Glossary
Key terms in immigration, citizenship, tax, and international relocation. Clear definitions sourced from legal and regulatory frameworks.
A
- 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...
C
- 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...
- 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...
- 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
- 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...
- 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...
E
- 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 ...
- 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...
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 ...
- 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...
- 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
- 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...
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...
I
- 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 ...
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
- 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...
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...
- 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-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...
P
- 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...
- 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...
R
- 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
- 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 ...
- 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...
- 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 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, ...
W
- 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...