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Metal Detecting Laws in Seychelles

By the LuckyFind team Sourced from national law and official guidance
Sources checked October 12, 2026 ~6 min read

Heritage-purpose searching in Seychelles requires prior written approval from the Seychelles Heritage Agency, on land or underwater and on public or private sites. Ordinary detecting for recent lost items remains unresolved. Designated protected areas separately prohibit activities that alter the configuration of the soil, so an ordinary recovery hole can breach that rule. A heritage discovery requires an immediate stop and notification to both the Agency and the National Monuments Board; approval to search does not give ownership of the find.

Can I detect in Seychelles?

The short answer for each kind of land. Tap a card for the detail and the rule’s own words.

Open in many areas without a permitPermit, registration, or designated beaches onlyProhibited or effectively closed

The rules, land by land

Anywhere: national heritage law

Permit required

Heritage-purpose searching requires prior written approval; ordinary modern-loss detecting remains unresolved.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • This status describes heritage-purpose searching. The captured law does not settle the complete rule for an ordinary detector sweep seeking recent lost items. It is not a general recreational detector licence, nor does it grant entry rights, ownership of finds or an exemption from site restrictions.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“No person shall undertake, authorise, permit or engage in any archaeological excavation, dig, exploration, or survey activity, whether on land or underwater, within the territory of Seychelles except with the prior written approval of the Seychelles Heritage Agency.”

Digging

Permit required

Archaeological excavation on land or underwater requires prior written Agency approval.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • Under 46, apply in the prescribed manner with the precise location and site description, nature/scope/methodology/duration, people and qualifications, conservation/safety/documentation/reporting measures, and any other required information. The Agency evaluates in consultation with other entities it considers necessary and recommends approval, refusal or conditional approval; no approval is guaranteed.
  • Sections 47–51 retain discovery, no-removal, State ownership, custody and compliance conditions. No professional-only eligibility, fee, processing period or transferable hobby licence was established. Ordinary digging for recent lost objects is not resolved by this archaeological-purpose rule, and protected-area restrictions can be stricter.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“No person shall undertake, authorise, permit or engage in any archaeological excavation, dig, exploration, or survey activity, whether on land or underwater, within the territory of Seychelles except with the prior written approval of the Seychelles Heritage Agency.”

Keeping finds

No verdict yet

Heritage discoveries belong to the State; the complete ownership rule for every detector find is unresolved.

  • Section 48 of the 2026 Act vests all relics, artefacts, objects, fossils or materials discovered under its heritage chapter in the Republic of Seychelles, regardless of land or site ownership; contrary agreements or claims are void. Definitions in section 42 include fossils and objects of the stated cultural, historical, archaeological and other values. The pre-1900 date defines ancient monument, not every protected object.
  • Section 47(2) prohibits removing, altering or interfering with discovered heritage items without written Agency authorization. Section 50 requires recording, cataloguing and documentation, deposit with the institution the Agency designates, and preservation to the prescribed standards.
  • Subject to State ownership, section 49 says the Republic shall, on the Agency’s recommendation, award a finder’s fee for a lawful discovery. Its amount, form and conditions are negotiated and determined under regulations. Those regulations and any fixed amount were not captured; this is not a right to retain or sell the object.
  • Civil Code Article 713 gives treasure trove to the owner of the land where found, or halves it between finder and landowner when found on another’s land. Its definition requires hidden or buried property for which nobody can prove ownership AND discovery by chance. Deliberate detector searches cannot simply be treated as chance discoveries, and this general rule does not override the 2026 heritage State-ownership rule.
  • Article 2279 recognizes good-faith possession of movables but allows a person who lost goods or whose goods were stolen to vindicate them within five years from loss or theft. This is an owner’s claim period, not a five-year finder custody procedure or automatic right to keep a newly found ring. Articles 713/2279 are unaffected by the three outstanding amendments flagged in the captured Code and checked separately; complete later legislative coverage is not certified.
  • Wreck follows the separate Merchant Shipping Act process: written notice to the receiver, possible delivery on the receiver’s notice, owner claims within 12 months from the receiver taking possession, and possible sale/payment of unclaimed proceeds to the Consolidated Fund. The 12 months is not an automatic finder award. Current complete ordinary lost-property reporting, custody and title procedures remain unconfirmed.
What the rule says
“All relics, artefacts, objects, fossils or materials discovered pursuant to this Chapter shall vest in and be the property of the Republic of Seychelles, notwithstanding the ownership of the land or site on which the discovery is made.”

Reporting finds

Must be reported

Stop and report heritage discoveries to both the Agency and the National Monuments Board without delay.

