work that follows.
Comparison
The Seychelles against the alternatives
The main parameters side by side, so that the choice is an informed one.
| Seychelles | Panama | Curaçao | UAE · RAK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost from | $6,500 | $8,500 | $11,500 | $9,500 |
| How banks treat it | With reserve | With reserve | Moderately | Well |
| The jurisdiction’s reputation | Under observation | Under observation | Moderate | Good |
| Establishment | 2-3 weeks | 2-3 weeks | 3-4 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
| Access for Russian citizens | Open | Open | Open | Open |
The comparison is as at the date the page was updated; whether it applies to your case is confirmed once the profile has been reviewed.
FAQ
Questions and answers
Not always. Saving on the registration can turn into refusals by banks and a rebuild of the structure. We count the full cost of the solution, the banking stage included, and often recommend the UAE as the more practical option when the difference in price is a couple of thousand.
The jurisdiction is under the observation of international organisations as a higher-risk area. That is not a prohibition, but in practice it means stricter checks at banks and refusals by some institutions.
Yes, the jurisdiction applies no sanctions restrictions by citizenship. The requirement is a transparent and documented origin of the capital.
The Seychelles take part in the automatic CRS exchange: data on accounts goes to the beneficiaries’ country of tax residence.
Yes, moving the structure is possible, but it is a project of its own with its own cost. It is better to choose the right jurisdiction at the outset — which is why we review the task at the entrance.
From $3,500 a year: the foundation council, the agent, keeping the registration in good standing. With a company and an account it is higher. The exact figure is in the quotation before the agreement.
Related
Related areas of practice
Calculation
Structure and budget: Seychelles
Describe the assets, the family and the task. We will come back with the applicable structure, the setup budget and the annual upkeep.
A structure does not cancel existing creditor claims or the tax obligations of the settlor. Where the task cannot be solved lawfully, we say so before the engagement.