Technical article
Owning a Home in Seychelles: The Yearly Tax and Who Pays for Care
The page does not say whether foreign residents are eligible, or whether public hospitals charge them.
Picture a couple named Grace and Tom, 66 and 68, from Leeds. They have found a small house on Mahé and they like the idea of owning it. Before they sign, they want two numbers. What does it cost every year to hold the house? And who pays if one of them falls ill?
The yearly tax
The Seychelles Revenue Commission describes an Immovable Property Tax. The Act "came into effect in January 2020," with changes in 2022. It applies "to all non-Seychellois owning an immovable property in the Seychelles."
| Item | What the Revenue Commission page says |
|---|---|
| Rate | "0.50% of the of the property's market value" (the page's own wording) |
| Value used | The approved valuation, set by the Ministry of Land Use and Housing |
| Date charged | Imposed on 1 January each year; payable by 31 December |
| Exempt | Commercial or industrial property; residential property owned by a taxpayer married to a Seychellois |
| First-time buyers | A non-Seychellois who becomes a first-time residential owner after 1 January 2020 may be exempt for one year, on written application |
| Currency | Non-citizens may pay "in Dollars ($), Euros (€) or Pound Sterling (£) only" |
My arithmetic: a home valued by the Ministry at SCR 4,000,000 would carry a yearly tax of SCR 20,000. That is an example, not a quote. The page does not say what the valuations are, and the Revenue Commission's FAQ page says payments are converted at the Central Bank of Seychelles mid-rate on the day received. It adds that any extra paid is carried forward as a credit. Neither page shows a date. The only date is a 2026 copyright line.
The medical care catch
The Immigration and Civil Status page for the residence permit lists the fees: SCR 150,000 for five years for the main applicant, SCR 75,000 for a spouse, SCR 1,000 to process. It also asks for a bank guarantee of at least SCR 20,000, which the Chief Immigration Officer may use to cover government costs of "care, treatment, maintenance, or removal." Then it says the holder "shall not be entitled to free medical service in Seychelles" and is excluded from social security benefits under the Social Security Act 1987. The page does not mention health insurance and shows no update date.
So a permit holder pays for treatment. Cover that pays on the island, and for treatment elsewhere, is a question for the reader's insurer.
A neighbour for comparison: Mauritius
The Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness has an Overseas Treatment Unit. It says it "provides financial assistance and all necessary support to patients who have been recommended for treatment abroad" by a Medical Board. Patients must meet household income criteria. Treatment is arranged in Indian institutions that the Ministry has agreements with. The page does not say whether foreign residents are eligible, or whether public hospitals charge them. I give no answer to either.
What is left open
- Whether Seychelles' public hospital rules for foreign owners differ from those on the permit page. The Ministry of Health page is not among the sources.
- Where Seychelles sends a seriously ill patient. No official page is among the sources.
- Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Bermuda, Maldives, Samoa, French Polynesia and Cape Verde: not checked or blocked. No figures given.
- Whether foreigners may buy land at all in Seychelles. This article assumes a purchase is allowed and covers only the tax.
You could…
- Ask the seller for the current valuation and last tax paid.
- Ask your insurer what it pays on the island and for travel to another country.
- Ask an accountant or lawyer who works with Britons abroad to check the tax and the permit.
If the house cost SCR 20,000 a year to hold, would that change what you would offer?
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: 10 October 2026.
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