What country would you choose to relocate to avoid taxes?

I'd go for one of the island countries in the Caribbean but that is just me. Switzerland seems really expensive and Cyprus just doesn't interest me.

Antigua with Digital Nomad Visa looks good.

Only caveat I can see is they don’t offer tax certificate but if you live there +183 days you would automatically become tax resident.

Vor said:

I'd go for one of the island countries in the Caribbean but that is just me. Switzerland seems really expensive and Cyprus just doesn't interest me.

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spot on. Switzerland is very expensive by any means and standards .
If you can get the lump sum tax deal prepared for you by a good lawyer, it can be worth it as you get also very nice privacy with it and depending on how much you make, it can be a very low tax rate. Also people are very reserved so they will not bother you much.

Dandyline said:

Just google it, and you will see the law everywhere. Hard to miss.

You generally need to spend 6 months in Dubai to get the actual tax certificate.

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So if I have two (fully legal and non-fake or some bulls**t like that) passports - could I remain in Dubai 365 days and just move in and out with another passport and have the 1st passport count towards residence?

Apotheosis said:

So if I have two (fully legal and non-fake or some bulls**t like that) passports - could I remain in Dubai 365 days and just move in and out with another passport and have the 1st passport count towards residence?

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I would try to fulfil your residency requirements with the passport you apply for your residency with. I would not try to outsmart them like that. It’s not worth the risk.

Allisgood said:

I would try to fulfil your residency requirements with the passport you apply for your residency with. I would not try to outsmart them like that. It’s not worth the risk.

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Well, technically I would be doing just that. I will wait for hard info so far.

Anyways, regarding the main thread, UAE seems to be a winner here for people who are building substantial businesses. I also liked the BUdapest suggestion, I know the city myself and believe me, there is a much higher supercar density than in some rich metropolises in Western Europe, so there's that. Business savvy will always find a way.

I can second the Croatia suggestion - I met a Canadian business owner in 2018 who moved his operation over from Guatemala (no kidding - he was there for a whopping 8 years) who moved to Croatia for(then unspecified) advantageous reasons. I guess we have that covered in this thread.

This leads to a question: is there any optimal set up for individuals who have not yet decided where to base their main operation because they have not yet identified that operation and only seek a way to minimize overhead for freelance operations?

Apotheosis said:

So if I have two (fully legal and non-fake or some bulls**t like that) passports - could I remain in Dubai 365 days and just move in and out with another passport and have the 1st passport count towards residence?

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No because they take a retna scan when you come in and out of the UAE. Therefore if your retna is attached to a different passport they will just link the two after an uncomfortable 30 mins in the back office..........................

What country would you suggest for someone that want a secure place to live but want to reduce taxes to a minimum?

Switzerland seems to me still to be valid same for Lichtenstein and Luxembourg or am I totally wrong?

uplana said:

What country would you suggest for someone that want a secure place to live but want to reduce taxes to a minimum?

Switzerland seems to me still to be valid same for Lichtenstein and Luxembourg or am I totally wrong?

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Switzerland as its best combo for taxes/secure/quality of life.

Luxembourg/Liechtenstein -- very small and if you are younger maybe not best place.

Monaco also quite nice if you can do the min requirements -- good quality of life and South of France good climate -- city of Nice close.

Andorra also low taxes (10% flat), very secure, but also very remote (if you love hiking, calm, nature, snow then maybe).

Depends on what you want to do and whats important for you in the country of your residence.

PhantomOf ThePits said:

Switzerland as its best combo for taxes/secure/quality of life.

Luxembourg/Liechtenstein -- very small and if you are younger maybe not best place.

Monaco also quite nice if you can do the min requirements -- good quality of life and South of France good climate -- city of Nice close.

Andorra also low taxes (10% flat), very secure, but also very remote (if you love hiking, calm, nature, snow then maybe).

Depends on what you want to do and whats important for you in the country of your residence.

