Seychelles trust tax and reporting

Residency and what it changes

A trust here can link people in several countries. Co-trustees may live outside Seychelles (source: Trusts Act 2021, s. 21), and the settlor and beneficiaries may each be tax resident somewhere else.

The trustee records each person’s tax residence and use those records for reporting. If you move, tell the trustee, because a new residence can change who receives information.

Your tax adviser confirms how Seychelles and your home country treat the trust and its income.

Tax on each asset also follows the rules of the country where it sits.

CRS and FATCA reporting

The Seychelles Revenue Commission says Seychelles committed to the first exchange of information in 2017 under the Common Reporting Standard (source: Seychelles Revenue Commission, International Tax).

For FATCA, the Commission says Seychelles signed the agreement with the United States (same source).

FATCA concerns United States persons. CRS covers residents of the many other countries that take part in the exchange.

Where required, the trust itself, its trustee or the bank holding the account reports, depending on how the trust is classified and on the accounts it holds. Your adviser confirms which case applies at set-up.

What the trustee reports and when

The trustee collects tax residence self-certifications from the settlor, any protector, the beneficiaries and other controlling persons.

Where required, the report goes to the Commission, which exchanges the information with the authority in each person’s country of residence.

The trustee’s accounting records, which must be lodged in Seychelles (s. 27), are the base for each report.

Filing dates and forms follow the Seychelles rules. We keep a calendar and ask for what we need well before each date.

With your consent, we pass a copy of what was reported about you to your tax adviser.

Reporting is part of the yearly work. The cost guide shows how the yearly work is charged.

Your own tax position

Your home tax position is a question for your own adviser, since a trust can change who is treated as owning the assets.

If a holding company sits under the trust, Seychelles company rules may bring filings of their own. Your tax adviser confirms what applies to it.

Questions worth sending to your adviser:

• Does my country tax the trust’s income as mine, the trust’s or the beneficiaries’?
• Would a distribution create tax where the beneficiary lives?
• Do I file any personal form because of the trust?
• Does a holding company under the trust bring filings of its own?

Send them to your adviser before the deed is signed, not after.

What to keep on file

Good records make each reporting round faster. Keep these papers where your adviser and the trustee can find them:

• a tax residence certificate, or a note of each country where you are resident;
• the deed, the letter of wishes and any amendment;
• a list of the assets settled, with transfer dates and values;
• a copy of each distribution and its reason.

The trustee keeps its own copies, and we send you the yearly accounts and asset report.

If an authority writes to you about the trust, send the letter to the trustee and your adviser before you reply.

Keep a short log of every change of address, name or tax residence among the people connected with the trust. Reporting depends on current details.

Sources and review dates

The facts here come from the Seychelles Revenue Commission’s international tax page and the Trusts Act text, accessed 2026-11-05.

We review the facts on this page when the law or the Commission’s page changes.

For the legal background, read the law and features page.

The step-by-step guide shows where the tax forms are collected, and the overview of Seychelles puts everything in context.

The common questions page answers the practical ones.