Pillar guide

International tax residency, country by country

Most countries make you a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there in a year, but 'a year' might be the calendar year, a fiscal year, or a rolling 12-month window, and 'a day' might mean any presence or only a midnight stay. Some countries count cumulative days across multiple years; a few never use a clean threshold at all.

On top of the day count sit the special regimes that draw mobile people in the first place: territorial systems that don't tax foreign income, non-dom regimes in the UK, Cyprus, Italy, and Malta, Portugal's IFICI, and a wave of digital-nomad visas. A visa is not tax residency, and a golden visa rarely changes where you actually owe tax, the day count usually still decides.

This hub links every country's rule page, the country and regime guides, and the tools that track Schengen, the Substantial Presence Test, and any 183-day threshold.

In-depth guides

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does every country use the 183-day rule?

Most do, but the period and day-counting differ. The UK uses an April–April tax year and a sufficient-ties test, Australia a July–June year, Hong Kong a cumulative two-year count, and the US a three-year weighted formula. Some countries also trigger residency on a home or center of vital interests well before 183 days.

Does a digital-nomad visa or golden visa make me a tax resident?

Not by itself. Immigration status and tax residency are separate. You generally become a tax resident by spending enough days or establishing a home, the visa just lets you stay. Always check the day-count rule, not the visa.

What happens if two countries both claim me as a resident?

If the two countries have a tax treaty, its tie-breaker decides, looking in order at your permanent home, center of vital interests, habitual abode, and nationality. Day counts feed every step.

Track all of it in one app

Tax Days runs every rule in this guide on your iPhone, a live day count across US states, federal SPT, Schengen, and 200+ countries.

Download Tax Days on the App Store