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In Switzerland you have to pay 'lump sum'. Which will be minimum of 70k EUR/year.
Because of this lump sum it's not so attractive.

Liechtenstein also has similar lump sum. Never heard about Luxembourg tax program?

Konstanz said:

In Switzerland you have to pay 'lump sum'. Which will be minimum of 70k EUR/year.
Because of this lump sum it's not so attractive.

Liechtenstein also has similar lump sum. Never heard about Luxembourg tax program?

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70k Lump sum -- depends if you are EU citizen or not.

As EU citizen for example also different other possibilities to get Swiss residency without lump sum tax..

Liechtenstein/Lux/Monaco also depends if you are EU citizen or not

PhantomOf ThePits said:

70k Lump sum -- depends if you are EU citizen or not.

As EU citizen for example also different other possibilities to get Swiss residency without lump sum tax..

Liechtenstein/Lux/Monaco also depends if you are EU citizen or not

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Luxembourg IS part of EU mate. By default EU citizens can settle…

but no lump sum tax

PhantomOf ThePits said:

70k Lump sum -- depends if you are EU citizen or not.

As EU citizen for example also different other possibilities to get Swiss residency without lump sum tax..

Liechtenstein/Lux/Monaco also depends if you are EU citizen or not

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You can get "residece" with EU passport in Switzerland without lump tax. But if no lump tax you will pay normal swiss taxes. It's not low tax.
Luxembourg is also not a low tax jurisdiction for residents.

Konstanz said:

You can get "residece" with EU passport in Switzerland without lump tax. But if no lump tax you will pay normal swiss taxes. It's not low tax.
Luxembourg is also not a low tax jurisdiction for residents.

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Yes income tax is high, comparable to most neighbours like Germany or Belgium. But: long term Capital gains taxes are great on shares ect, no tax if you hold for more than 6 months.

There is also Gibraltar, but there are minimum annual tax around 30k eur.

Konstanz said:

You can get "residece" with EU passport in Switzerland without lump tax. But if no lump tax you will pay normal swiss taxes. It's not low tax.
Luxembourg is also not a low tax jurisdiction for residents.

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Hi,
I dont know if you checked the income tax rates in CH for Zug, Schwyz etc --- depending how much people make, the tax income tax rate may still be much more favorable compared to other countries.

Also the type of income would be important.

Monaco is favorable for high income earners but costs are also higher which may for most people make it less interesting

Georgia is good place , inespesive , good food and wine , batumi is at a bargain

csp dubai said:

Georgia is good place , inespesive , good food and wine , batumi is at a bargain

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Looking at the pics, batumi does not look that great of a beach though..

ok if you like beaches go to maldives , saint barth , bahamas, but not cheap placee s depaends waht you like, georgia is a real country , not just a small island in middle of nowhere

Blackbird said:

Well they don't avoid totally. It's better to pay something and stay under the radar. You can choose any country with low dividents or lax company legislation so you can put your expenses to the company account. Paying zero and taxes means you have to be looking over your shoulder all the time or live in a third world country. Latvia, Estonia, Luxemburg, Bulgaria and Romania are good countries. Some better than others. Andorra - Spain is good combo. Gibraltar - Spain is not so good as they have border control. You can always add some offshore to structure to move some of the income or assets to 0 tax. If you pay some and then hide some you are less likely to be asked questions.

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This is some of the best advice that I have read on this forum. Most are looking for the ultimate 0% solution but the thing is that this is going to cause you just trouble. Establish yourself in a low tax residency country within EU and go spend most of your time in the place where you actually want to be. Keep it sensible, pay cash. A lot of people have been doing this since the beginning of Schengen / EU and chances that you are going to get caught are low. I still live in a high tax country but I spend considerable time in the med area because of weather and lifestyle and actually run my business from there. Nobody has ever asked my why I was in Spain for 3 months. As long as you run a legit business, do the paperwork and pay your taxes nobody is going to care.