The Papers Office
Everything a Seychellois abroad has to do on paper, explained against the actual law and the official procedures. Start with the question most of the diaspora never asks out loud: are you already a citizen, and can you claim the passport?
This page explains the law as we read it from the Constitution, the Citizenship Act and the official Immigration and Civil Status pages. It is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot decide your personal case. Laws change and individual facts matter. Confirm anything you intend to act on with Immigration and Civil Status (tel +248 4293636, m.laporte@gov.sc) or a Seychelles lawyer.
Compiled pending legal review. This guidance was written from the published law and official sources and is being reviewed by a Seychelles-qualified lawyer. Until that review is complete, treat it as a careful starting point, not a final word.
Citizenship and the passport of descent
Are you already a Seychellois citizen without knowing it? Descent, registration, the 1976–1979 gap, dual nationality, and the wizard that walks you to your route.
Open →Birth, marriage and death certificates
How to get Seychelles civil documents from abroad, register a foreign marriage or birth, and have papers legalised for use across borders.
Open →The Seychelles passport from abroad
Where a passport can actually be issued outside Seychelles, the e-verification step, biometrics, and the emergency travel document when you are stuck.
Open →How to use these guides
Each guide states the rule, points to the primary law on SeyLII and the relevant Immigration and Civil Status page, and tells you the practical steps and who to contact. Where the sources disagree, or where only ICS can decide, we say so rather than guess. Nothing here replaces a word with ICS or a Seychelles lawyer.
Returning to live in Seychelles for good is its own subject, with customs concessions, shipping and schooling. That guide lives with the resources and we are deepening it in a later wave.
- Republic of Seychelles, via SeyLII. Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles, Chapter II (Citizenship). 1993, amended to 2025. original accessed 2026-07-15The supreme law. Chapter II sets citizenship by birth (Art. 8–9), by descent for those born abroad (Art. 10), the transitional provisions, and dual citizenship. This is the primary source for the citizenship guidance.
- Republic of Seychelles, via SeyLII. Citizenship Act, 1994 (Act 18 of 1994). 1994. original accessed 2026-07-15The Act that implements the constitutional citizenship provisions, repealing the 1976 Act and confirming descent as the basis of citizenship at birth.
- Immigration and Civil Status, Seychelles. Acquisition of citizenship. 2026. original · archived accessed 2026-07-14Citizenship by descent, registration and naturalisation procedures. Enquiries +248 4293636.
- Immigration and Civil Status, Seychelles. Citizen of Seychelles. 2026. original · archived accessed 2026-07-15The official statement of who is a citizen and the routes to citizenship. Enquiries +248 4293636, m.laporte@gov.sc.
- Immigration and Civil Status, Seychelles. Applying for a Seychelles passport. 2026. original · archived accessed 2026-07-14Passport requirements, fees and the e-verification step. Seychelles passports are biometric since November 2022.
- SeyLII. Seychelles Legal Information Institute (consolidated laws and Government Gazette). original · archived accessed 2026-07-15Free access to Seychelles legislation, case law and gazettes, with canonical Akoma Ntoso citation URIs.
Cite this page
This page is a stable reference. Its URL will not change, its content is reviewed on a stated cycle, and our original text is licensed CC BY 4.0, so you may quote and reuse it with attribution. Every source above carries a live link and an archived copy.
Seychelles Abroad. (2026, July 15). The Papers Office. https://seychellesabroad.org/papers/“The Papers Office.” Seychelles Abroad, 15 July 2026, seychellesabroad.org/papers/.Seychelles Abroad. “The Papers Office.” Last reviewed July 15, 2026. https://seychellesabroad.org/papers/.