Glossary

Key terms in immigration, citizenship, tax, and international relocation. Clear definitions sourced from legal and regulatory frameworks.

1 3 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W

1

183-Day Ruletax: The most common threshold used to determine tax residency: spending 183 or more days in a jurisdiction during a tax year typically triggers resident tax status on worldwide income (in worldwide-taxati...

3

30% Ruling (Netherlands)tax: A Dutch tax benefit for highly skilled foreign employees recruited from abroad, allowing employers to provide 30% of gross salary as a tax-free allowance to cover extraterritorial costs. The ruling ap...

A

AOS (Adjustment of Status)immigration: The US immigration process by which a person already lawfully present in the United States changes from a non-immigrant status (for example H-1B, F-1, or O-1) to lawful permanent resident (green-card ...
Apostillelegal: An apostille is a form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents....

B

Beckham Lawtax: The Beckham Law is the colloquial name for a Spanish tax regime that allows qualifying foreign workers who relocate to Spain to elect to be taxed as non-residents on their Spanish income at a flat rat...
BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting)tax: The OECD/G20 project (launched 2013) addressing strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in international tax rules to shift profits to low- or no-tax jurisdictions. The 15 BEPS Actions produced sp...
BOI (Board of Investment)general: A government agency that promotes and incentivises foreign investment, most commonly referenced in the context of Thailand (Thai BOI). The Thai BOI offers tax holidays, work permit facilitation, and o...

C

CBI (Citizenship by Investment)citizenship: A programme through which a country grants citizenship to foreign nationals in exchange for a significant financial contribution or qualifying investment. CBI programmes typically involve non-refundab...
CFC (Controlled Foreign Corporation)tax: A Controlled Foreign Corporation is a foreign company in which citizens or residents of a high-tax country hold a controlling interest, triggering anti-avoidance rules that attribute certain undistrib...
CFC (Controlled Foreign Corporation)tax: A foreign company deemed controlled by shareholders resident in a 'home' country, triggering anti-deferral tax rules that tax the shareholders on the company's undistributed passive income. The US CFC...
CFC Rules (Controlled Foreign Corporation)tax: Tax rules that require domestic shareholders to include undistributed profits of a controlled foreign company in their taxable income, preventing tax deferral through offshore entities. Many countries...
Citizenship by Descentcitizenship: Citizenship by descent, also called ancestral citizenship, allows individuals to claim citizenship of a country based on the nationality of a parent, grandparent, or more distant ancestor. Eligibility...
Citizenship by Investment (CBI)citizenship: Citizenship by investment is a programme through which a country grants citizenship to foreign nationals who make a qualifying economic contribution, typically a non-refundable donation to a governmen...
Citizenship Testcitizenship: A standardised knowledge test required for naturalisation in most countries. Typically covers the country's history, system of government, rights and duties of citizens, geography, and cultural norms....
Conserverende Aanslag (Dutch Preserving Tax Assessment)tax: Dutch exit tax on shareholders emigrating from the Netherlands who hold a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang, 5%+) in a Dutch company or — in certain cases — on pension rights. The tax authorit...
Consular Processingimmigration: Consular processing is the procedure by which a foreign national applies for and obtains an immigrant or non-immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate abroad, rather than through adjustment of statu...
CRS (Common Reporting Standard)tax: The Common Reporting Standard is an international framework developed by the OECD for the automatic exchange of financial account information between tax authorities. Over 100 jurisdictions have commi...

D

Denaturalisationcitizenship: The involuntary revocation of citizenship by a state, typically as a consequence of fraud in the naturalisation process, treason, or service in a foreign military. Denaturalisation is distinct from re...
Digital Nomad Visaimmigration: A digital nomad visa is a category of temporary residence permit designed for remote workers and freelancers who earn their income from clients or employers outside the host country. Countries includi...
Domiciletax: Domicile is a legal concept referring to the country that a person treats as their permanent home and intends to reside in indefinitely. It differs from residency in that a person can be resident in o...
DTAA (Double Tax Avoidance Agreement)tax: A bilateral treaty between two countries that eliminates or reduces double taxation of income earned in one country by a resident of the other. DTAAs typically allocate taxing rights between the sourc...
DTV (Destination Thailand Visa)immigration: Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa, launched in July 2024, is a 5-year multiple-entry visa granting 180-day stays per entry (extendable for an additional 180 days once per stay) for digital nomads, ...
Dual Citizenshipcitizenship: Dual citizenship, also called dual nationality, is the status of an individual who is a citizen of two countries simultaneously. Whether dual citizenship is permitted depends on the laws of both count...
Due Diligencelegal: In the context of citizenship by investment and residency programmes, due diligence refers to the background screening process conducted on applicants to assess their integrity, source of funds, and p...
DV Lottery (Diversity Visa Programme)immigration: An annual US programme that issues 55,000 immigrant visas to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Applicants register for free during a six-week wind...

