Best countries for entrepreneurs 2026: tax ranked

The best countries for entrepreneurs on personal tax in 2026 are the places that charge nothing when you take your profits out as dividends: the Bahamas, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman all come in at 0% on our US$1m investment example. Singapore, Hong Kong, Monaco and the Cayman Islands are 0% too, and 49 of the 153 countries TaxPilot covers rate Excellent.

This guide looks at the tax you pay personally as a business owner: on the dividends you pay yourself and on the returns from the money you invest. It doesn't look at tax on your business's own profits. We rank every country rated Excellent, explain the 22 that suit entrepreneurs best, and list the 53 rated Good (15% or less), including Taiwan.

Our scenario is a US$1m portfolio earning 4% income and 4% realised gains, so US$80,000 a year, under 2026 rules. The figures include any compulsory social security or health contributions on that income.

What's changed: Oman's Personal Income Tax Law (Royal Decree 56/2025) is law and starts on 1 January 2028, at 5% on residents' income above OMR 42,000, with dividends counting towards that. Qatar announced a five-year Entrepreneur residency for founders backed by a local incubator in February 2026. Bermuda raised its dividend allowance for people working for local companies to $20,000 a year. Uruguay brought in a new 11-year tax holiday for new residents from 1 January 2026, Turkey's article 20/D exempts foreign income for 20 years for people resident from 2026, and Malaysia extended its foreign income exemption to 31 December 2036. In the UK, dividend tax rose to 10.75% and 35.75% from 6 April 2026.

📋 Best countries for entrepreneurs in 2026: top 20

The graphic shows the top eight countries for entrepreneurs in 2026, ranked by the all-in tax on a US$1m portfolio earning 4% income and 4% realised gains: the Bahamas, the UAE, Bahrain, Georgia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Singapore, all at 0% and all rated Excellent.

How we compare countries for entrepreneurs

We use one scenario for every country so you can compare like for like: a US$1m portfolio earning 4% income (dividends and interest) and 4% realised gains, held by someone who has moved there. The all-in rate is the tax plus any compulsory social security or health contributions on that US$80,000, as a share of it. A flat health premium counts too, so a country that charges one isn't rated untaxed.

If you own a business, the same rules decide what you pay when you take a dividend. A dividend from a company based outside your new country is treated like the foreign portfolio in our example. A dividend from a company based in the same country is local income, and the tables further down show which countries tax it.

The rating bands for investment income:

• Excellent: untaxed.

• Good: 15% or less.

• Moderate: over 15% and up to 30%.

• Poor: over 30%.

Ratings are relative to the 153 countries TaxPilot covers. Each band includes its upper limit, so exactly 15% is Good. Investor and new-resident regimes count when they apply to someone who has just moved, counted the same way in every country, and benefits that end within five years are flagged but don't change the rating. A wealth tax moves a country down one level. Exit taxes are mentioned but not scored. Countries with the same all-in figure are ordered by how well they do across all our profiles.

Which countries charge no tax on dividends at all?

Eleven of the 22 countries we pick out for entrepreneurs have no personal income tax, so the source of your dividend doesn't matter: a payout from your own local company is as untaxed as one from abroad. What separates them is how easy it is to live there and what else you pay.

1. The Bahamas

The Bahamas has no income tax at all. Dividends, interest and capital gains are untaxed wherever they come from, and there's no inheritance tax. Your residence status follows your immigration permit: an annual residence permit costs $3,000 a year plus $300 per dependant, and a permanent residence certificate $15,000.

The catch is treaties. The Bahamas has information exchange agreements but no double tax treaties, so tax withheld abroad on your dividends can't be reduced through a Bahamian treaty.

👉 Bahamas expat tax guide

2. The UAE

The UAE doesn't tax individuals on dividends, interest or capital gains, and expat employees don't pay social security. Getting resident is easy: 90 days with a residence visa and a home or job, or 183 days. With 137 treaties concluded, it's also one of the better-connected zero-tax countries.

