# Zambia: taxes, residence and cost of living Source: https://domicile.wiki/places/zambia/ (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). - Score for a wealthy family: 50 / 100 - Tax on a €30M portfolio: €167,400 a year - Wealth tax: none - Children inherit: tax-free - EU member: no - Currency: ZMW - Capital: Lusaka ## Tax on investments, inheritance and wealth Zambia has no capital gains tax, no wealth tax and no inheritance, estate or gift tax. Gains on listed and foreign securities are untaxed; an 8% Property Transfer Tax on value applies instead to Zambian land and unlisted Zambian shares. The weak point for this family is dividends: residents' foreign dividends (and interest) are taxed at progressive rates up to 37%, with a foreign tax credit. Dividends from Lusaka-listed companies are exempt. - **Zambian tax resident**: Source-based income tax, but residents' foreign dividends and interest are taxable at up to 37%; no CGT, wealth or inheritance tax. ## Inheritance law and trusts There is no forced heirship: the Wills and Administration of Testate Estates Act 1989 lets a person make a will, and dependants may seek financial provision from the estate. The Intestate Succession Act 1989 governs estates without a will. Trusts and foundations were not sourced. ## Daily life (0-100, higher is better) - Political and institutional stability: 44 - Corruption and government integrity: 39 - Legal system and property rights: 41 - Healthcare quality and access: 35 - Education quality: 6 - Human development and quality of life: 19 - Infrastructure and connectivity: 27 - Business opportunities and economy: 28 - Cultural fit and lifestyle: 43 ## Research notes ### Zambia — family-office tax dossier Last reviewed: 2026-10-15 Tax year: 2026 Reviewer: research agent (Claude), unreviewed by a tax adviser #### Summary Zambia has no capital gains tax, no wealth tax and no inheritance, estate or gift tax. Gains on listed and foreign securities are untaxed; an 8% Property Transfer Tax on value applies instead to Zambian land and unlisted Zambian shares. The weak point for this family is dividends: residents' foreign dividends (and interest) are taxed at progressive rates up to 37%, with a foreign tax credit. Dividends from Lusaka-listed companies are exempt. US citizens: US citizens remain fully US-taxed. Zambia's 37% tax on foreign dividends exceeds the US rate on qualified dividends, so the Zambian tax would be the binding layer (credit mechanics under US rules not analysed). No US-Zambia income tax treaty (not verified). #### Residence and eligibility An individual is resident unless present in Zambia only for a temporary purpose and not with a view to establishing residence; presence of 183 days or more in a charge year (calendar year) always makes an individual resident. - **Immigration permits (investor, employment, residence)** (EU, US, OTHER): All non-Zambians need a permit under the Immigration and Deportation Act; investor and residence permit thresholds were not researched in this pass. #### Capital gains ##### Standard regime Zambia has no capital gains tax. Gains on listed or foreign securities are outside income tax (the Income Tax Act taxes Zambian-source income plus residents' foreign interest and dividends only). Instead, Property Transfer Tax (PTT) of 8% of the value is charged, normally on the seller, on transfers of Zambian land and buildings and of shares in Zambian-incorporated companies other than shares listed on the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE). - **Exemptions and thresholds:** No CGT at all. PTT does not apply to LuSE-listed shares or to foreign shares. - **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** PTT 8% (from 1 January 2025) on land, unlisted Zambian shares (including indirect transfers by a non-resident company holding at least 10%), IP and certain mining rights; 10% on mining licences/rights. PTT is levied on value (realisable value/consideration), not on the gain. Business income (a trade in shares or property) is taxable at income tax rates. - **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / high / partially_verified (checked 2026-10-15) - **JSON numbers:** headline 0% (0.0); listed domestic 0% (0.0); listed foreign 0% (0.0); private business sale 8% (0.08); local real estate 8% (0.08); foreign real estate 0% (0.0). - **How derived:** Listed (LuSE) and foreign securities: 0 (no CGT; no PTT on listed or foreign shares). Private business (shares in a Zambian company) and Zambian real estate: 0.08 = 8% PTT on the transfer value, recorded as the rate because it replaces CGT; on a gain smaller than the full value the burden relative to the gain is higher (e.g. 16% of a gain equal to half the value). Foreign real estate: 0. - **Holding period:** None. - **Trader recharacterisation:** Profits from a business of dealing in shares or property are business income taxed at up to 37% (individual) or 30% (company). - **Foreign assets:** Gains on foreign assets are not taxed; only foreign interest and dividends of residents are brought into Zambian tax. #### Dividends ##### Standard regime Dividends from