Best residency options: which country fits your lifestyle and goals?
Nomad, founder, retiree or family office? Compare taxes, visas and daily life in Europe’s and the Gulf’s favourite bases – and find your match.
Country guide 🇦🇪
Dubai (UAE)
Zero personal income tax, a residence visa through your own company and flights to everywhere. Not tax-free any more for companies – but 9% above AED 375,000 is still hard to beat.
Key numbers at a glance.
- Corporate tax
- 0% / 9%
- 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000
- Free zone
- 0%
- on qualifying income of qualifying free zone persons
- Personal income tax
- None
- Dividend WHT
- 0%
- VAT
- 5%
- Currency
- AED (pegged to USD)
Residency & visa routes.
Investor / partner visa
Company owners can sponsor their own residence visa (usually two years, renewable) and their family’s.
Golden Visa
10-year residence for investors, entrepreneurs and specialised talent who meet the published criteria.
Remote work visa
One-year visa for employees and business owners working remotely for companies abroad.
Why Dubai
- No personal income tax
- Residence visa through your own company
- Excellent infrastructure and flight connections
- Free zones with 100% foreign ownership
Watch out for
- Summer heat (and we mean heat)
- Cost of living in the popular areas
- Bank onboarding can take weeks
- Home countries look closely at “moves to Dubai” – you need a real relocation
The full Dubai (UAE) guide is brewing.
Tax system, company setup step by step, banking, living costs and all the local quirks. Want a ping when it’s out of the oven?
Sources
Numbers last checked: September 2026. Tax law changes – confirm with a licensed advisor before acting. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.
More country guides?
Compare Dubai (UAE) with…
Malta
EU, English, sunshine – and a 5% effective corporate rate for foreign shareholders.
EUEasy residency
Cyprus
15% corporate tax, a generous non-dom regime and an EU address in the sun.
EURemote setupEasy residency
Delaware (USA)
A US LLC you can form from your sofa – tax-transparent for non-resident owners.
0% retainedRemote setup
Estonia
0% tax on retained profits, e-Residency and a company you run from your laptop.
EU0% retainedRemote setup
Liechtenstein
12.5% flat corporate tax, Swiss franc stability and centuries of private-wealth know-how.
Portugal
Quality of life, nomad-friendly visas and a special regime for skilled newcomers.
EUEasy residency
Romania
1% turnover tax for micro-companies, 10% flat income tax and low living costs – inside the EU.
EU
Georgia
1% on turnover for freelancers, 0% on retained profits and a year visa-free for many passports.
0% retainedRemote setupEasy residency
Paraguay
Territorial taxes, 10% rates and one of the easiest residence permits in the Americas.
Easy residency
United Kingdom
The bank-friendly Ltd and the transparent LLP – formed online in a day, trusted almost everywhere.
Remote setup
Switzerland
26 cantons, 26 tax systems – and some of the lowest corporate rates in Western Europe.
Spain
Sun, a digital nomad visa and the Beckham law: 24% flat for six years if you qualify.
EU
Italy
A fixed annual tax on all foreign income, 7% for pensioners in the south – and la dolce vita.
EU
Bulgaria
10% corporate tax, 10% income tax, 5% on dividends – inside the EU, Schengen and, since 2026, the eurozone.
EU
Nerdy insights
Read next.
Offshore investing 101: Europe’s best jurisdictions for tax savings and growth
Switzerland, Malta, Estonia, Cyprus, Romania and friends: where your company and your wealth grow best in Europe – with 2026 numbers, legally.
Blacklists and grey lists: how to avoid the tax haven traps
EU lists, FATF lists, OECD ratings: what they mean, why banks care and how to pick a jurisdiction that won’t get your payments frozen.
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