Outline of non-US domiciles

This article contains details specific to global investing. It applies to non-US investors, United States (US) investors, and US citizens and US permanent residents (green card holders) living outside the US.

The following outline is provided as a topical overview of non-US domiciles:

These articles address Bogleheads® investing for individuals living and investing in countries other than the United States (US).

• For topics organised as series of frequently asked questions (FAQs), see: Non-US frequently asked questions.
• For an introductory outline of this topic, see: Investing from outside of the US.
• For information on how to ask for advice on your portfolio, see: My portfolio: seeking advice.
• For a stepwise approach to your investing journey, see: Investing start-up kit for non-US investors.

Non-US domiciles applies to US nonresident aliens, and also to US citizens and US resident aliens (that is, green card holders) living outside the US. A nonresident alien is someone who is not a US citizen or resident. US citizens, resident aliens and residents are known collectively as US persons.

Before investing:
Pay special attention to the section on Tax issues highlighting the impact of US tax legislation even on investors domiciled outside of the US.

For nonresident aliens: The US has unfavourable tax rules for US assets held by foreigners, some bordering on confiscatory. It taxes dividends paid by US stocks and US domiciled ETFs to foreigners at up to 30%, and may apply an estate tax of up to 40% on all US situated assets above a minimal $60,000 exemption. Be sure to understand how these tax rules will apply to you. If you need to avoid them, switch away from the usual US domiciled investments discussed among and used by US investors, and instead use equivalent investments domiciled in other countries, for example Ireland. For US persons: Uniquely among developed countries, the US taxes its citizens and permanent residents on their worldwide income whether they live in the US or outside. It uses protectionist tax laws to dissuade US citizens and residents from holding non-US domiciled investments. Because of these, you must usually invest as if living in the US, and you effectively cannot use normal investments freely available to non-US persons living in the same country as you.

In both cases, take care to understand these tax rules and restrictions early on. This will help to avoid huge problems later.

General topics related to investing from outside of the US

Getting started Getting started for non-US investors — Where to begin, if you are a non-US investor Investment philosophy for non-US investors — Describes the core investing principles, with a special emphasis on non-US investors Investing start-up kit for non-US investors — Helps non-US investors find the right starting point for exploring content in the wiki Non-US frequently asked questions — Organises non-US topics as series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) Boglebot — An interactive tool offering suggestions for how non-US investors can implement a two-fund portfolio

Investing from outside of the US Investing from outside of the US — An introduction to the investment and taxation concerns for investors domiciled outside the US Domicile — Describes how residency and other factors affect investors Index funds and ETFs outside of the US — Description of some of the global aspects of index funds and ETFs Bond basics for non-US investors — Explores bonds and their function in a portfolio from a non-US perspective Stock asset allocation for non-US investors — Looks at how an investor domiciled outside of the US might decide on their asset allocation to stocks Building a non-US Boglehead portfolio — Sets out at high level the steps needed to build a portfolio and provides suggestions on usable funds Simple non-US portfolios — How to create a simple portfolio, including example portfolios Complex non-US portfolios — Adding investments to create a more complex portfolio Investment trusts — Discusses these alternatives to traditional index funds and ETFs Non-US robo-advisors — Robo-advisor platforms available across Europe and elsewhere Real estate investment trusts for non-US investors — Describes how non-US investors can invest using REITs Sharia investing for non-US investors — Discusses investing challenges and strategies specific to Muslim investors List of non-US domiciled ETFs — Provides links to information relating to non-US domiciled ETFs referenced in the wiki

Forum for non-US investors My portfolio: seeking advice — Guide on how best to ask a question about your portfolio on the forum Non-US Investing Forum — Link to the forum's non-US investing area

Tax issues Non-US investor's guide to navigating US tax traps — Describes multiple difficulties and challenges posed by US tax laws Tax issues specific to nonresident aliens Nonresident alien's ETF domicile decision table — Decision table to help non-US investors choose between US domiciled ETFs and non-US domiciled ETFs Nonresident alien taxation — Summarizes how a US nonresident alien (NRA) is taxed when investing in US domiciled investment assets Nonresident alien investors and Ireland domiciled ETFs — Shows why and when it is better for non-US investors to invest in Ireland domiciled funds instead of US domiciled funds Comparison of accumulating ETFs and distributing ETFs — Non-US investors often have a choice between funds that distribute dividends and ones that reinvest them immediately Tax issues specific to US persons living outside the US Taxation as a US person living abroad — Tax filing information for US citizens and permanent residents living outside the US Passive foreign investment company — Describes punitive US tax rules for US persons who hold non-US domiciled funds US tax pitfalls for a US person living abroad — Discusses investing obstacles that US taxes cause for US persons living outside the US Tax issues specific to non-US investors moving to the US US tax pitfalls for a non-US person moving to the US — Discusses problems that US taxes cause for non-US persons who move to the US

Currency issues Currency risk for non-US investors — Describes the effect of currencies on investment returns Non-US investors and ETF currencies — Untangles the issue of multiple currencies for ETF investors

Investing in and from European Union countries‎

Introduction to investing in and from European Union countries EU investing — Describes investing for European Union residents EU non-habitual residence — Some European Union countries offer attractive tax regimes to new residents Cash equivalents for EU investors — Discusses cash and near-cash investments suitable for EU and other non-US investors

Belgium‎ Investing from Belgium		Germany‎ Investing from Germany		Ireland Investing from Ireland
Italy Investing from Italy		Netherlands‎ Investing from the Netherlands		Spain Investing from Spain

Investing in and from non-European Union countries‎

Australia Investing from Australia		Brazil Investing from Brazil		Canada‎ finiki — The Canadian financial Wiki Financial Wisdom Forum — Link to Canadian investors' forum
India Investing from India		Japan‎ Investing from Japan TOPIX indices Japan specific to US persons living outside the US Investing from Japan for US citizens and US permanent residents		Singapore Investing from Singapore
Taiwan Taiwan bond indexes Taiwan stock indexes Taiwan treasury bill rates List of Taiwan exchange traded funds		United Kingdom Investing from the UK UK Individual Savings Accounts — Discusses tax-free savings and investments accounts for UK residents UK personal pensions — Describes tax-deferred wrappers for UK retirement savings UK abbreviations and acronyms — Expansions of abbreviations commonly seen in UK personal finance sites and forums FTSE UK indexes UK asset class returns United Kingdom specific to US persons living outside the US Investing from the UK for US citizens and US permanent residents US domiciled ETFs that are UK HMRC reporting funds

Pension fund performance studies

Global (excluding US) pension fund performance Canadian pension fund performance Dutch pension fund performance Finnish pension fund performance Greek pension fund performance Hong Kong pension fund performance Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global performance Swiss pension fund performance Turkish pension fund performance