Seychelles: Knowledge Base profile
Published 16 April 2024
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Version 2.0
About: Seychelles
This document contains useful information about Seychelles which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.
Contacts
If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.
If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.
Publication
Below is information on when this version of the document was published:
- version 2.0
- published for Home Office staff on 12 April 2024
Changes from last version of this document
This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.
Seychelles: names
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Seychelles.
Change of name
Name changes are allowed in Seychelles.
When a woman marries, she automatically takes her husband’s surname. If a woman divorces, she can revert back to her maiden name through the Civil Status Office.
For change of name other than by marriage this is done by petitioning the Chief Officer of the Civil Status Office.
Seychelles: nationality
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Seychelles.
Dual nationality is allowed in Seychelles since 1993.
A number of former residents, and their descendants, of the British Indian Ocean Territory (also known as the Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands), live in Seychelles.
In November 2022, the UK government launched a British nationality route for individuals of Chagossian descent.
Seychelles: legitimacy
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Seychelles.
Legitimacy
Seychelles recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.
A child will be considered:
- legitimate if the:
- parents are married at the time of birth
- parents marry after the child is born, and the husband legally recognises the child (this information will be added to the birth register)
- mother marries a man who is not the father of the children (the marriage certificate will confirm the children are now legitimate)
- illegitimate if the:
- parents never marry
Marriage certificates often have the names of illegitimate children who become legitimated by the marriage. This occurs even if the man named on the marriage certificate is not the father of the children. A sentence is added under the details stating that all (natural) the (named) children are now legitimated.
Seychelles: adoption
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Seychelles.
Adoption is legal in Seychelles.
Seychelles: surrogacy
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Seychelles.
Surrogacy is legal in Seychelles.
Seychelles: gender recognition
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Seychelles.
Transgender citizens are not recognised in Seychelles.
Seychelles: civil partnerships and marriage
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Seychelles.
Same sex marriage is not allowed in Seychelles.
Only civil marriages are legal in Seychelles.
Seychelles: documents
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Seychelles.
Birth certificates
All births must be registered within 30 days. Late registrations are allowed.
There are 2 types of birth certificates issued in Seychelles:
- unabridged certificate, acceptable for HM Passport Office Purposes
- abridged, not acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes
The unabridged certificate shows all the information on the birth record and any marginal notes.
If there is an error on a certificate the abridged certificate will be reprinted with the corrected information, the unabridged certificate will have marginal notes added.
Marriage certificates
Only civil marriages are legal in Seychelles. A religious marriage can only take place after a civil marriage has taken place. All marriages must be registered within 1 year and these are registered at the Civil Status Office.
Marriage certificates often have the names of illegitimate children who become legitimated by the marriage.
Death certificates
All deaths must be registered within 24 hours with the Civil Status Office and a certificate issued. Late registrations are allowed with a court order.
Identity documents
Seychelles citizens are required to have a National Identity Card. Foreign national residents are entitled to hold an identity card but this is not mandatory. Identity cards for minors do not have a photograph.