In 2026 the Federal Tax Authority stopped asking individuals for bank statements on treaty certificate applications, but its portal now flags applications with fewer than the 183 days required. The virtual work visa needs US$3,500 a month from an employer outside the UAE.

👉 UAE expat tax guide

3. Bahrain

Bahrain has no personal income tax on any kind of income, at home or abroad. VAT is 10%. Two new treaties came into force in June 2026, with Jersey and Saudi Arabia, taking Bahrain to 51 in force.

If you need a certificate of residence for a treaty, you need at least 183 days in the year and a residence permit covering it. Without a Bahraini employer, the practical routes are your own company or Golden Residency.

👉 Bahrain expat tax guide

5. Qatar

Qatar doesn't tax salaries, and individuals without a taxable activity pay nothing on bank interest or on gains on shares and property. Foreign dividends aren't Qatari-source income, and most Qatari dividends are exempt. Residence is easy to trigger: a permanent home available in Qatar with no day count, or more than 183 days in the year.

New in 2026 is a self-sponsored Entrepreneur residency for founders endorsed by a local incubator, for five years and renewable. One thing to know: if you work for yourself in Qatar, that income is taxed, so the 0% is about dividends and investments.

👉 Invest Qatar: Entrepreneur and Executive residency

👉 Qatar expat tax guide

6. Kuwait

Kuwait doesn't tax individuals on salary, freelance income, pensions, dividends, interest or gains, and expat employees don't pay social security. There's no inheritance, gift or wealth tax.

The routes in are narrower: work residence sponsored by your employer, or a residence for people who prove a source of income (fixed fee KD 500), where a sponsor still signs. There's no remote work or retirement visa.

👉 Kuwait expat tax guide

7. Oman

Oman doesn't tax dividends, interest or capital gains in 2026 or 2027. From 1 January 2028, residents pay 5% on gross income above OMR 42,000 (about US$109,000), and dividends and gains count towards that threshold. Our US$80,000 example (about OMR 30,760) stays under it, but larger dividends from 2028 won't.

For a long stay without an employer, Golden Residency runs for a renewable 10 years from OMR 200,000 (about US$520,000) of investment.

👉 Oman Tax Authority: Personal Income Tax Law and regulations

👉 Oman expat tax guide

13. Monaco

Monaco has had no personal income tax since 1869, and there's no wealth tax. Dividends, interest and gains are untaxed for residents. The exception is French nationals, who stay taxable in France.

Getting in is hard and expensive: a residence card for anyone staying over three months a year, a long-stay visa from the French consulate if you're from outside the EEA, a home you own or rent, proof of means and a Monaco bank reference. Succession duty only reaches Monaco assets, at 0% for a spouse, children and parents.

👉 Monaco expat tax guide

15. Brunei

Brunei is one of the few places in Asia with no personal income tax. Individuals, sole proprietors and partnerships aren't taxed, so salary, dividends, interest and capital gains are all untaxed, and there's no annual return for individuals. Foreign employees don't pay into the national pension scheme either.

Getting in is the hard part: living there needs an employment visa and pass, or a dependant pass. Brunei has 19 tax treaties.

👉 Brunei expat tax guide

16. The Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands has no direct taxes: no income tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance tax and no wealth tax. Health insurance is compulsory for everyone living there.

Getting in is hard: you need a work permit or a residency certificate. The 25-year Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means on Grand Cayman needs CI$120,000 a year of income or CI$400,000 in a local bank, plus a CI$1 million investment, and it doesn't let you work.

👉 Cayman Islands expat tax guide

19. Bermuda

Bermuda has no income tax, and dividends, interest and gains on a portfolio are untaxed wherever they come from. Payroll tax is charged on pay for work in Bermuda instead.

