# Senegal: taxes, residence and cost of living

Source: https://domicile.wiki/places/senegal/ (domicile.wiki, researched 2026-10-15). Data licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Research, not tax or legal advice.

## At a glance

For an EU-citizen family of five living off a EUR 30M portfolio (the guide's default reader).

- Wealth tax: none
- Children inherit: tax-free
- EU member: no
- Currency: XOF
- Capital: Dakar

## Tax on investments, inheritance and wealth

Senegal taxes residents on worldwide income at progressive rates up to 43%, with no unilateral relief for foreign tax. Foreign dividends and, per Deloitte, capital gains fall under that scale; some share gains are taxed at 25%, and Senegalese dividends bear 10%. There is no wealth tax, and Deloitte describes only a fixed XOF 25,000 duty on accepting a succession; gift duties were not verified. Confidence is low: no tax authority source was reachable and the 2026 code reform was not reviewed.

- **Senegalese tax resident**: Worldwide income tax at 0-43%; 10% WHT on Senegalese dividends; no wealth tax; fixed duty on successions.

## Inheritance law and trusts

Succession has two regimes: ordinary law and Muslim law, under the Code de la famille. Ordinary law applies by default, but Muslim law applies where the deceased chose it, and courts often apply the Muslim provisions. The surviving spouse has a reserved share. Fiducie and foundations were not sourced.

## Daily life (0-100, higher is better)

- Political and institutional stability: 49
- Corruption and government integrity: 49
- Legal system and property rights: 48
- Healthcare quality and access: 34
- Education quality: 37
- Human development and quality of life: 6
- Infrastructure and connectivity: 43
- Business opportunities and economy: 33
- Cultural fit and lifestyle: 12

## Research notes

### Senegal — family-office tax dossier

Last reviewed: 2026-10-15
Tax year: 2026
Reviewer: research agent (Claude), unreviewed by a tax adviser

#### Summary

Senegal taxes residents on worldwide income at progressive rates up to 43%, with no unilateral relief for foreign tax. Foreign dividends and, per Deloitte, capital gains fall under that scale; some share gains are taxed at 25%, and Senegalese dividends bear 10%. There is no wealth tax, and Deloitte describes only a fixed XOF 25,000 duty on accepting a succession; gift duties were not verified. Confidence is low: no tax authority source was reachable and the 2026 code reform was not reviewed.

US citizens: US citizens remain fully US-taxed; Senegal's tax on foreign dividends and gains (up to 43%) exceeds US long-term rates, so Senegal would be the binding layer. No US-Senegal income tax treaty.

#### Residence and eligibility

Resident if the individual has a permanent abode or permanent residence in Senegal, carries on a professional activity there (other than a subsidiary one), or has the centre of economic interests there (PwC). No day-count test is stated.

- **Residence card** (EU, US, OTHER): Non-citizens staying long term need a residence card (carte de résident); ECOWAS citizens have free movement. No residence-by-investment programme identified. Not researched in detail.

#### Capital gains

##### Standard regime

Residents are taxed on worldwide income. Capital gains of individuals are taxed at the progressive income tax rates (0-43%) on declaration, real-estate gains are collected at source by the notary, and gains on the sale of shares are taxed at 25% 'in certain cases' (Deloitte 2026). Which rule applies to a resident's gains on foreign listed securities is not stated; scored at the 43% top progressive rate.

- **Exemptions and thresholds:** Progressive scale (XOF, annual): 0-630,000 0%; to 1.5m 20%; to 4m 30%; to 8m 35%; to 13.5m 37%; to 50m 40%; above 50m 43%; household 'shares' (quotient) system.
- **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** The 25% rate for some share disposals is thought to be the CGI art. 259 levy (older sources); its scope for listed and foreign shares is unverified. A reform of the Code général des impôts for 2026 was mentioned in search results but not reviewed; whether it changed individual investment-income rules was not checked.
- **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / low / partially_verified (checked 2026-10-15)
- **JSON numbers:** headline 43% (0.43); listed domestic n/a (null); listed foreign 43% (0.43); private business sale n/a (null); local real estate n/a (null); foreign real estate 43% (0.43).
- **How derived:** Foreign listed securities and foreign real estate: 0.43, the top progressive rate that Deloitte gives as the capital gains rate for individuals. Domestic listed shares and private business shares: null because the 25% share-gain rate applies 'in certain cases' that could not be identified (the range is 25-43%). Senegalese real estate: null because the notary's at-source rate was not found.
- **Holding period:** None identified.
- **Trader recharacterisation:** Trading gains are business income at progressive rates.
- **Foreign assets:** Worldwide taxation; Senegal grants no unilateral foreign tax relief, only treaty relief (Deloitte).

#### Dividends

##### Standard regime

Senegalese dividends bear a 10% withholding tax for residents and non-residents. Foreign dividends of residents fall into worldwide income at progressive rates up to 43%, and Senegal gives no unilateral credit for foreign tax (treaty relief only).

