I am EU citizen and the resident in UK holding an investment ISA. I will be moving back to my home country this year and I was trying to find out whether I would still be able to trade in my ISA after the move. The Government website only says that adding new funds to the account is not be possible after moving abroad, but does not specify whether or not using the existing funds to make new investments is allowed (https://www.gov.uk/individual-savings-accounts/if-you-move-abroad-or-die). My current ISA provider told me they would let me keep my ISA with the funds and investments already made, but after I move abroad they would not let me buy new stocks, only sell what I have owned. I've asked several ISA providers and some even said that they would close my ISA after I become a non-resident, but a few of them assured that they would let me trade from abroad, so I am guessing it is up to financial institutions to make the rules for their clients. I am posting here to find out if someone has done such thing: lived in UK and held an investment ISA, then moved abroad and kept legally using it to trade stocks and funds.
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Why do you want to keep the ISA? If you're not paying UK tax any more, the ISA wrapper gives you no advantages.– Mike ScottMar 10, 2017 at 12:41
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Do you mean I will have to tax the profits made in my ISA after the move? And if so - pay the tax in UK or my home country?– mac13kMar 10, 2017 at 12:47
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2Yes, countries outside the UK won't respect the tax-free status of the ISA, and you'll have to pay tax on it in your new home, just like any other foreign investment income and capital gains.– Mike ScottMar 10, 2017 at 12:51
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1OK, I see your point. But what if I move abroad, keep investing in my ISA and make profits, then come back to UK and cash out?– mac13kMar 10, 2017 at 13:01
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2But investment income is generally taxable in the country where you live, not the country where it was generated. Or maybe both, but there are double-taxation treaties that will generally prevent that.– Mike ScottMar 10, 2017 at 13:19
2 Answers
After doing some more digging I figured there are two parts of this problem:
- Being able to use the UK investment ISA after moving abroad.
- Taxing the profits from investments.
Re. 1: It was very confusing to get the straight answers to this question, because I contacted several UK financial institutions who provide investment ISAs by phone and email. In most of the cases I got a negative answer when I called the helpline and a positive one via email. In other words I spoke to agents on the phone and they said that it is not possible to add funds to or buy new stocks in ISA after moving abroad, but when I got replies to the emails (after long 48 hours - because they 'aim to respond within 2 working days', so they can take their time to do so), they said that it is possible to buy and sell stocks in ISA after moving abroad. Each time I asked for the confirmation and I got one. Still there were some providers who said they would not allow new buy transactions or close the account altogether, so it is up to the providing institution whether to allow non-resident clients or not.
Re. 2: The tax-free status of the profits made in ISA is only guaranteed in UK, but the profits may be the subject to Capital Gains Tax in the new country of residence (as it was pointed out in the comments by @Mike Scott). I said 'may be', because there is a lot of factors to consider which depend on the tax laws and the particular situation of the individual. In my case it seems like I will not have to tax my ISA profits in the country I'm moving to in the current financial year if I spend most of the time abroad (that is more than 183 days of the financial year) which means that if I move in the second half of the financial year I should be able to make tax free investments in my UK ISA until the end of this financial year.
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1Do you remember which providers indicated you could continue to trade existing funds in your stocks and shares ISA after you became a non-resident?– AndrewJan 20, 2020 at 22:22
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Re. different answers by phone/email: I don't know if its how you reported things in your answer, or whether your questions (or what they thought you asked) varied by medium, but while "on the phone and they said that it is not possible to add funds to or buy new stocks in ISA" seems to imply you cannot add money and use it to by shares, it potentially doesn't contradict the by-email response "it is possible to buy and sell stocks in ISA" if that means you can "rebalance" your existing holding from abroad. Although, as you say, this is likely to be institution-dependent. Oct 21, 2020 at 10:19
Re. 2: The tax-free status of the profits made in ISA is only guaranteed in UK, but the profits may be the subject to Capital Gains Tax in the new country of residence
on this point if the profits from the Isa investments are only reinvested will they not be realised as any gains and therefore not qualify for tax in the new country as no new gain has been recieved only in the fund which I pressume is reinvested?
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1This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review– FluxNov 26, 2021 at 7:54