That's the founder's catch. If you work for a local Bermuda company that isn't listed or an exempted company, dividends it pays you over $20,000 a year are treated as pay for payroll tax. There are no double tax treaties, and you need immigration permission to live there: permission to reside costs $275 for a year or $1,215 for five.

👉 Government of Bermuda: payroll tax, who pays and when

👉 Bermuda expat tax guide

20. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia doesn't tax dividends, interest or capital gains for an individual who isn't running a business, and there's no wealth tax. Salaries are untaxed too.

The exception catches people out: a non-Saudi resident who works for themselves or runs a business in their own name pays tax on the profit. Premium Residency (SAR 100,000 a year for the Limited Duration product) lets holders live there without a sponsor and carry on business under the Investment Law.

👉 Saudi Arabia expat tax guide

Which territorial countries suit entrepreneurs?

The next group taxes income by where it comes from. Your foreign portfolio, and dividends from a company based abroad, are untaxed with no time limit. Dividends from a company in the same country are treated differently in each, so check the local dividend tables below.

8. Singapore

Singapore doesn't tax dividends from Singapore companies in your hands, and foreign dividends received by resident individuals are exempt too. Interest from approved banks and gains on shares aren't taxed either. Foreigners on work passes pay no CPF, and Singapore has 98 tax treaties.

The Not Ordinarily Resident scheme has ended. Living there without a Singapore employer is the hard part: there's no nomad visa, an Employment Pass needs a sponsoring employer in Singapore, and the pass that lets you work freely needs a salary of S$30,000 a month.

👉 IRAS: income received from overseas

👉 Singapore expat tax guide

10. Hong Kong

Hong Kong only taxes income sourced in Hong Kong, and there's no tax on dividends, bank interest or capital gains for individuals, local or foreign. With 60 tax treaties it's one of the best-connected options here.

The catch is trading: if you trade frequently or in an organised way, the Inland Revenue Department may treat the profits as a business. The Top Talent Pass Scheme is a visa route, not a tax regime.

👉 IRD guidance: the territorial source principle of taxation

👉 Hong Kong expat tax guide

11. Kyrgyzstan

A resident foreigner without a Kyrgyz residence permit, for example on an investment visa or Digital Nomad status, is taxed only on Kyrgyz-source income, so a foreign portfolio pays 0%. Dividends from Kyrgyz companies are exempt for residents too.

A residence permit changes things. Foreign dividends and bank interest stay exempt, but gains on most foreign shares are taxed at 10%, about 5% overall on our example, which rates Good.

👉 Kyrgyzstan expat tax guide

17. Macao

Macao taxes work done in Macao and business income earned there. Dividends, bank interest and gains on shares, funds and bonds you hold privately are outside the tax, wherever they come from.

Macao's new Tax Code sets a formal residence test of 183 days in a calendar year, which mainly matters for treaty certificates. Macao has 7 treaties in force.

👉 Macao expat tax guide

18. The Maldives

If you live in the Maldives legally and you're not married to a Maldivian, you're a temporary resident and only Maldives income is taxed. There's no time limit and nothing to apply for. Dividends from a Maldivian company to a Maldivian resident are exempt as well.

A full resident would pay about 2.4% on our example. Getting in is the catch: there's no nomad visa, and a work visa needs a Maldivian employer.

👉 Maldives expat tax guide

22. Jordan

Jordan doesn't tax a portfolio held abroad, as long as the money didn't come from Jordan. If it did, a flat 10% applies and the rating drops to Good. Dividends from companies resident in Jordan are exempt for individuals, and Jordanian bank interest pays a final 5%.

You're resident if you actually live in Jordan for at least 183 days in a calendar year, and leaving is a clean break with no exit tax.

👉 Jordan expat tax guide

29. The Philippines

Foreigners are taxed only on Philippine-source income, resident or not, with no time limit and whether or not you bring the money in. Dividends, interest and gains on a foreign portfolio are untaxed.

