International convention and customs procedures of the Seychelles

International Economic Cooperation

Member of SADC - Southern African Development Community

Member of COMESA - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

Non Tariff Barriers

Certain products may require a license or permit to be imported into Seychelles, and obtaining these licenses can be a time-consuming process. Seychelles has strict regulations on food safety and plant health, and importers must comply with these measures to ensure that their products are safe for consumption and do not pose a risk to local ecosystems.
Some products may be subject to import quotas, which limit the amount of the product that can be imported into the island in a given period.
Consult the Seychelles Trade Portal for further information.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

According to the latest figures form the World Bank, the effectively applied tariff weighted average for Seychelles is 1.47% and the most favored nation (MFN) weighted average tariff is 3.88%.

Customs Classification

The Harmonized System Nomenclature provides a universal classification system for all types of goods, and serves as the standard for importers, exporters, shipping companies, and marine insurance firms. In Seychelles, this system is presented in Schedule 3 of the Customs Management (Tariff and Classification of Goods) Regulations 2013, which comprises 99 Chapters. The first six digits of the code are uniform across all countries that adopt the system, while Seychelles policy makers assign the final two digits.

Import Procedures

Importers must ensure that the correct model of the declaration is selected to ensure that ‎the correct type of control and data of the ASYCUDA World System is made available. Bills of Entry ‎are required for the following Models of Declaration:‎

• IM 4‎ Entry for home use/Ex-warehouse
• IM 5‎ Temporary Importation
• IM 6‎ Re-Importation
• IM 7‎ Entry for warehousing
• IM 8‎ Transhipment & Ship store Procedures
• SD 4‎ Simplified Declaration

The Importers or their agents should prepare the declaration from the following documents:‎

• Original invoice
• Packing list
• Bill of lading or Airway bill
• Insurance certificate
• Import permit (if applicable)‎

Click here to download the guide to the procedure for the declaration of goods.

To go further, check out our service Import controls and Export controls.

For Further Information

Seychelles Revenue Commission
Seychelles Trade Portal