Seychelles Gainful Occupation Permit

A Gainful Occupation Permit lets a non-Seychellois be gainfully occupied as an employee or as a self-employed person. Immigration states that all expatriate workers need one and that no work, full time or part time, paid or unpaid, is allowed without it. Anyone planning to set up a business must first submit a project memorandum to the Seychelles Investment Board before the GOP is sought. Jobs in the International Trade Zone use a separate work permit that the employer requests through the Financial Services Authority; a visitor may not enter to look for such a job.

Some occupations need an extra approval: seafarers from the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority, journalists from the Media Commission, sportspeople from the National Sports Council and health professionals registration with the Health Professions Council. The employment certificate is not required for sportspeople, musicians, short-term medical staff, major shareholders or company directors. A new company also supplies its business licence, incorporation or business name certificate, memorandum and articles and, where a foreign partner is involved, approval from the Seychelles Investment Board.

A short-term GOP covers one month only, cannot be extended and does not include dependants; it needs a covering letter from the company describing the work. A foreigner married to a Seychellois who applies for a GOP adds the marriage certificate and the spouse’s birth certificate and must stay outside the country while the application is processed.

The non-refundable processing fee is SCR 1,000, and the permit fee of SCR 500 per month or part of a month for the whole period requested is paid when the application is lodged. The published GOP fee table adds SCR 1,000 for each dependant endorsed, SCR 250 a month in agriculture, SCR 2,000 a month for workers in their twelfth year onwards (from 1 September 2020) and SCR 5,000 a month for key positions in large companies. After the permit is issued the employer submits an attested employment contract and a security bond; group bonds are SCR 20,000 for 5 to 10 expatriates, SCR 30,000 for 10 to 30 and SCR 50,000 above 30. Refunds are requested on the refund form with a supplier form showing bank details.

First, the employer obtains an approval certificate for the prospective employee from the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs. With that approval, the employer (or the self-employed person) completes the GOP application and submits it to the Immigration office at Independence House, Victoria, at least one week before work is due to start. The same route applies to extensions and to any change of post title or duties, which uses the GOP variation form. The worker must not enter Seychelles to take up the job before the permit is granted. Applications are handled by the Work Permit Section, which also deals with renewals and variations.

Incomplete files are not considered, so check the list inside the form. For a new permit Immigration asks for the form signed by the company owner, photos of the employee and any dependants, a valid passport copy, the employment approval, a certificate of entitlement, the establishment list, a CV and certificates of competence, an evaluation certificate from the Seychelles Qualifications Authority, a medical fitness certificate from the Seychelles occupational health section for jobs longer than one month, a contact address and, for workers, accommodation approval from public health.

To extend or renew, file the GOP extension application with a valid passport copy, the employment approval for the extension and contact details, plus any sector approval. Workers who have been in the country for more than two years renew their medical fitness certificate, which is valid for two years. If the employer cannot produce a valid employment approval for the renewal, a ticket out of Seychelles must be attached.

GOP enquiries go to the Immigration office on 4293636 or by email to the GOP section; business proposals go to the Seychelles Investment Board at investinseychelles@sib.gov.sc. When the worker travels, the Travel Authorisation is still required, with a copy of the permit uploaded.