E

E-2 Treaty Investor Visa (US)immigration: A non-immigrant US visa allowing nationals of countries with a qualifying trade or investment treaty with the United States to enter and work to develop and direct a substantial investment in a US ent...
EAD (Employment Authorization Document)immigration: A US work-permit card issued by USCIS to certain non-citizens authorised to work in the United States, including AOS applicants, asylum seekers, certain dependants of work-visa holders (for example H-...
EEA (European Economic Area)immigration: An agreement extending the EU single market to three non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. EEA nationals enjoy the same freedom of movement, residence, and employment rights as EU citi...
EES (Entry/Exit System)immigration: The EU's biometric border-management system that records every entry to and exit from the Schengen Area by non-EU short-stay travellers, replacing the manual passport stamp. Launched on a phased basis...
EIN (Employer Identification Number)tax: A nine-digit federal tax identification number issued by the IRS to entities operating in the United States — corporations, LLCs, partnerships, sole proprietorships with employees, trusts, and estates...
Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)legal: Enhanced due diligence is a deeper level of background screening applied to higher-risk clients or applicants, such as politically exposed persons (PEPs), individuals from high-risk jurisdictions, or ...
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System)immigration: An electronic pre-travel authorisation required for visa-exempt nationals entering the Schengen Area for short stays once the system goes live (currently scheduled for late 2026 following multiple pos...
EU Blue Cardimmigration: The EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit that allows highly qualified non-EU nationals to live and work in participating European Union member states. To qualify, applicants generally must hold...
Exit Taxtax: An exit tax is a tax levied by a government on individuals who relinquish their citizenship or long-term residency, typically applied to unrealised capital gains as if all assets were sold on the date...
Exit Taxtax: A tax on unrealised capital gains or accumulated wealth imposed when a person ceases to be tax resident of a country. Different countries use different mechanisms: the US §877A exit tax for covered ex...

F

FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act)tax: FATCA is a US federal law enacted in 2010 that requires US persons, including citizens and green card holders, to report foreign financial accounts and assets to the Internal Revenue Service. Foreign ...
FATF Grey Listcompliance: The Financial Action Task Force's 'Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring' list — informally the 'grey list' — identifies countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money-laundering (AML) a...
FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report)tax: FBAR refers to FinCEN Form 114, which US persons must file annually if they hold financial interests in, or signature authority over, foreign bank accounts that in aggregate exceed USD 10,000 at any p...
FEIE (Foreign Earned Income Exclusion)tax: A US tax provision (IRC §911) allowing qualifying US citizens and residents living abroad to exclude up to approximately $120,000 (indexed annually) of foreign earned income from US federal income tax...
FIRPTA (Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act)tax: A 1980 US federal law requiring buyers of US real property from foreign sellers to withhold 15% of the gross sale price (10% in certain lower-value owner-occupied cases) and remit it to the IRS via Fo...
Form 8854 (Initial and Annual Expatriation Statement)tax: The IRS form that US citizens renouncing citizenship and long-term green-card holders ending residency must file in the year of expatriation. Establishes whether the expatriating individual is a 'cove...
Free Zone (Special Economic Zone)general: A free zone, or special economic zone, is a designated area within a country where businesses benefit from relaxed regulations, tax incentives, and customs advantages compared to the rest of the count...
Freedom of Movementimmigration: Freedom of movement is the right of citizens of a particular political union or treaty area to travel, reside, and work in any member state without requiring a visa or work permit. Within the European...

