Moving to Trinidad and Tobago
5 ways to move to Trinidad and Tobago in our guide: 2 business / startup routes, 1 work visa, 1 student visa, 1 spouse visa.
No digital nomad visa. Tax for newcomers: Trinidad and Tobago: foreign-source income of persons not ordinarily resident or not domiciled taxed when received, Remittance basis (non-dom). Checked against official sources on .
Trinidad and Tobago runs its immigration processes online, with work and student permits handled through official portals. The system is employer-driven for work and fully online for study, so the paperwork starts before you travel.
Business / Startup · 2
CSME business right
Investor or self-employed permit
Work · 1
Student · 1
Spouse visas · 1
For people married to, or in a partnership with, a citizen or permanent resident.
Spouse visa
Free movement and visa-free stays · 1
CARICOM free movement · Lets you live here
Open to 11 passports: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, VC.
Tax
If you are not ordinarily resident or not domiciled in Trinidad and Tobago, foreign-source income is taxed only when you receive it in the country, while employment exercised locally is treated as local income whether or not you receive it there. If you are ordinarily resident and domiciled, your worldwide income is in scope. The records do not set a day count for residence, so the ordinarily resident and domicile tests matter. Rates and allowances are set out in the records; this is general context, not advice.
Standard rules
Personal income tax and business levy
Details
- On: Chargeable income after allowances
- Limit: TTD 1M/yr ≈ $147k
Individuals are taxed at 25% up to TT$1,000,000 of chargeable income and 30% above, after a TT$90,000 personal allowance (from 1 January 2023); a self-employed person also pays a 0.6% business levy on gross sales or receipts when these exceed TT$360,000 a year.
Taxed on
Chargeable income after allowances; business levy on gross sales or receipts
Who it applies to
- Personal allowance and listed deductions are available to resident individuals.
Exclusions
- Business levy is not charged on the gross sales or receipts of a business for up to three years from the date it starts.
Limits
- TTD 1,000,000 a year (≈ $147,000) · 25% applies up to this amount of chargeable income; 30% above.
- TTD 90,000 a year (≈ $13,300) · Personal allowance for resident individuals from 1 January 2023.
- TTD 360,000 a year (≈ $53,100) · Gross sales or receipts, other than emolument income, above which the 0.6% business levy applies (in force from January 2019).
Other taxes
NIS contributions are claimable up to 70% within a TT$60,000 cap of pension and annuity deductions. Registration for VAT is required where gross annual income or sales exceed TT$500,000; that figure is not the business levy threshold.
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Special regime
Trinidad and Tobago: foreign-source income of persons not ordinarily resident or not domiciled taxed when received
Tax relief
Details
- On: Foreign-source income actually received in Trinidad and Tobago
- Who: Person who is not ordinarily resident in Trinidad and Tobago
Section 5(2) of the Income Tax Act provides that income arising outside Trinidad and Tobago to a person who is not ordinarily resident or not domiciled there is taxable on the amount received in Trinidad and Tobago, while employment exercised in Trinidad and Tobago is treated as income arising there whether or not received.
Taxed on
Foreign-source income actually received in Trinidad and Tobago; Trinidad and Tobago employment income whether or not received.
Who it applies to
- Person who is not ordinarily resident in Trinidad and Tobago, or not domiciled there.
Exclusions
- Income from employment or office exercised in Trinidad and Tobago is taxable regardless of where received.
- Persons ordinarily resident and domiciled in Trinidad and Tobago fall under the general charge on income accruing in or derived from Trinidad and Tobago or elsewhere (s.5(1)).
Tax residence
Residence is tested by ordinary residence and domicile status under the Income Tax Act.
Visas
The treatment follows from residence and domicile under the Income Tax Act, not from a visa category.
Other taxes
Individual income tax is only part of the system; VAT and National Insurance contributions apply separately.
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Standard rules
Trinidad and Tobago individual income tax: worldwide charge and rates
Worldwide income
Details
- Limit: TTD 1M/yr ≈ $147k
Income tax is payable on income of any person accruing in or derived from Trinidad and Tobago or elsewhere, whether received in Trinidad and Tobago or not (s.5(1)), at 25% on chargeable income up to TT$1,000,000 and 30% on every dollar over TT$1,000,000 (from 1 January 2017), after a personal allowance of TT$90,000 from 1 January 2023.
Taxed on
Chargeable income of persons ordinarily resident and domiciled in Trinidad and Tobago from all sources worldwide, with the received-basis rule for persons not ordinarily resident or not domiciled.
Who it applies to
- Personal allowance of TT$90,000 is available to all resident individuals from 1 January 2023 (IRD).
Exclusions
- Persons not ordinarily resident or not domiciled are taxed on foreign-source income only when received in Trinidad and Tobago (s.5(2)).
Limits
- TTD 1,000,000 a year (≈ $147,000) · Chargeable income up to this amount taxed at 25%; every dollar above taxed at 30%
- TTD 90,000 a year (≈ $13,300) · Personal allowance available to resident individuals from 1 January 2023
Tax residence
Residence is tested by ordinarily resident and domicile status in the Income Tax Act.
Visas
Tax liability follows residence and domicile, not visa status.
Other taxes
VAT and National Insurance contributions are separate; 70% of NIS contributions are deductible within the TT$60,000 pension-contribution limit from 1 January 2022 (IRD).
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Trinidad and Tobago in pictures
Shorter stays · 1
Work
CSME Skills Certificate
First stay: 6 mo
Path to permanent residence · 1
- PR after 5 years · Resident status after five years of continuous residence (Immigration Act, ss. 5(1)(d), 6(1)(a) and 50(1))
Arriving in Trinidad and Tobago: first steps
- Make sure your permit application is submitted online before you travel, since work permits are employer-led and student permits are fully online.
- Keep copies of your job letter, contract, company registration and other supporting documents for the permit.
- Arrange health cover for your stay, as the records do not list public health access for permit holders.
- Set up a local bank account once you have your permit and address, to receive salary and manage payments.
- Register with the relevant authorities as required by your permit conditions, and keep your contact details current with the Immigration Division.
Questions people ask
Can I move to Trinidad and Tobago by starting a business?
Trinidad and Tobago has 2 business or startup routes. There is also CSME business right and Investor or self-employed permit.
What work visas does Trinidad and Tobago offer foreigners?
Trinidad and Tobago has 1 work visa. It is Work permit.
How do I get a student visa for Trinidad and Tobago?
Trinidad and Tobago has 1 student visa. It is Student permit.
Can I join my spouse or partner in Trinidad and Tobago?
Yes. Trinidad and Tobago has 1 spouse visa. It is Spouse visa.
Does Trinidad and Tobago have a special tax regime for new residents?
Yes: Trinidad and Tobago: foreign-source income of persons not ordinarily resident or not domiciled taxed when received. Section 5(2) of the Income Tax Act provides that income arising outside Trinidad and Tobago to a person who is not ordinarily resident or not domiciled there is taxable on the amount received in Trinidad and Tobago, while employment exercised in Trinidad and Tobago is treated as income arising there whether or not received. It is separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
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Ask the AI about Trinidad and Tobago AI
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