Relocation glossary

Digital nomad visa

A residence permit that lets you live in a country while working remotely for employers or clients based outside it, usually subject to a minimum income.

Golden visa

A residence permit granted in exchange for a qualifying investment — commonly real estate, funds, or business — often with a low physical-presence requirement.

D7 visa (Portugal)

Portugal's residence visa for non-EU citizens with stable passive or remote income (pensions, rental, dividends, or remote work) sufficient to support themselves.

Apostille

A certificate that authenticates a public document (birth certificate, degree, criminal record) for legal use in another country that is party to the 1961 Hague Convention.

Residence permit

Official authorization to live in a country for longer than a short-stay visa allows, usually tied to a purpose such as work, study, family, or independent income.

Tax residency (183-day rule)

The status that determines which country can tax your worldwide income — often triggered by spending 183+ days there in a year, though other tests apply too.

FEIE (Foreign Earned Income Exclusion)

A U.S. tax provision letting qualifying Americans abroad exclude a capped amount of foreign earned income from U.S. federal income tax.

FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts)

An annual U.S. report (FinCEN Form 114) required when the total of your non-U.S. financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point in the year.

FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act)

A U.S. law requiring foreign financial institutions to report accounts held by U.S. persons, and requiring those persons to report specified foreign assets above thresholds.

Totalization agreement

A bilateral agreement that stops you paying social-security taxes to two countries at once and lets you combine work credits across both.

Certificate of coverage

A document proving you pay social-security contributions in one country under a totalization agreement, so the other country exempts you.

NIF (Portuguese tax number)

Portugal's tax identification number, needed for almost everything: opening a bank account, signing a lease, getting utilities, or applying for a visa.

NIE (Spanish foreigner ID number)

Spain's identification number for foreigners, required to work, open a bank account, buy property, or handle most official paperwork.

Padrón (empadronamiento, Spain)

Registration on your local town-hall census in Spain, proving where you live and unlocking healthcare, school enrolment and many administrative steps.

Anmeldung (Germany address registration)

Mandatory registration of your address at the local citizens' office in Germany, usually required within about two weeks of moving in.