  • Section 47(1) applies to any person discovering or uncovering a relic, monument, object, fossil, artefact or material of archaeological, historical, cultural or scientific value. Immediately cease all activity at the site, notify BOTH the Seychelles Heritage Agency and National Monuments Board without delay, and submit a full declaration with all relevant details.
  • Under section 47(2), do not remove, alter or interfere with the discovered item without written Agency authorization. Reporting is separate from permission to search and from State ownership. No fixed number of hours is substituted for without delay.
  • This confirmed duty is for the statutory heritage category, not a demonstrated universal duty covering every recent lost object. Maritime wreck has its own written receiver-notification rule, including owner-finders; ordinary lost-property reporting deadlines remain unconfirmed.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“No discovered item shall be removed, altered or interfered with except with written authorisation from the Agency.”

Beaches & foreshore

Permit required

Heritage searches on beaches require Agency approval; access and marine-zone rules remain separate.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • This status describes heritage-purpose searching. The captured law does not settle the complete rule for an ordinary detector sweep seeking recent lost items. It is not a general recreational detector licence, nor does it grant entry rights, ownership of finds or an exemption from site restrictions.
  • Beach Control Regulations 17 require prior written Police Commissioner consent for a beach game, sport or other activity likely to endanger, obstruct, inconvenience or annoy another person. This is a qualified interference rule, not an express blanket ban or universal permit for every detector sweep. The captured 1991 reproduction is not a verified complete current beach code.
  • Physical Planning Act sections 47–48 control coastal development and provide qualified public-access provisions; they do not establish unrestricted passage across every private property or permission to search. Removal of Sand and Gravel Act 3 addresses abstraction and removal off property, including digging or stacking for removal, rather than every small backfilled hole.
  • A beach within a designated protected area also carries the protected-area soil-alteration restriction. From mean high water seaward, Marine Spatial Plan Regulations 2025 have zone-specific conditions and exclude certain named existing reserves/parks; local zone, management and marine permissions must be established separately. Wreck and heritage discoveries carry distinct reporting and ownership rules.
What the rule says
“No person shall undertake, authorise, permit or engage in any archaeological excavation, dig, exploration, or survey activity, whether on land or underwater, within the territory of Seychelles except with the prior written approval of the Seychelles Heritage Agency.”

Reporting finds

Must be reported

Wreck found locally or brought into Seychelles must be notified in writing to the receiver.

  • Merchant Shipping Act 185(1) covers any person, including the owner, who finds or takes possession of wreck within Seychelles jurisdiction, or who brings in wreck found or taken outside it. Give written notice to the receiver for the area of finding/possession or, for imported wreck, the area into which it is brought. This special maritime rule is not a general lost-ring reporting deadline.
  • Section 186 permits the receiver to take possession or require delivery by written notice. Section 187’s 48-hour period is the receiver’s duty to send a description to the Commissioner of Customs, as amended in 2020; it is not a 48-hour deadline imposed on the finder.
  • Under 188, an owner must establish the claim within 12 months after the receiver takes possession and pay salvage, fees and expenses to recover the wreck or proceeds. Under 189, specified early-sale cases exist and, after 12 months without a proved ownership claim, the receiver may sell and pay proceeds into the Consolidated Fund. No automatic finder ownership follows.
  • Section 192, as amended by 2020 Act 2(zzz), requires prior written Receiver of Wrecks approval before removing the specified wreck or wrecked/stranded/abandoned vessel from Seychelles jurisdiction. Heritage wreck may additionally trigger 2026 heritage approval, reporting and State ownership. The older maritime base and 2014/2020 amendments were captured; the 2014 commencement notice and a complete current consolidation were not.
What the rule says
“shall notify, in writing, the receiver in respect of the area where he found or took possession of the wreck”

Protected monuments

Permit required

Searching for archaeological or historical material at monuments needs prior written Agency approval.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • The 2026 Act section 42 definitions cover ancient and national monuments, archaeological or historical areas, old buildings/structures and objects of the specified value; a listed site is not the only place the national heritage-search control applies. The pre-1900 ancient-monument definition is not a universal age test for all relics.
  • Site admission does not authorize archaeological searching or recovery. Section 47 controls discoveries and removal; section 51 permits inspection, compliance directions and suspension or revocation of approval for non-compliance or risk to heritage resources. The former National Monuments Act’s Board-consent and private-ownership provisions are not relied on as current authority.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“No person shall undertake, authorise, permit or engage in any archaeological excavation, dig, exploration, or survey activity, whether on land or underwater, within the territory of Seychelles except with the prior written approval of the Seychelles Heritage Agency.”

National parks & nature reserves

Prohibited

Ordinary detecting with soil-disturbing recovery is barred in designated protected areas.

