From 1 January 2027, a Seychelles Company Search Will Show Its Directors

In short: From 1 January 2027, the Seychelles Registrar's official search of an IBC (international business company) will include the name and appointment date of each current director. Any person can request a certificate of official search from the Registrar for a fee (US$25 in the Act's fee schedule); it is not a free open lookup on a public website. Shareholders and beneficial owners are not disclosed. Two deadlines matter: every IBC must update its register of directors by 31 December 2026 to record each director's nominee status, and the director details only appear for companies that have filed their register of directors with the Registrar.

Until now, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has not disclosed the identity of an IBC's directors in an official search. The search confirms a company's basic corporate details, such as its name, registration number, incorporation date, registered office and agent, and whether it is in good standing. The register of directors is kept at the company's registered office in Seychelles, and the copy filed with the Registrar is kept confidential. The International Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2026, passed by the National Assembly on 4 August, signed on 11 August and published in the Official Gazette on 24 August, changes that.

What changes: before and after

• Names of current directors in an official search: not shown until 31 December 2026, shown from 1 January 2027.
• Date of appointment of each current director: not shown until 31 December 2026, shown from 1 January 2027.
• Former directors: not shown, before or after.
• Shareholders and beneficial owners: not disclosed, before or after.
• Deadline to appoint the first director of a new IBC: within nine months of incorporation until 31 December 2026, within 30 days of incorporation from 1 January 2027.

The new details appear in the Registrar's certificate of official search, which banks, counterparties and lawyers often request. Only current directors are listed, and only their name and date of appointment. Addresses, nationalities and ownership are not included.

The deadline that comes first: 31 December 2026

The Act requires every company to comply with the new register rules by 31 December 2026, ahead of the search change on 1 January 2027. The register of directors must now record:

• The nominee status of each director and alternate director. A nominee is someone who routinely exercises a director's functions on behalf of, and under the direct or indirect instructions of, another person (the nominator).
• The identity of the nominator, where the director or alternate director is a nominee:
  • Individual nominator: name, address, date of birth, nationality and national identity number (or equivalent, if any).
  • Corporate nominator: name, address, date and place of incorporation or registration, and registration number.

In practice, every IBC's register needs a review, not only those that use nominees. The register is kept at the company's registered office in Seychelles, which is its registered agent's address, so the work falls to owners and agents together.

What is disclosed to the FSA, and what anyone can obtain, are different things. A copy of the register of directors is filed with the Registrar, so the FSA holds the full information, including nominee status and nominator details. That filed copy stays confidential: it can only be released in limited cases, such as a court order, enforcement of the law, or to the company's registered agent or an authorised third party. Of everything on the register, only the name and date of appointment of each current director become available in an official search from 1 January 2027.

Make sure your register is filed with the Registrar

The search shows what the Registrar holds. An IBC must file a copy of its register of directors with the Registrar within 30 days of appointing its first directors, and file an updated copy within 30 days of any change. Late filing carries penalties of US$250 plus US$25 for each day or part of a day, on both the company and any director who knowingly allows it. If a company has not filed a copy, the Registrar is not required to show its directors in the register, so a missing or outdated filing means a search will show nothing or the wrong information.

Check with your registered agent that your latest register has been filed and matches what you want an official search to show.

Why Seychelles is doing this

The amendments follow the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standard on company transparency, which expects basic information about who runs a company to be available. Disclosing a director's name in an official search is a small step, but it closes a gap that let a company trade for months, or longer, with no director of record at all.

Does this affect you?

• Founder who sits on their own board: Little changes in practice. The same name already appears on bank forms and contracts. You do still need your register to show that you are not acting as a nominee, so ask your registered agent to confirm it before 31 December 2026.
• Company with a nominee director: You have a hard deadline. The nominee's status and your details as nominator must be recorded by 31 December 2026. The nominee's name is what will appear in an official search, not yours.
• Planning a new company: The first director must now be appointed within 30 days. Plan the appointment before you incorporate.

Checklist for Seychelles IBC owners

• Check who is on your register of directors today, and that every appointment date is right.
• Make sure the register records the nominee status of every director and alternate director before 31 December 2026.
• If a nominee director acts for you, make sure your nominator details are recorded too.
• Confirm your latest register of directors has been filed with the Registrar.
• Expect your director's name to appear in an official search from January, and tell business partners if that matters to them.
• For a new company, appoint the first director at incorporation rather than later. Thirty days leaves little room.

Planning a new Seychelles company? The first director must now be appointed within 30 days, so it pays to get it right from day one. Set up your Seychelles IBC online with WeForm.

Frequently asked questions

Will shareholders and beneficial owners be disclosed?

No. Under this amendment, only current directors' names and appointment dates are added to the official search. Shareholder and beneficial owner information is not disclosed.

Can I still use a nominee director?

Yes, but the nominee status and the nominator's identity must be recorded in the register of directors, which is kept at your registered office in Seychelles.

What will an official search show?

The name and date of appointment of each current director, alongside the company's existing details such as name, registration number, incorporation date, registered office, registered agent and good standing. Former directors, addresses, nationalities and ownership are not included.

Is the official search free?

No. Any person can request a certificate of official search from the Registrar on payment of the fee in the Act's Second Schedule, currently US$25.

Do I need to do anything if I am the only director and shareholder?

Yes, a small step. Check that your register of directors is accurate, that your appointment date is correct, that it records that you are not a nominee, and that your latest register has been filed with the Registrar, all before 31 December 2026.

Does it change how I register a company?

Seychelles company registration still works as before, through a licensed registered agent. The main change is that the first director must be appointed within 30 days of incorporation.

Registering a Seychelles IBC under the new rules

Seychelles company registration itself works as before, through a licensed registered agent. When you register a Seychelles IBC with WeForm, we take the director's details with your order, so the first appointment is made at incorporation, well inside the new 30-day window.

Ready to incorporate? Start your Seychelles company registration with the director appointment built in.

Legal references: International Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2026 (Act 13 of 2026), amending sections 134, 150, 346 and 352 of the International Business Companies Act, 2016 (Act 15 of 2016). Section 6 sets the transitional dates: 31 December 2026 for the register changes and 1 January 2027 for the search changes. Register filing: section 152. Certificate of official search: section 352 and Second Schedule, Part II.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the text of the Act and your registered agent's guidance for your own company. Last updated: 28 October 2026.