As mentioned on our home page, several European countries have enacted special tax regimes for foreign nationals (or European citizens living abroad) who move to Europe. These include high-skilled workers, professionals, entrepreneurs, independent contractors, and retired individuals looking to relocate.

Depending on the category, these regimes can be in place for 5 years with the possibility to renew for a further 5 years, so 10 years in total. However for retired individuals there is no time limit on the exemptions

Again, depending on the category, certain regimes can provide a 70 or 90% taxable income exemption for professional income, employment income and business incomes.
For retired individuals, certain regimes have been designed to provide a 7% flat income tax rate applicable on all of the income of those individuals who receive retirement income.
However another regime exists for high net worth individuals and provides a fixed 200,000 euro tax on all of their foreign source income for each tax period, known as the “Res non dom” system that lasts for a total period of 15 years.

Becoming a tax resident in Europe does imply that individuals invest in real estate in the region. Again, depending on the individual’s category, the time period in which to do this varies. Some of the criteria are subject to different conditions, for example: if a residential property is purchased in Europe in the previous 12 months since the acquisition of European residency or in the following 12 months.

Depending on the category, family members and children can also benefit from the new tax regimes in Europe. Namely, New Residents (open to both foreign and European citizens providing they have been fiscally resident abroad for at least 9 of the 10 previous tax periods) can extend, on request, to one or more of the following: spouse or member of a civil partnership, children (both biological and adopted), parents, brothers and sisters, parents-in-law, provided that these individuals also move their tax residence to Europe.

At European Residency, we do all the paperwork, so you don’t have to. We are a service that facilitates your move to Europe, organises all your documents and gets you started over here. As well as providing you with information regarding essential paperwork, we also make sure that any questions you have are answered by our affiliated experts: Notaries, Business consultants, accountants and local council chief staff, thus taking away the stress of language barriers and complicated bureaucracy.

Depending on your category the processing time varies from case to case. For smooth processing, European Residency services will guide you through the process beforehand making sure that we have all the necessary documents ready in advance. As every individual will need to, at some point, be physically present to sign the documents in the local offices, it’s important to discuss travel plans and VISA status (if necessary) in advance with us and our team.

At European Residency, we strive to deliver a 360° service to our clients, from a simple recommendation on an excellent restaurant or day trip to finding the perfect property for you and your family’s needs. If you have children that need to continue their education in Europe, we can help you. If you need to hire or buy a car, we can put you in touch with the right people. Just ask, and we’ll do our best to fulfil your request!