  • Nature Reserves and Conservancy Act section 26(1)(a) makes participation in activity altering the configuration of the soil in a protected area an offence. Ordinary target recovery that alters soil falls within that restriction; there is no demonstrated hobby-digging exception. This does not assert that carrying a detector or every non-disturbing sweep is expressly banned.
  • Sections 14 and 17 separately require compliance with the area’s category, management plan and entry conditions. A manager may allow an activity meeting section 14’s plan, category, agreement and objectives requirements. Visitor admission or a heritage-search approval is not by itself an exemption from the soil-alteration offence; authorized management or specialist activity must be assessed under its actual terms.
  • Act 3 of 2022 commenced 3 July 2023. The row concerns designated protected areas, not every public space. Marine Spatial Plan Regulations 2025 apply different zone-specific prohibitions and conditional approvals from mean high water seaward, exclude the named pre-existing reserves and parks in regulation 4, and rely on additional deposited definitions/management documents not captured. No uniform detector rule for the entire EEZ or blanket marine digging exception is inferred.
  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
What the rule says
“does or takes part in any activity involving the alteration of the configuration of the soil”

State forests

Permit required

Heritage searching requires Agency approval; forest-reserve access is a separate control.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • This status describes heritage-purpose searching. The captured law does not settle the complete rule for an ordinary detector sweep seeking recent lost items. It is not a general recreational detector licence, nor does it grant entry rights, ownership of finds or an exemption from site restrictions.
  • The captured Forest Reserves Act concerns reserves constituted from State land by order, not all land with trees. Section 6 bars presence off a public road or footpath unless accompanied by a forest officer or delegate OR holding the Chief Agricultural Officer’s written permit. Section 5 separately requires written permission for destroying or removing trees, wood or forest produce; section 7 controls wood-cutting implements with its lawful-purpose defence.
  • That forest text is the 1991 revised edition. Current reserve boundaries, later amendments and any successor to the named statutory office were not verified; its entry permission is not represented as permission to detect or excavate. Forest lying within a designated protected area also carries that area’s controls.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“No person shall undertake, authorise, permit or engage in any archaeological excavation, dig, exploration, or survey activity, whether on land or underwater, within the territory of Seychelles except with the prior written approval of the Seychelles Heritage Agency.”

Private land

Permit required

Private land and the searcher’s own land remain subject to the heritage-search approval rule.

  • Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey on land or underwater within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so this control reaches archaeological searches, not only excavation.
  • Section 45(2) expressly applies whether the land or site is public or privately owned. A landowner’s agreement cannot replace the Agency’s written approval for heritage searching or change State ownership under 48.
  • The complete entry and ordinary modern-loss detector rule for private, occupied or leased land was not confirmed. No right to enter another person’s property is inferred. Keep access consent, statutory search approval, permission for actual digging and rights to discoveries separate.
  • The enacted Act was published 1 June 2026 and has no deferred commencement clause; the captured Interpretation and General Provisions Act section 25 provides publication commencement. The 2021 predecessor repealed the old National Monuments Act and is itself repealed by 2026 Act 69. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed; their complete current set and the practical application form, fee and processing time were not established.
What the rule says
“This section applies whether the land or site concerned is public or privately owned.”

Even where detecting is allowed, archaeological and historic sites are protected, and you must fill every hole and follow posted rules. Always confirm the current rule with the land manager.

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Please read: this is general information for detectorists, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by individual park, city, and agency. We cite the official sources below, but always confirm the current rule with the specific land manager before you detect — and when in doubt, ask first. Sources checked October 12, 2026; see the source notes for scope.

The national search rule and the 2026 Act

Sections 2 and 45 of the Seychelles Culture, Heritage and the Arts Act, 2026 (Act 7 of 2026) require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval for archaeological excavation, digging, exploration or survey within Seychelles. The definition includes searching land or seabed for objects of historical, archaeological or cultural value, so the control extends beyond excavation alone.

This is a heritage-purpose rule. It does not establish a general recreational detector license or settle the complete rule for a sweep seeking recent lost items. Search approval does not grant entry rights, ownership or an exemption from another site restriction.

The enacted Act was published on June 1, 2026 with no deferred commencement clause; section 25 of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, Chapter 103 provides for commencement on publication. Section 69 repeals the 2021 predecessor, which had repealed the old National Monuments Act. Section 70 saves existing subsidiary instruments until changed. Their complete current set, and the practical application form, fee and processing time, were not established.