G

GAAR (General Anti-Avoidance Rule)tax: A statutory or judicial doctrine under which a country's tax authority may disregard a transaction or structure whose principal purpose is to obtain a tax advantage and that lacks genuine commercial s...
GILTI (Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income)tax: A US anti-deferral tax introduced by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that applies to US shareholders of Controlled Foreign Corporations (CFCs). GILTI forces current-year US taxation on foreign earnings...
Golden Visaimmigration: A golden visa is a residence permit granted to foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment in a host country, such as purchasing real estate, making a capital transfer, or creating jobs. Popula...
Green Cardimmigration: A green card, formally known as a Permanent Resident Card, is the document issued to lawful permanent residents of the United States. It authorises the holder to live and work permanently in the US an...
GST (Goods and Services Tax)tax: A broad-based consumption tax functionally similar to VAT, levied at each stage of supply with input-tax credits flowing through the chain. Used in Singapore (9% from 2024), Australia (10%), New Zeala...

H

Habitual Residencelegal: Habitual residence is a factual concept used in international private law and tax law to describe the country where a person ordinarily lives on a settled basis. It is determined by examining the freq...
HMRC (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs)tax: The UK government department responsible for collecting income tax, National Insurance contributions, value-added tax (VAT), corporation tax, and customs duties. Successor to the merged Inland Revenue...

I

ICT (Intra-Company Transfer)immigration: A visa category allowing multinational companies to temporarily transfer employees from an overseas branch to a branch in the host country. ICT visas are commonly used in the UK (now called Senior or ...
IFICI (Incentivised Tax Status for Scientific Research and Innovation)tax: Portugal's successor regime to the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) programme, introduced in 2024 after NHR was closed to new entrants. IFICI offers qualifying new Portuguese tax residents a 20% flat rate ...
ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)immigration: The UK equivalent of permanent residency. ILR grants the holder the right to live and work in the United Kingdom indefinitely without immigration restrictions. Most routes to ILR require 5 years of co...
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)immigration: Indefinite Leave to Remain is the United Kingdom's form of permanent residency, granting a foreign national the right to live and work in the UK without any immigration restrictions. ILR is typically ...
ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)tax: A nine-digit US tax processing number issued by the IRS to individuals who must file or be reported on a US tax return but are not eligible for a Social Security Number — typically non-resident aliens...

J

JCI Accreditationgeneral: JCI accreditation refers to certification granted by Joint Commission International, the international arm of the US-based Joint Commission, to healthcare organisations that meet rigorous quality and ...
Jus Sanguiniscitizenship: Jus sanguinis, Latin for 'right of blood', is the principle by which citizenship or nationality is determined by the citizenship of one or both parents, regardless of the country of birth. It is the d...
Jus Solicitizenship: Jus soli, Latin for 'right of the soil', is the legal principle by which citizenship is acquired by being born within the territory of a state. The United States and Canada are notable examples of cou...

K

KYC (Know Your Customer)banking: Know Your Customer refers to the mandatory process financial institutions and regulated businesses must follow to verify the identity of their clients and assess their risk profile. KYC requirements t...

L

Language Test (for naturalisation or residency)immigration: A standardised foreign-language test required by many naturalisation and long-term-residency routes. Usually assessed against the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): A1 (elementary), A2, B1...
Legalisationlegal: Legalisation is the full authentication process required to make a document issued in one country legally recognised in another country that is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention. It typicall...
LTR (Long-Term Resident)immigration: In the EU context, Long-Term Resident status is granted to non-EU nationals who have legally resided in an EU member state for at least 5 continuous years. In Thailand, LTR refers to the Long-Term Res...

M

Mercosur Residency Agreementimmigration: A 2002 treaty among Mercosur member states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay + associates Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) granting each other's nationals simplified two-year temporary res...
MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home)immigration: Malaysia's long-stay residency programme for foreign nationals, offering a renewable multiple-entry visa (currently 5, 10, or 15 years depending on tier — Silver, Gold, Platinum) with significant fixe...

