A dividend tax has to be paid almost no matter in what country you invest (Greece seems to be an exception!). But how big that tax is varies. Below is a list that helps you see how much of your dividends will be withheld from the tax authorities in the country where you have bought your shares.

The list should be correct for Swedish residents and probably for all EU citizens. I am less sure whether it is also accurate for US citizens. Please help me out by commenting below.

Keep in mind, though, that there may be other regulations for what dividend tax you have to pay as a resident (not just a foreign shareholder) in the country. In Sweden, for example, the capital income tax is 30 % unless you invest through some sort of capital or retirement insurance.

Your own country’s tax authority may also add dividend taxes on top of the one withheld by the foreign tax authority. That means that the final dividend tax on a share from Singapore is 30 % in Sweden anyway. The Swedish tax authority adds the difference between what the foreign tax authority taxed you and 30 % (the capital income tax rate in Sweden). So, if the dividend tax is 0 % in Singapore, the Swedish tax authority taxes you 30 % for that income in Sweden. If the foreign dividend tax had been 15 %, another 15 % would have been taxed in Sweden and so on.

Are you missing a country in the list? Is there anything that needs to be updated? Do you have any tips you want to share with the readers concerning investing in foreign dividend stocks? Let me know!