# Citizenship routes and their limits Current Seychelles evidence supports marriage and exceptional routes, not an unqualified promise of citizenship after a general residence period. The 2023 amendment repealed two earlier statutory routes. Scope: Adult acquisition baseline, separating the unresolved general residence-only route from documented marriage and presidential registration provisions. Jurisdiction: Republic of Seychelles. Sources reviewed 2026-09-22; review due 2026-12-21. General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying. ## No general residence-only threshold established This review does not establish a current ordinary route open to any adult solely after a fixed residence period. Act 25 of 2023 repealed sections 5B and 5C; the current Immigration and Civil Status naturalisation guidance describes a marriage cohort. Older generic residence summaries should not be used as a universal eligibility rule. Evidence: not established. [Republic of Seychelles, Official Gazette: Citizenship (Amendment) Act 25 of 2023](https://www.gazette.sc/sites/default/files/2023-12/Act%2025%20-%202023%20-%20Citizenship%20%28Amendment%29%20Act%202023.pdf); [Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status: Acquisition of Citizenship](https://www.ics.gov.sc/citizenship/aquisition-of-citizenship). Source location: Act 25/2023 sections 5–6, PDF page 5; ICS 'Naturalized Citizen'. ## Marriage and qualifying legal residence For the documented marriage route, ICS requires at least 15 years married to a Seychelles citizen, for marriages from 29 June 1976, and at least two aggregate years of legal residence. The amended statutory definition requires residence under an Immigration Decree permit and excludes a visitor's permit; marriage duration is not a residence or processing period. Evidence: conditional. [Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status: Acquisition of Citizenship](https://www.ics.gov.sc/citizenship/aquisition-of-citizenship); [Republic of Seychelles, Official Gazette: Citizenship (Amendment) Act 25 of 2023](https://www.gazette.sc/sites/default/files/2023-12/Act%2025%20-%202023%20-%20Citizenship%20%28Amendment%29%20Act%202023.pdf). Source location: ICS 'Naturalized Citizen'; Act 25/2023 sections 2(a) and 7, PDF pages 3 and 5. ## Citizenship examination ICS describes a 25-question citizenship examination drawn from a pool of 100, taken in English, French or Kreol, with an 80% pass mark before submitting the application. Its marriage requirements specify at least 80%; no CEFR proficiency level is established by these sources. Evidence: documented. [Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status: Acquisition of Citizenship](https://www.ics.gov.sc/citizenship/aquisition-of-citizenship). Source location: ICS 'Citizenship Examination' and 'Naturalized Citizen'. ## Marriage-route conduct and absences The current marriage guidance requires no sentence of imprisonment of one year or more for an offence punishable under Seychelles law. It also requires written ministerial permission for a continuous absence of one year or more. These are additional marriage-route checks, not an assurance that meeting residence and examination conditions guarantees approval. Evidence: conditional. [Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status: Acquisition of Citizenship](https://www.ics.gov.sc/citizenship/aquisition-of-citizenship). Source location: ICS 'Naturalized Citizen', final two requirements. ## Presidential registration is a separate route Amended section 5 permits the President, on the Citizenship Eligibility Committee's recommendation and with the person's consent, to register someone who has brought signal honour, rendered distinguished service or is otherwise meritorious. Its separate surviving-spouse provision has its own marriage, cohabitation, residence and other conditions. Neither provision establishes a generally obtainable residence-only route. Evidence: conditional. [Republic of Seychelles, Official Gazette: Citizenship (Amendment) Act 25 of 2023](https://www.gazette.sc/sites/default/files/2023-12/Act%2025%20-%202023%20-%20Citizenship%20%28Amendment%29%20Act%202023.pdf). Source location: Act 25/2023 section 3 replacing section 5, PDF pages 3–4. ## Concurrent nationality Constitution article 13(2) permits a Seychelles citizen to hold another citizenship concurrently and prohibits legislation under article 13(1)(a) from requiring renunciation of an existing citizenship as a condition of acquisition. The other country's own nationality law remains a separate question. Evidence: documented. [Judiciary of Seychelles / Government Printer: Constitution, Chapter 42, revised to August 2018](https://www.judiciary.sc/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/the-constitution-of-the-republic-of-seychelles-cap42.pdf). Source location: Constitution article 13(2), printed page 17 / PDF page 18; later constitutional amendments checked in research notes. ## Scope and limitations - A complete current consolidated Citizenship Act was not obtained; the enacted 2023 amendment and current cohort-specific administrative guidance were read. The general residence-only route remains unresolved, not a zero-year route or a finding that no route can exist. - ICS has stale or inconsistent general/FAQ wording; the current detailed marriage section is used, not the old ten-year marriage/five-year residence FAQ or repealed-route guide. - Parental descent, historical cohorts and surviving spouses are not fully assessed. No fee, processing time or approval guarantee is provided. ## Explore this passport - [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/seychelles) - [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/seychelles/taxes) - [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/SC) - [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries) [Canonical page](https://multipassrank.com/passport/seychelles/citizenship)