Zambian companies bear a final 15% withholding tax, but dividends paid to individuals by LuSE-listed companies are exempt. Foreign dividends received by Zambian residents are deemed Zambian-source and taxed at the progressive rates (top 37% above ZMW 110,400 a year), with a unilateral foreign tax credit where no treaty applies. - **Exemptions and thresholds:** 2026 bands (annual): ZMW 0-61,200 0%; 61,201-85,200 20%; 85,201-110,400 30%; above 110,400 37%. - **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** Dividend WHT is a final tax for individuals. Exempt: dividends from LuSE-listed companies to individuals, mining-company dividends, and certain farming and vehicle-assembly dividends for five years. - **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / high / partially_verified (checked 2026-10-15) - **JSON numbers:** headline 37% (0.37); domestic 0% (0.0); foreign gross 37% (0.37); foreign tax relief: credit. - **How derived:** Domestic: 0 for LuSE-listed shares (the relevant case for a listed portfolio); unlisted Zambian companies 15% final WHT. Foreign: deemed Zambian-source, taxed at the 37% top rate before a credit limited to the Zambian tax on that income (treaty rates where a treaty applies). - **Outbound withholding:** 15% (residents) / 20% (non-residents, reducible by treaty) on dividends from Zambian companies; 0% on LuSE-listed dividends to individuals and on mining dividends. - **Treaty network:** More than 20 treaties (Deloitte 2026). No US income tax treaty (not verified from the US list), so US dividends bear 30% US WHT. - **Holding companies:** Companies pay 30% CIT; no CGT. A company holding a foreign portfolio would itself be taxed on foreign dividends; not modelled. #### Inheritance and gifts to children ##### Standard regime No inheritance tax, estate duty, gift or donations tax. - **Exemptions and thresholds:** No tax of any amount. - **Important exceptions, statute references and announced changes:** Property Transfer Tax (8%) may arise when Zambian land or unlisted Zambian shares are transferred; whether transfers to heirs or donees are exempt was not verified. Foreign assets and listed securities are outside PTT. - **Tax year / confidence / verification:** 2026 / high / partially_verified (checked 2026-10-15) - **JSON numbers:** basis `none`, children `fully_exempt`, scope `worldwide`, exemption 0 ZMW, brackets (marginal): none; other transfer costs 0% (0.0). - **Gifts:** None (no donations tax); PTT on gifts of Zambian land or unlisted shares not verified. (same as inheritance: True; tax-free after years: None) - **Foreign assets:** No tax. - **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):** Local council rates on land and buildings (Ministry of Lands / city councils); PTT on transfers. #### Special regimes None modelled; see Residence and eligibility. #### Company taxation (kept separate from personal tax) Headline CIT rate: 30% (0.3). 30% standard CIT for companies and branches (35% electronic communications; mining and other sector rates differ); 5% turnover tax for small businesses. No CGT; PTT applies to transfers of land and unlisted shares. 15% final WHT on dividends to residents, 20% to non-residents. Special zones/regimes: Multi-facility economic zones and priority-sector incentives (not researched). #### 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 - Investor/residence permit requirements not researched. - Whether PTT applies to the transfer of Zambian land or unlisted shares to heirs on death or by gift (and on what value) was not verified. - PTT treatment of transfers on death and of gifts of Zambian real estate not verified. #### Sources - Zambia - Individual - Income determination (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/zambia/individual/income-determination - Zambia - Individual - Other taxes (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/zambia/individual/other-taxes - Zambia Highlights 2026 (updated April 2026) (Deloitte International Tax, professional): https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/services/tax/2026/dttl-tax-zambiahighlights-2026.pdf - Zambia - Individual - Taxes on personal income (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/zambia/individual/taxes-on-personal-income - Zambia - Individual - Residence (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, professional): https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/zambia/individual/residence #### Change log - 2026-10-15: initial research. ## Residence and succession sources - [Wills and Administration of Testate Estates Act, 1989](https://zambialii.org/akn/zm/act/1989/6) — ZambiaLII - [Intestate Succession Act, Cap 59](https://old.zambialii.org/node/7838) — ZambiaLII - [Wills and Administration of Testate Estates Act 1989 and the Intestate Succession Act (Journal of African Law)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-law/article/wills-and-administration-of-testate-estates-act-1989-and-the-intestate-succession-act-1989-of-zambia/0BABFEAC00F1FC437D4FB9D6BE16ECD5) — Cambridge University Press - [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