N

Naturalisationcitizenship: Naturalisation is the legal process by which a foreign national acquires citizenship of a country after fulfilling residency and other statutory requirements. Common requirements include a minimum per...
NHR (Non-Habitual Resident)tax: A Portuguese tax regime that offered favourable tax treatment to new residents for 10 years, including exemptions or flat rates on foreign-sourced income. The original NHR programme was replaced by IF...
NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero)immigration: The personal identification number assigned to foreign nationals in Spain, used for any administrative or tax act — opening a bank account, signing a rental contract, paying property taxes, registerin...
Nominee Directorlegal: A nominee director is an individual or corporate entity that is listed as a director of a company on behalf of the beneficial owner, without exercising real control over the company's affairs. Nominee...
Non-Dom (Non-Domiciled Status)tax: A UK (and historically Ireland, Malta) tax status that separates residence from domicile. A UK resident who is non-domiciled — i.e. whose permanent home in the long-term sense is elsewhere — could his...
Non-Habitual Resident (NHR)tax: The Non-Habitual Resident regime was a Portuguese tax programme that offered flat-rate or exempt taxation on certain foreign-sourced income for a ten-year period for qualifying new tax residents. Intr...

O

OCI (Overseas Citizen of India)citizenship: A lifelong multi-entry visa and quasi-citizenship status granted to former Indian nationals who acquired the citizenship of another country (excluding Pakistan and Bangladesh) and to certain descendan...
Ola Hadash (Israeli New Immigrant Tax Regime)tax: Israel's 10-year foreign-income tax exemption for new immigrants (olim hadashim) and returning residents (toshavim hozrim) who have not been Israeli tax resident during the prior 10 years. Covers most...

P

Padrón / Empadronamientoimmigration: Registration on the Padrón Municipal de Habitantes — the local population register maintained by every Spanish municipality. Empadronamiento records a resident's address with the town hall (ayuntamien...
Passport Indexcitizenship: A passport index is a ranking of world passports based on the number of countries their holders can visit without requiring a prior visa, or with visa-on-arrival. The Henley Passport Index and the Art...
PEP (Politically Exposed Person)compliance: An individual entrusted with prominent public functions, plus their immediate family members and close associates, designated under FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Recommendations 12 and 22 for enh...
Permanent Residencyimmigration: Permanent residency is a status that allows a foreign national to reside indefinitely in a country without holding citizenship. Permanent residents typically enjoy most of the rights of citizens, incl...
PFIC (Passive Foreign Investment Company)tax: A US tax classification that traps American investors in foreign pooled investments such as non-US mutual funds, ETFs, money-market funds, and some offshore holding companies. A foreign corporation is...
Pillar 2 / GLOBE Rules (Global Minimum Tax)tax: OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework rules establishing a 15% global minimum effective corporate-tax rate for multinational enterprises with consolidated annual revenue above EUR 750 million. Implemented thro...
PR (Permanent Residency)immigration: A legal status granting a foreign national the right to live and work indefinitely in a country without the need for visa renewals, though not granting citizenship. Permanent residents typically have ...

Q

QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme)tax: An overseas pension scheme that meets HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) requirements to receive transfers from UK-registered pension schemes without the transfer being treated as an unauthorised payment (wh...

R

Remittance Basis of Taxationtax: A method of taxation where foreign-source income and gains are taxed only when brought (remitted) into the taxing country, rather than when earned. Historically offered to UK, Irish, and Maltese non-d...
Remittance Basis of Taxationtax: A tax regime under which foreign-source income is taxed only when actually brought (remitted) into the taxing country, rather than as it arises. Historically available to non-domiciled residents of th...
Renunciation of Citizenshipcitizenship: Renunciation is the formal, voluntary act of relinquishing citizenship of a country. In the United States, renunciation must be performed in person before a consular officer at a US embassy or consula...
Right of Abodeimmigration: The right of abode is a legal status that confers the right to live and work in a particular country without restriction, typically held by citizens and certain other qualifying persons. In the United...

