Reference
Citizenship · residency · wealth glossary
Short definitions of the terms you meet when researching passports, residency and tax. See also Methodology và FAQ.
- Visa-free
- Entry with no permit applied for in advance — a valid passport is enough. The "strongest" form of access.
- Visa on arrival (VOA)
- Visa on Arrival — the visa is applied for and issued at the airport or border on arrival, with no advance filing. It counts towards passport strength.
- eTA
- Electronic Travel Authorization — an electronic entry permit filed online and approved quickly before departure (like the US ESTA). Not a visa; it counts towards passport strength.
- e-Visa
- An electronic visa — still a visa, applied for online and refusable. Prosperous Intelligence does NOT count e-Visa towards passport strength.
- ESTA
- Electronic System for Travel Authorization — the United States' eTA scheme for citizens of visa-waiver countries.
- ETIAS
- European Travel Information and Authorisation System — the electronic permit scheme coming for visa-free travellers to the Schengen area.
- Passport strength
- The number of destinations a citizen can enter without a consular visa in advance = visa-free + visa on arrival + eTA. The measure of global mobility.
- CBI (Citizenship by Investment)
- Citizenship by Investment — a programme granting citizenship (a passport) to qualifying investors, usually within 6–18 months.
- RBI (Residency by Investment)
- Residency by Investment — a programme granting residence rights (a golden visa or long-stay permit) to investors; citizenship is a longer road, several years on.
- Golden Visa
- The common name for residency by investment (RBI) programmes, especially in Europe — residence rights in exchange for an investment or contribution.
- HNWI
- High-Net-Worth Individual — a person with substantial net assets (typically USD 1 million or more), the core audience for citizenship and residency planning.
- Tax residency
- The status of being treated by a country as a taxpayer, usually based on days present or your centre of vital interests. Distinct from citizenship.
- Residence-based taxation
- Residence-based taxation — tax charged according to where you are tax resident. The most common model worldwide.
- Citizenship-based taxation
- Citizenship-based taxation — taxing citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. The United States is the prominent example.
- Non-dom
- Non-domiciled — a favourable tax status for residents whose permanent home is considered to be elsewhere, usually exempting or reducing tax on foreign income.
- Multiple citizenship (dual nationality)
- Holding two or more citizenships at once. Each country sets its own rules on whether this is allowed.
- Permanent resident (PR)
- Permanent Resident — the right to live and work in a country long term without being a citizen; usually a stepping stone to citizenship.
- Schengen area
- A group of nearly 30 European countries that have removed internal border checks; a Schengen visa or residence permit generally allows travel across the whole area.
- The 90/180 rule
- Short-stay visitors to the Schengen area may stay up to 90 days in any 180 consecutive days, counted across the whole bloc on a rolling window.
- Due diligence
- The vetting of an applicant's background and source of funds in CBI/RBI programmes — the stricter it is, the more respected the passport.
- Lump-sum tax
- A regime under which a fixed annual amount replaces ordinary income tax, offered by some countries to wealthy new arrivals.
- Exit tax
- A tax on unrealised capital gains when someone gives up residence or citizenship — something to price in before changing tax residency.
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