Local investments are taxed: 10% on Philippine dividends, 20% on bank interest since July 2025, and 0.1% of the price on listed share sales. Estate tax of 6% reaches the worldwide estate of a foreigner resident at death.

👉 Philippines expat tax guide

35. Bolivia

Bolivia's income tax only reaches Bolivian-source income, whatever your residence. Foreign dividends, interest and gains are untaxed, and so are dividends from Bolivian companies.

Bolivia has a wealth tax, but US$1m (about Bs 11.7 million) is well under the Bs 30 million threshold. The boliviano now floats, so thresholds set in bolivianos are worth much less in dollars than before.

👉 Bolivia expat tax guide

40. Nicaragua

Nicaragua taxes Nicaraguan-source income. Foreign dividends, interest and gains are untaxed as long as the capital didn't come from Nicaragua; if it did, 15% applies and the rating drops to Good.

Dividends, interest and gains from Nicaraguan sources are taxed at 15%, so a local company is less attractive. The old pensioner and rentista import incentives were repealed in 2024.

👉 Nicaragua expat tax guide

45. Malawi

Malawi taxes income from a source in Malawi. Foreign dividends, foreign interest and gains on foreign shares are outside the tax, with no remittance test, and there's no wealth tax or health levy.

Dividends paid by a company incorporated in Malawi are Malawian income, and listed share sales carry a 2% final tax. A move to taxing residents on worldwide income is in the government's revenue strategy, but that's Proposed, not law.

👉 Malawi expat tax guide

What about time-limited relief?

Several Excellent countries only reach 0% through relief for new residents. Israel's runs for ten years, and Uruguay's (11 years) and Turkey's (20 years) run even longer.

44. Israel

New immigrants (olim) and Israelis returning after at least ten years abroad pay no tax on foreign dividends and gains on assets held abroad for ten years, and that income is outside Bituach Leumi too. For anyone else it's about 29%.

For a founder, the key catch is the local rate: dividends from an Israeli company are taxed at 25%, or 30% for a substantial shareholder. Leaving is hard as well. You stop being resident only when your centre of life moves abroad, and under section 100A your assets are treated as sold the day before residence ends.

👉 Israel expat tax guide

Other new-resident relief, with the cost on our example once it ends, from each country's guide:

• The UK: four tax years under the FIG regime, then about 12% (Good).

• New Zealand: 48 months, then usually a deemed 5% return, about 14% (Good).

• Chile: three years, then about 10.7% (Good).

• South Korea: five years, then about 17%.

• India: while you're RNOR, usually 2 to 3 tax years, then about 18%.

• Tanzania and Uganda: two years, then about 19% and 15.5%.

• The Dominican Republic: two years, then about 22%, or about 10% with pensionado or rentista status.

• Uruguay: 11 years under the holiday, then 12%. Turkey: 20 years under article 20/D.

☑️ All 49 countries rated Excellent for dividends and investment income, 2026

Can you take dividends from your own local company tax-free?

Only in some countries. In a territorial country, a dividend from a company based there is local income, so the foreign income exemption doesn't help. These tables show what the country guides say about dividends from a company in the same country. Countries not listed don't set this out clearly in their guide, so check before you plan around it.

Where dividends from a company in the same country are also untaxed, 2026

Where dividends from a company in the same country are taxed, 2026

Which countries are rated Good for entrepreneurs?

Another 53 countries tax our example at 15% or less. Taiwan (0.4%), Luxembourg (0.6%), Aruba (1.0%) and Cyprus (1.3%) are close to zero, and Mauritius (6.0%) and Bulgaria (7.0%) are also well under the 15% line. Colombia has a wealth tax, but US$1m is under its threshold, so it stays Good at 14.1%.

Japan just misses the Good line at 15.1%. Its non-permanent resident rule leaves foreign dividends and interest kept abroad untaxed for most foreign nationals in their first five years, but gains on securities you buy while a non-permanent resident are taxed at 20.315% wherever you sell them. That's about 10.2% on our example, and National Health Insurance on the declared gains adds about 4.9%, so Japan rates Moderate.