- **Exemptions and thresholds:** See the progressive scale under capital gains.
- **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** Whether the 10% WHT on Senegalese dividends is final (libératoire) for individuals is supported only by older (2006-era) code text and was not confirmed for the current code. A reform of the Code général des impôts for 2026 was mentioned in search results but not reviewed; whether it changed individual investment-income rules was not checked.
- **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / low / partially_verified (checked 2026-10-15)
- **JSON numbers:** headline 43% (0.43); domestic 10% (0.1); foreign gross 43% (0.43); foreign tax relief: none.
- **How derived:** Domestic: 10% WHT treated as final. Foreign: 43% top progressive rate on worldwide income, no unilateral credit; treaty credit only where a treaty applies (Senegal has more than 30 treaties, mostly African and European).
- **Outbound withholding:** 10% on dividends to residents and non-residents, reducible by treaty for non-residents.
- **Treaty network:** More than 30 treaties; BEPS MLI in force from 1 September 2022 (Deloitte). Includes France; no US treaty, so US dividends bear 30% US WHT.
- **Holding companies:** Companies pay 30%; dividends received outside the participation exemption are taxed after a 60% abatement. Not modelled.

#### Inheritance and gifts to children

##### Standard regime

Deloitte reports only a fixed registration duty of XOF 25,000 on deeds accepting a succession or legacy; no proportional inheritance tax is described. Treatment of gifts (donations) to children was not found.

- **Exemptions and thresholds:** Fixed XOF 25,000 per deed of acceptance of a succession.
- **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** Registration duties on donations inter vivos and on transfers of Senegalese real estate by succession were not verified; the PwC summary does not cover inheritance or gift tax. A reform of the Code général des impôts for 2026 was mentioned in search results but not reviewed; whether it changed individual investment-income rules was not checked.
- **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / low / unverified (checked 2026-10-15)
- **JSON numbers:** basis `none`, children `fully_exempt`, scope `worldwide`, exemption 0 XOF, brackets (marginal): none; other transfer costs 0% (0.0).
- **Gifts:** Not verified: registration duties on donations to children could apply. (same as inheritance: False; tax-free after years: None)
- **Foreign assets:** No charge identified.
- **Residence/domicile rules:** Not applicable.
- **Business relief covers listed shares:** False

#### Wealth tax

##### Standard regime

No net wealth or net worth tax.

- **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / high / verified (checked 2026-10-15)
- **JSON type:** `none`
- **Property tax (not a wealth tax):** Land/property tax not researched; transfers of real property bear a 5% registration duty (Deloitte).

#### Special regimes

None modelled; see Residence and eligibility.

#### Company taxation (kept separate from personal tax)

Headline CIT rate: 30% (0.3). 30% CIT (15% for free export companies and special economic zones); minimum tax 0.5% of turnover when loss-making (capped XOF 5m). Participation exemption for qualifying dividends; 10% WHT on dividends.
Special zones/regimes: Special economic zones and free export companies at 15%.

#### Cost of living notes

Not researched in this pass: no cost item could be sourced quickly from an agency report, school fee page or comparable source, so `cost_of_living` is omitted.

#### Open questions

- Senegal's DGID website and the current Code général des impôts could not be reached; figures rest on Deloitte (April 2026) and PwC (August 2026) summaries.
- Which share disposals qualify for the 25% rate and whether it covers listed or foreign shares; the at-source rate on real-estate gains.
- Whether foreign gains of individuals are actually taxed at progressive rates in practice.
- Whether foreign dividends are taxed at progressive rates or at a proportional rate (as for domestic investment income) was not verified.
- Registration duty on gifts (donations) to children and on inherited Senegalese real estate not verified; the 'no inheritance tax' scoring rests on one professional summary.

#### Sources

- Senegal Highlights 2026 (updated April 2026) (Deloitte International Tax, professional): https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/services/tax/2026/dttl-tax-senegalhighlights-2026.pdf
- Senegal - Individual - Taxes on personal income (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/senegal/individual/taxes-on-personal-income
- Senegal - Individual - Other taxes (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/senegal/individual/other-taxes
- Senegal - Individual - Residence (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/senegal/individual/residence

#### Change log

- 2026-10-15: initial research.


## Residence and succession sources

- [Succession immobilière au Senegal](https://www.cyriljarnias.com/immobilier-international/investir-immobilier-senegal/succession-immobiliere-senegal-procedure-complete/) — Cyril Jarnias
- [Le Soleil: les successions](https://lesoleil.sn/actualites/societe-fait-divers/younouss-ababacar-sadikh-sane-les-successions-compte-tenu-de-leur-delicatesse-sont-un-terreau-fertile-de-conflits-familiaux-3-3/) — Le Soleil
- [Droit de succession au Sénégal](https://www.au-senegal.com/droit-de-succession-au-senegal-comprendre-les-regles-et-les-demarches,17823.html) — Au Sénégal
- [HCCH status table: Convention of 1 July 1985 on the Law Applicable to Trusts and on their Recognition](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=59) — Hague Conference on Private International Law