Applications, monuments and private land

Section 46 calls for an application in the prescribed manner describing the precise site, proposed work and methods, duration, people and qualifications, and conservation, safety, documentation and reporting measures. The Agency evaluates it in consultation with other entities it considers necessary and recommends approval, refusal or conditional approval. Approval is not guaranteed, and no professional-only eligibility rule or transferable hobby license was established.

Section 45(2) expressly covers public and private sites, including a searcher’s own land. Landowner agreement does not replace written Agency approval for heritage searching. Entry consent, statutory search approval, the proposed excavation and rights to discoveries remain separate; the complete ordinary modern-loss rule for occupied or leased sites is unresolved.

The heritage definitions cover more than listed monuments. The pre-1900 definition of an ancient monument is not a universal age test for every relic or protected object. Site admission does not authorize archaeological recovery, and approval remains subject to discovery, no-removal and compliance controls, including possible suspension or revocation.

Protected areas and marine zones

Section 26(1)(a) of the Nature Reserves and Conservancy Act, 2022 (Act 3 of 2022) makes participation in an activity altering the configuration of the soil in a protected area an offense. Ordinary target recovery that alters soil falls within the restriction; no hobby-digging exception was established. This does not mean that carrying a detector or every sweep without disturbance is expressly banned.

Sections 14 and 17 separately require compliance with the area’s category, management plan and entry conditions. A manager may allow an activity meeting the plan, category, agreement and objectives requirements. Admission or heritage-search approval alone does not exempt a recovery from the soil-alteration offense; management or specialist authorization must be assessed under its actual terms.

The protected-area Act commenced on July 3, 2023 and concerns designated areas, not every public space. The Nature Reserves and Conservancy (Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan) Regulations, 2025 (S.I.18 of 2025) apply different zone-specific prohibitions and conditional approvals from mean high water seaward. Regulation 4 excludes specified pre-existing reserves and parks, and additional deposited definitions and management documents were not available. Neither one detector rule for the whole exclusive economic zone nor a blanket marine-digging exception is established.

Beaches and forest reserves

Heritage searches on beaches require Agency approval. Regulation 17 in the captured Beach Control Act, Chapter 14, and Beach Control Regulations separately requires prior written consent of the Commissioner of Police for an activity on a beach likely to endanger, obstruct, inconvenience or annoy another person using the beach. That qualified interference rule is not an express blanket detector ban or universal sweep permit. The 1991 reproduction is not a verified complete current beach code.

The captured Physical Planning Act, 2021 (Act 55 of 2021) regulates development of land adjacent to the sea and contains qualified provisions for public beach access (PDF pages 35–36; printed pages 971–972). It does not establish unrestricted passage across every private property or permission to search. Section 3 of the Removal of Sand and Gravel Act, Chapter 203 concerns abstraction and removal off property, including digging or stacking for removal; it is not treated as a ban on every small backfilled recovery hole.

The captured Forest Reserves Act, Chapter 84 concerns reserves constituted from State land by order, not all wooded land. Its section 6 bars presence off a public road or footpath unless accompanied by a forest officer or delegate, or holding the Chief Agricultural Officer’s written permit. Section 5 separately controls destruction or removal of trees, wood and forest produce; section 7 controls wood-cutting implements with a lawful-purpose defense.

The forest text is a 1991 revised edition. Current reserve boundaries, later amendments and any successor to its named office were not verified, and entry permission is not detector or excavation permission. Beaches and forests within designated protected areas also carry those areas’ controls; marine-zone and heritage requirements remain separate.

Heritage discoveries: stop and report

Section 47 applies to anyone discovering or uncovering a relic, monument, object, fossil, artifact or material of archaeological, historical, cultural or scientific value. Immediately cease all activity at the site, notify both the Seychelles Heritage Agency and the National Monuments Board without delay, and submit a full declaration with all relevant details.

Do not remove, alter or interfere with a discovered item without written Agency authorization. No fixed number of hours replaces the without-delay duty. This confirmed rule concerns the statutory heritage category; it is not a demonstrated universal reporting deadline for every recent lost object.

Ownership, finder fees and ordinary losses

Section 48 vests items discovered under the heritage chapter in the Republic of Seychelles regardless of who owns the land or site; contrary agreements or claims are void. Section 50 requires recording, cataloguing and documentation, deposit with the institution designated by the Agency, and preservation to the required standards.

Subject to State ownership, section 49 says the Republic shall, upon the Agency’s recommendation, award a finder’s fee for a lawful discovery. The amount, form and conditions are negotiated and determined under regulations. Those regulations and any fixed amount were not available in the reviewed material. The fee is not a right to retain or sell the object.