Taiwan: Good at 0.4%

Taiwan's regular income tax only covers Taiwan-source income. Foreign income can only be reached by the alternative minimum tax, and that's due only on basic income above NT$7.5 million, at 20%. Our example (about NT$2.6 million a year) is well under, so no income tax is due.

What you do pay is the flat National Health Insurance premium of NT$826 a month that a resident without a job pays after six months. That's 0.4% on our example, and because health contributions count in our figures, Taiwan rates Good rather than Excellent. Taiwan dividends are a different matter: 28% flat, or an 8.5% credit.

👉 Taiwan expat tax guide

☑️ The 53 countries rated Good (15% or less), 2026

Of the remaining countries, 42 rate Moderate (over 15% and up to 30%) and 9 rate Poor (over 30%).

Traps and what to check before you move

• Local company dividends: a territorial system protects foreign income. If your company is based in your new country, check the local dividend rate first.

• Conditions on the 0%: Kyrgyzstan depends on not holding a residence permit, Jordan and Nicaragua on the money not coming from there, Monaco excludes French nationals, the Maldives excludes people married to a Maldivian, and Moldova's exemption is for foreign citizens.

• Running a business yourself: in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the 0% covers dividends and investments, not profit from a business you run in your own name.

• Relief that ends: plan for the year the new-resident relief stops, and for Oman's income tax from 2028.

• Interest: Ivory Coast taxes interest even from abroad, and Namibia and Eswatini tax foreign interest of people who live there. Our example only stays at 0% if the income is mostly dividends.

• Exit taxes: Israel, Moldova, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Eswatini have one when you leave. Your current home country may tax you on the way out too.

• Treaties: the Bahamas and Bermuda have no double tax treaties, and the Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua guides found none in force, so withholding tax charged abroad on your dividends stays.

• Proposed, not law: a tax on resident dividends in Namibia, worldwide taxation in Costa Rica, Honduras and Malawi.

Above all, make sure you actually stop being resident in the country you leave. A zero-tax home doesn't help if your old country still counts you as resident.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best country for entrepreneurs for tax in 2026?

On the personal tax you pay on dividends and investment returns, the Bahamas, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman all charge 0% on our US$1m example. The UAE is one of the easiest to become resident in, and Hong Kong and Singapore are the strongest territorial options.

Which countries don't tax dividends?

Countries with no income tax, such as the UAE, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Kuwait, Monaco and the Cayman Islands, don't tax dividends from anywhere. Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, Jordan and Bolivia also leave dividends from local companies untaxed, as well as foreign ones.

If I move to a territorial country, are my company's dividends tax-free?

Only if the company is based abroad. Dividends from a company in your new country are local income: Georgia charges 5%, Panama and the Philippines 10%, and Nicaragua 15%.

Does the UAE tax dividends from my own company?

No. The UAE doesn't tax individuals on dividends, interest or capital gains, wherever they come from. See the UAE expat tax guide for the residence rules.

Is the UK good for entrepreneurs moving there?

For your first four tax years, the FIG regime makes foreign dividends, interest and gains free of UK tax. It doesn't cover UK dividends, which are taxed at 10.75%, 35.75% or 39.35% above a £500 allowance.

Will any of these countries start taxing dividends?

Oman will. From 1 January 2028 residents pay 5% on gross income above OMR 42,000, with dividends counting towards it. A tax on resident dividends in Namibia is Proposed, not law.

Where to go next

👉 Best countries for investors

👉 Countries with no income tax

👉 Countries that don't tax foreign income

👉 Special tax regimes for new residents

👉 Countries with an exit tax

👉 Hardest countries to stop being tax resident

👉 UAE expat tax guide

👉 Hong Kong expat tax guide

👉 Singapore expat tax guide