Marriage to a Seychellois citizen and spousal sponsorship to Canada under the marriage immigration initiative is a complex process.
This page is designed to guide you through your marriage to a Seychellois citizen and the spousal sponsorship process.

Marriage to a Seychellois Citizen

Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Seychellois citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.

If you want to bring your Seychellois spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.

 

Processing Time

If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Seychellois spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.

A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.

Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.

 

Seychellois Marriage Basic Requirements

In order to marry a citizen of Seychelles, you must demonstrate to the Seychellois government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:

• Proof of country of birth
• Proof of single status
• Proof of age requirement

 

Seychellois Marriage Ceremony

When planning your wedding in Seychelles, there are certain legal requirements which need to be adhered to:

• A church wedding without a civil ceremony is not recognised as being legal and the parties must therefore contract a civil wedding prior to the religious ceremony.
• Persons wishing to organise their own wedding must apply to the Seychelles Civil Status Office in Victoria on Mahe for a civil ceremony and the relevant church body for the religious ceremony.
• It is advisable that the wedding is planned at least two months in advance to allow for the processing of documentation.
• Couples must advise the Civil Status Office of their wedding date at least eleven calendar days in advance. However, this eleven-day period may be exempted by applying for a Special Licence, normally issued within two days from the date of application at a cost of SR100.
• The couple must be present in Seychelles at least 2 days prior to the civil ceremony.
• Civil ceremonies may be conducted around the hotel property with permission from both the hotel and the Civil Registrar. Weddings outside the hotel property can only be performed in private and authorised places. The authorisation needs to be obtained from the Civil Registrar.
• Weddings can also be performed in the Civil Status Office on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 0900hrs and 1100hrs, in the presence of two witnesses provided by the parties themselves.
• Couples wishing to marry outside the Civil Status Office will be required to pay a fee of SR350.
• Couples wishing to marry on one of the Outer Islands, including Alphonse or Desroches islands, will be required to pay a fee of SR500 plus the transportation costs to these islands for the Registrar Officer.
• The rate of SR700 is charged for ceremonies held after 1700hrs on a weekday or at any time on a Saturday and Sunday. This fee includes the SR350 cost for marrying outside the Civil Status Office.
• Legally conducted marriages in Seychelles are recognised under European laws.
• There are no nationality requirements that need to be fulfilled.
• A special stamp (Apostille) is required to validate the marriage certificate obtained after the civil ceremony for all nationalities except for British nationals. This stamp is available at the Registrar’s office located at the Supreme Court for a fee of SR65.

The couple must produce the following documents:

• Birth certificate or certified copy thereof
• If either party is divorced, the decree of divorce must be produced
• If either parties is a widow or widower, the death certificate of the former spouse must be produced
• Legal proof in the case of a name having been changed
• Copies of the first 2 pages of the valid passports for both parties
• Document to show that there is no impediment or lawful hindrance to the intended marriage (If this cannot be obtained, an affidavit has to be signed in Seychelles after a solemn declaration has been made to that effect).

All the above documents must be originals or copies duly certified before departure from one’s home country and must translated into either English or French, if the translation has not already been made.

Fees are subject to change. Please contact the Seychelles Civil Status Office for up-to-date information.

Seychelles Civil Status Office
PO Box 430 Victoria Mahe Seychelles
Tel: +248 38 31 82/83
Fax: +248 22 56 60
Email: [email protected]
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 0800 – 1600hrs

 

List of Seychellois Consulates in Canada

Click here

Calling Seychelles from Canada

011 – 248 – Prefix – local number, where

• 011 is the exit code for North America
• 248 is the country code for Seychelles
• 4 is the landline prefix
• 2 is the cellular prefix

 

Calling Canada from Seychelles

00 – 1 – Area Code – local number

Follow the dialling format shown above while calling Canada from Seychelles.

• 00- Exit code for Seychelles, and is needed for making any international call from Seychelles
• 1 – ISD Code or Country Code of Canada

Canadian Area Codes

Province	Code	Province	Code
Alberta	403 / 587 (southern Alberta) 587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta)	Nunavut	867
BC	236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC) 236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver)	Ontario	226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario) 249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario)
Manitoba	204 / 431	PEI	782 / 902
New  Brunswick	506	Quebec	418 / 581 (eastern Quebec) 438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec)
Newfoundland and Labrador	709	Saskatchewan	306 / 639
Northwest Territories	867	Yukon	867
Nova Scotia	782 / 902

 

Time Difference

Seychelles Time is GMT+4. Seychelles is very close to the equator, so they do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Canadian Time Zone	# of Hours Seychelles is Ahead	# of Hours during DST
Pacific (BC, Yukon)	12 hours	11 hours
Mountain (Alberta, western Nunavut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan)	11 hours	10 hours
Saskatchewan	10 hours	10 hours
Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario)	10 hours	9 hours
Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec)	9 hours	8 hours
Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec)	8 hours	7 hours
Newfoundland	7.5 hours	6.5 hours

 

Emergency Information for Canadians in Seychelles

There is no Canadian diplomatic mission in Seychelles. For assistance, contact the High Commission in Tanzania.

High Commission of Canada in Dar es Salaam 38 Mirambo Street Corner of Garden Avenue Dar es Salaam Tanzania Postal Address: P.O. Box 1022, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Telephone: 255 (22) 216-3300 Fax: 255 (22) 211-6897 E-mail: [email protected] Website: tanzania.gc.ca

View Larger Map

 

The Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for Seychelles

For travel alerts, click here

Sponsoring Your Seychellois Spouse to Canada

The sponsorship process is time-consuming and can be frustrating. To learn more about it, click the button below:

Learn More