Article 713 of the Civil Code of Seychelles Act, 2020 (Act 1 of 2021) gives treasure trove to the landowner, or divides it equally between finder and landowner when found on another person’s land. The definition requires hidden or buried property for which nobody can prove ownership and discovery by chance. A deliberate detector search cannot simply be treated as chance, and the general treasure rule does not override the 2026 heritage State-ownership provision.

Article 2279 recognizes good-faith possession of movables but allows a person whose goods were lost or stolen to vindicate them within five years of loss or theft. That is an owner’s claim period, not a five-year finder-custody procedure or an automatic right to keep a newly found ring. Complete ordinary lost-property reporting, custody and title procedures remain unconfirmed.

Wreck has a separate process

Section 185(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act, Chapter 127 A covers anyone, including an owner, who finds or takes possession of wreck within Seychelles jurisdiction or brings in wreck found or taken outside it. Give written notice to the receiver for the area of finding or possession, or the area into which imported wreck is brought. This maritime rule is not a general lost-ring reporting deadline.

Under section 186, the receiver may take possession or require delivery by written notice. The 48-hour period in section 187 is the receiver’s duty to send a description to the Commissioner of Customs, as amended in 2020; it is not a 48-hour deadline for the finder.

An owner must establish a claim within 12 months after the receiver takes possession and pay salvage, fees and expenses to recover the wreck or proceeds. Section 189 allows specified early sales and, after 12 months without a proved ownership claim, possible sale and payment of proceeds into the Consolidated Fund. The period does not produce an automatic finder award.

Section 192, as amended in 2020, requires prior written Receiver of Wrecks approval before the specified wreck or wrecked, stranded or abandoned vessel is removed from Seychelles jurisdiction. Heritage wreck can additionally trigger heritage approval, reporting and State ownership. The maritime base and 2014/2020 amendments were reviewed, but the 2014 commencement notice and a complete current consolidation were not available.

Evidence and implementation limits

The guide uses the enacted 2026 heritage law and its supported repeal and commencement framework. It does not certify a complete set of saved subsidiary instruments or the practical details of administering applications and finder fees. The Interpretation Act reproduction has no established version date, and a complete current consolidation was not verified.

The three outstanding amendments flagged in the captured Civil Code were checked and do not amend articles 713 or 2279; complete later coverage remains unverified. Older forest and beach texts, uncaptured local management documents and maritime commencement gaps retain their stated limits. None of these gaps establishes permission for ordinary modern-loss detecting, entry, digging or keeping a find.

Sources

Official and statutory sources this page is based on (source check: October 12, 2026):

Heritage searches, discoveries and State ownership are governed here by the enacted 2026 Act. Modern lost-item procedures, saved subsidiary instruments, practical application and finder-fee details, local management conditions and complete later consolidation of older texts remain unresolved. Permission to search, access, recover and retain are separate questions.

Keep your permitted Seychelles spots organized

Once you’ve confirmed where you’re allowed to hunt, LuckyFind helps you make the most of it — track your route on the map, log each find with its location, and revisit your saved hunt records. LuckyFind does not verify land access or grant detecting permission. Free for iPhone and Android.

New to LuckyFind? Follow the first-hunt checklist, then learn how to record a hunt and add finds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does metal detecting in Seychelles require approval?
Heritage-purpose searches require prior written Seychelles Heritage Agency approval, including on private land and underwater. The complete rule for an ordinary detector sweep seeking recent lost items remains unresolved; the heritage provision is not a general recreational detector license.
Can I recover a target in a protected area?
Ordinary recovery that alters the configuration of the soil is barred in designated protected areas. Visitor admission or heritage-search approval is not by itself an exception. Applicable management rules and any specialist authorization must be assessed on their actual terms.
What must I do if I uncover heritage?
Immediately cease all activity at the site, notify both the Seychelles Heritage Agency and National Monuments Board without delay, and submit a full declaration. Do not remove, alter or interfere with the item without written Agency authorization.
Can I keep a heritage find or receive a reward?
Discoveries under the 2026 heritage chapter belong to the State. Section 49 says the Republic shall award a finder’s fee for a lawful discovery upon the Agency’s recommendation, with amount, form and conditions determined under regulations. No fixed amount was confirmed, and a fee does not confer ownership.
Does five years of possession make a lost ring mine?
Article 2279’s five-year period concerns an owner’s claim from loss or theft. It is not a finder-custody procedure or automatic permission to retain a recent loss. The complete ordinary lost-property process was not confirmed.
Do I have 48 hours to report wreck?
The captured 48-hour rule concerns the receiver’s report to Customs, not the finder. Section 185 requires written notice to the appropriate receiver from a finder or possessor, including an owner, within its local or imported-wreck scope. No numerical finder deadline is substituted here.

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