S

S Pass (Singapore)immigration: Singapore's mid-skilled work permit issued by the Ministry of Manpower for foreign mid-tier professionals — typically associate-degree, diploma, or technical-certificate holders earning at minimum SGD...
Saving Clause (US Tax Treaties)tax: A provision in nearly every US bilateral income-tax treaty that 'saves' the United States's right to tax its citizens (and certain residents) on worldwide income as if the treaty did not exist, despit...
Schengen 90/180 Ruleimmigration: The legal limit governing how long non-Schengen visa-exempt travellers may stay in the Schengen Area: a maximum of 90 days within any rolling 180-day period across the entire Schengen zone. The 180-da...
Schengen Areaimmigration: The Schengen Area is a zone comprising 29 European countries that have abolished passport and other types of border control at their mutual borders, allowing free movement of people. It includes most ...
Second Passportcitizenship: A passport from a country other than one's country of birth or original citizenship, held alongside the first. Motivations include broader visa-free access, insurance against political or economic ins...
Section 877A (US Mark-to-Market Exit Tax)tax: Internal Revenue Code §877A imposes a deemed-disposal exit tax on US 'covered expatriates' who renounce US citizenship or terminate long-term US permanent residence. Triggered when any of three tests ...
SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area)banking: A pan-European area where individuals, businesses, and other economic actors can make and receive euro-denominated payments under the same basic conditions, rights, and obligations regardless of their...
SIS II (Schengen Information System II)immigration: The EU's largest information-sharing database for border control and police cooperation across Schengen and EU member states. Stores alerts on persons (wanted persons, missing persons, third-country n...
SISC (Sustainable Island State Contribution)citizenship: The non-refundable government donation route for St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment. In a July 2023 reform, the minimum single-applicant contribution was raised from USD 150,000 to USD 250,000...
SRT (UK Statutory Residence Test)tax: The UK's three-part legal test for determining whether an individual is UK-tax resident in a given tax year (running 6 April to 5 April). Part 1 — Automatic Overseas Tests (any one met = automatically...
Statelessnesscitizenship: Statelessness is the condition of an individual who is not recognised as a national or citizen by any country under its laws. Stateless persons lack access to many basic rights and services that are t...
Subpart F Incometax: A category of income earned by Controlled Foreign Corporations (CFCs) that is taxed currently to US shareholders even if not distributed. Subpart F targets passive and mobile income — dividends, inter...
Substance Requirementstax: Substance requirements are rules imposed by jurisdictions to ensure that companies claiming tax residency or benefits in that jurisdiction have a genuine economic presence there, rather than being mer...

T

Tax Domiciletax: A legal concept (distinct from tax residency) that determines a person's permanent home for tax purposes, particularly relevant in the UK and Ireland. Domicile is often the country of your father's do...
Tax Residencytax: Tax residency is the status that determines in which country an individual is liable to pay taxes on their income and assets. Most countries determine tax residency based on the number of days spent i...
Territorial Taxationtax: Territorial taxation is a tax system in which a country only taxes income earned or sourced within its borders, exempting foreign-sourced income from domestic tax. Countries such as Panama, Paraguay, ...
TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero)immigration: The physical identity card issued to non-EU foreign nationals legally resident in Spain, replacing the older paper residence card. The TIE shows the holder's NIE, residence permit category, and validi...
Totalization Agreementtax: A bilateral social security agreement between two countries that prevents dual social security taxation and allows workers to combine periods of coverage in both countries to qualify for benefits. The...
Treaty Shoppingtax: The practice of structuring a transaction or investment through an intermediary entity in a third country specifically to access tax benefits under that country's treaty network that would not be avai...

U

UBO Register (Ultimate Beneficial Owner Register)compliance: Public registers identifying the natural persons who ultimately own or control companies and trusts, introduced across the EU under the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (2018). Most EU states maint...
UBO Register (Ultimate Beneficial Ownership Register)compliance: A government-maintained database recording the natural persons who ultimately own or control legal entities (companies, trusts, foundations). EU member states were required to maintain UBO registers u...

V

VAT (Value Added Tax)tax: A consumption tax levied at each stage of production and distribution on the value added at that stage, with the final cost ultimately borne by the end consumer. Standard VAT rates among major destina...
VIS (Visa Information System)immigration: The EU's central database for information exchange on Schengen short-stay visa applications. Operated by eu-LISA. Stores biometric data (fingerprints, photographs) and biographical information of all ...
Visa-free (visa-free travel / visa-free destinations)immigration: The status of being permitted to enter a destination country without obtaining a visa in advance, typically for short stays (most commonly up to 30, 60, or 90 days). Distinguished from visa-on-arrival...

W

Wegzugsteuer (German Exit Tax)tax: Germany's exit tax on individuals with substantial private shareholdings who cease German tax residency. Triggered when a person has been a German resident for at least 7 of the preceding 12 years AND...
Worldwide Taxationtax: Worldwide taxation is a system in which a country taxes its residents or citizens on their income from all sources globally, regardless of where the income is earned or where the taxpayer resides. The...