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I'm an Indian citizen, living in the U.A.E. The U.A.E. does not have a tax treaty with the U.S., so, tax treaties don't affect the equation, which makes things simple.

I've read that there is a different tax rate for Americans in the United States for selling off shares within a year compared to selling them off after a year. I understand that it's 15% for long-term and 30% for periods less than a year.

Is this the same for non-U.S. resident foreigners investing in the U.S. stock market? Or is it a flat 30% regardless of time period?

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  • where is the connection to the United States?
    – mhoran_psprep
    May 26, 2019 at 16:28
  • Sorry, I should have clarified. I want to invest in U.S. securities. I've edited the question to make that more clear.
    – Zesty
    May 26, 2019 at 16:29
  • In which sense are the capital gains "in the US"? Just that you plan to use a US-based broker to execute your trades?
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    May 26, 2019 at 23:03
  • @HenningMakholm The securities are American companies and the investment platform is also an American company. It's the U.S. stock market.
    – Zesty
    May 27, 2019 at 8:11
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    I can't help with the rules for aliens. I just wanted to note that the 15% for long-term gains is the maximum. Persons with low total income would pay less. Of course, most persons with low income have no capital gains, but not always. Short-term gains are (to over-simplify) treated as ordinary income, which can be taxed up to 37%.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    May 28, 2019 at 23:55

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What you're referring to is the long-term vs the short-term capital gains tax rate, which depends on the income bracket you fall into. For residents, the long-term rates can be 0%, 15%, or 20%. The short-term rates are treated the same as normal income.

Non-residents are subject to a withholding tax of 30% on dividends, but you get 15% because of a tax treaty (see here last column). Additionally, you still get hit by the 30% tax, lowered to 15% by treaty, on capital gains since its FDAP that is not Effectively Connected Income to US businesses and trade, which is explicitly mentioned here.

So, simply put, you get hit by a 15% tax from the India-US tax treaty on everything.

Edit: actually, I'm not sure how living in the UAE changes things. You will be living under 3 tax regimes: India, UAE, and US, and I can't even fathom how they begin to interact with each other. I'm semi-confident that you still get 15% from the treaty with India, since the UAE shouldn't be taxing you on foreign income (seeing as the US in unique in its insistence on taxing all the money of its residents). I'm not very confident in my answer, so if anybody knows more feel free to correct me.

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  • (I'm pretty sure) capital gains are not FDAP. Pub 519 chapter 4 under "30% tax" (for not-effectively-connected income) has FDAP in one section (taxed) and "Sales and Exchanges of Capital Assets" except real property in a different section that says, with limited exceptions, they are exempt if you are in the US less than 183 days during the year, and OP is apparently in the US 0 days. Your link lists that real property gains are US-taxed but doesn't mention any others.
    – dave_thompson_085
    Jun 16, 2019 at 14:43
  • Note that there is an estate tax of up to 40% on US situs assets of non-residents.
    – user2371765
    Jun 20, 2020 at 17:06

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