Brazil’s Tax Residency Rules: When Are You Considered a Resident?
From Caipirinhas to Compliance: My Wake-Up Call in Rio I was sipping my second caipirinha on Ipanema Beach when the WhatsApp message hit: “James, the Receita Federal just flagged your CPF. They think you’re a resident.” A Colombian friend visiting from Medellín laughed and said, “Bienvenido al club, hermano.” Moments earlier we had been comparing […]
Double Taxation Treaties Between Colombia and the US: An Expat Investor’s Guide
The Morning When Two Tax Systems Collided It was a humid Tuesday in Medellín, and the ceiling fan in my Poblado apartment was fighting a losing battle with the tropical heat. I had just brewed a strong cup of tinto when my Dominican landlord, Ramón, knocked on the door with a stack of envelopes. Buried […]
How to Declare Foreign Income in Colombia: An Expat’s Real-World Guide
That Morning in Medellín When the Taxman Called I still remember sipping a steaming tinto on Calle 10 in Medellín when my phone buzzed with a WhatsApp voice note from my accountant, Juan. The week before, I had been helping a friend in the Dominican Republic open his first offshore banking account. Now Juan’s urgent […]
VAT (IVA) in Brazil Explained for Expats
It was a sticky Tuesday evening in Recife when my debit card was declined for the third time that day. I had just opened a local conta corrente (checking account) and was eager to impress my Brazilian friends by footing the churrasco bill. The waiter swiped, shook his head, and pointed to the bottom of […]
Filing Taxes as an Expat in the Dominican Republic: A Real-World Guide from the Beach to the Bureaucracy
I still remember the exact moment I realized that sun-drenched Caribbean afternoons and government paperwork can collide. It was a Tuesday in March, and I was sitting beneath a palm-frond roof in Cabarete, sipping a café con leche that cost less than the ATM fee back in New York. A Dominican friend, Luis, had just […]
Dominican Real Estate Capital Gains Tax for Foreigners: What Expats Need to Know
A Morning on the Malecón: My First Brush with Dominican Tax Reality I still remember the salty breeze that morning on the Malecón in Santo Domingo. My realtor, José, balanced two tiny espresso cups on a tray while explaining, in rapid-fire Spanish, how the buyer for my one-bedroom ocean-view condo had finally wired the deposit. […]
Understanding Wealth Tax in Colombia: What Expats Need to Know
A Coffee-Scented Wake-Up Call I still remember the morning in Medellín when the aroma of freshly ground café rose through my apartment’s open windows and mixed with the hum of traffic climbing up Avenida Las Palmas. It was 2021, and I had just come from a three-year stint in São Paulo, where conversations about “imposto […]
Avoiding Penalties for Late Tax Filing Abroad: Lessons from My Life Across Latin America
The Evening the Tax Man Rang My Dominican Doorbell It was a humid April evening in Santo Domingo, the kind that makes you grateful for every gust of Caribbean breeze. I had just wrapped up a long day of consulting work and was settling down with a chilled Presidente beer when I heard a knock […]
Tax Planning Strategies for Retirees in Latin America: Lessons from an Expat Investor
It was a sticky Tuesday afternoon in Medellín, and the mango vendor outside my apartment near Parque Lleras kept fanning away bees while counting pesos. I had just strolled back from Bancolombia, waving the little paper slip that proved my quarterly dividend from a U.S. REIT had landed safely in my Colombian cuenta de ahorros […]
Corporate Taxes in the Dominican Republic for Foreign Investors: What I Learned Between Batidas and Balance Sheets
A Morning of Mangú, Merengue, and a Maze of Tax Forms I still remember the first Tuesday after I registered my Dominican company. I was sitting on a plastic chair outside a colmado in Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial, balancing a greasy pica-pollo box on one knee and a laptop on the other. Between bites of […]