Tax residency for a true (non-American) digital nomad?

Yes, for example in Norway, which is in Europe, you still have to pay Norwegian tax for 4 years after you leave the country. Doesn't matter if you have sold all your stuff and haven't been back during those 4 years...

Is this also true if there is a double taxation treaty between Norway and the other country? I would think not.
 
Is this also true if there is a double taxation treaty between Norway and the other country? I would think not.

Norway have agreements with a lot of other countries which lets you deduct whatever taxes you pay in the country you are a resident. However, as it is almost impossible to find any country with higher taxes, you always ends up paying Norwegian tax anyways minus whatever you have already paid to whichever country you live in.

I think Norway and the US is the only two countries that tax their citizens regardless where they live. My wife is American, but she has never paid any tax to the US since we moved to Norway, as the Norwegian tax rate is so much higher and she can deduct the Norwegian taxes from the US taxes she would be obliged to pay.
 
I believe Canada requires one to have no "ties" to the country. Whether simply filing the exit paperwork is sufficient I am not sure.

I have heard that you need to give up bank accounts, brokerages, memberships in clubs etc etc.

In OPs case, it may not be beneficial to do this. Depends heavily on his situation, but if he's truly roaming it's likely not the best solution.
 
I believe Canada requires one to have no "ties" to the country. Whether simply filing the exit paperwork is sufficient I am not sure.

I have heard that you need to give up bank accounts, brokerages, memberships in clubs etc etc.

NOooooo, not the Benevolent Order of Elks!!!!!!!!!!!! Well that settles it.
 
It's not even standard compared to Canada as one poster explained above. The point is, if you live in high tax developed country, your taxman will make sure you don't "escape" easily.

Yes, with that I agree.
 
Read Canadian tax laws first. Here in Europe when you move somewhere else, you have to get foreign tax certificate, and show papers to your home tax office: lease contract, foreign tax certificate, foreign bank account, work contract (if you have it), foreign address, foreign telephone number, foreign drivers license, foreign health insurance... + if you have a family they have to move with you. If everything is ok, you get non-resident status for tax purposes. But if you return back in less than 3-5 years, they will still tax you on the difference between tax rate abroad and their tax rate.

Tax non-residency is not just "let's go somewhere else for 183 days and get back".

There's no "here in Europe" at all, it's different for each country. What country are you from that has such stringent and obtrusive requirements?
I registered as a non-resident and that was it. I could provide a rental contract if required but wasn't asked. What business is it of your previous resident country if you even have a bank account, telephone number, drivers' license or health insurance in your new residency - these are not requirements for everyone.
And taxing someone on the difference when they lived years elsewhere is absurd and unheard of.
 
There's no "here in Europe" at all, it's different for each country. What country are you from that has such stringent and obtrusive requirements?
I registered as a non-resident and that was it. I could provide a rental contract if required but wasn't asked. What business is it of your previous resident country if you even have a bank account, telephone number, drivers' license or health insurance in your new residency - these are not requirements for everyone.
And taxing someone on the difference when they lived years elsewhere is absurd and unheard of.

Taxman in developed high tax EU countries operate with very similar methods. It doesn't matter if it's "absurd or unheard of" to you.
 
Taxman in developed high tax EU countries operate with very similar methods. It doesn't matter if it's "absurd or unheard of" to you.

If you do not want to name yours I understand but could you list some of these countries for the readers' information.
 
Just some advice as I have been doing this for six years.

When you talk to a tax advisor you often hear something conflicting afterwards on Facebook or other. So you speak to another, different again and then you have multiple versions of reality.

When I left the UK I asked the HMRC call centre to advise me directly, recording all my calls*. Horse's mouth and they do this for free. This proved useful as due to a matter of a few pounds of interest gained between filling the forms and posting them, I had a glitch. I had however anticipated this and asked their call centre guy, he said it was not important. They wanted me to refile but on hearing him say it would not be needed, the advisor just said, OK that's the advice we gave so we will correct it.

This year due to the pandemic lockdowns I was unable to leave for Panamá and went over 183 days in Colombia which happens to be like the US a global income (miked for residency/citizenship) system and a wealth tax. There are only a handful of countries that do this. Yemen another they say. Well again, I got out of a massive bill easily with a recording.

I own a number of properties and with one exception, I pay no local taxes on rental income, in one country in Africa I do pay tax on this income due to the national law on foreign owners.

Its fun for a while, you may get 10 years before you decide to land somewhere. I'm at 6 and may pick a home soon. What is sure is some peeps will always believe there must be a catch and there must be some crime involved :) For most people of the world, not the case.

CRS, common reporting system exists allowing most national tax offices to full records on you bank accounts but not so important until you eventually become resident.

Also if you trade US markets and have a family, the US takes a massive percentage of assets there when a non-resident dies. Its insane but that's what they do so plan for that.



*In the UK six years ago anyway when the automated system says calls may be recorded for training etc. you are free to record as there is no expectation of privacy.
 
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Hypothetical:
  • I am a Canadian citizen (i.e. taxed based on residency, not citizenship)
  • I give up my rented apartment in Canada (and file the required exit-tax paperwork), and spend 2021 traveling the world, spending 1 week in 52 different countries, entering each as a tourist.
  • I trade while I am traveling.
Where am I a tax resident for 2021?
- I presume there's a general principle that one cannot be a tax resident of no jurisdiction(?)
- Is there some kind of default presumption of tax residency in one's country of citizenship when one doesn't meet the tax residency test of any other country?
- Could I simply choose the most tax-advantageous of the 52 countries I travel to as my tax 'home' for 2021? If not, does changing the time spent in each from 52 x 1 week to 26 x 2 weeks, or 12 x 1 month change this analysis?​

Again, so unnecessarily complicated. If you are trading full-time (non-US citizen), simply establish a BVI corporation, and trade through it. You are no longer a "tax resident/tax home" of anywhere, your offshore entity now is.

If you actually own businesses/other on Canadian soil, then a whole different story, as you have to follow their laws. Please do consult with a professional attorney.
 
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