EU tax blacklist 2026: the full list and every change since 2017

The Council of the EU adopted the current list on 9 October 2026 (Council conclusions, 9 October 2026). Each name comes with the reason, which tells you what the place would have to change to come off.

• American SamoaNo automatic exchange of financial account information, and no commitment to fix itOn the list since 5 December 2017
• AnguillaExchange of information rating below "largely compliant"; economic substance rules not enforcedOn the list since 4 October 2022 (listed before, Oct 2020 to Oct 2021)
• GuamNo automatic exchange of financial account informationOn the list since 5 December 2017
• PalauHas not signed and ratified the OECD convention on mutual assistance in tax mattersOn the list since 18 February 2020 (listed before, Dec 2017 to Oct 2018)
• RussiaHarmful regime for international holding companiesOn the list since 14 February 2023
• Turks and Caicos IslandsEconomic substance rules not effectively enforcedOn the list since 17 February 2026 (listed before, Oct 2022 to Feb 2024)
• US Virgin IslandsNo automatic exchange; three harmful tax regimesOn the list since 13 March 2018
• VanuatuOffshore structures without real economic substanceOn the list since 12 March 2019

Annex II, the grey list

These ten are cooperative but have made commitments the EU is still waiting on. Two sit in more than one section.

What changed on 9 October 2026 is set out in the Code of Conduct Group report of 25 September 2026: no new listings, Panama and Viet Nam delisted and moved to Annex II, Belize removed from Annex II.

This is the complete record of Annex I since 5 December 2017, plus everyone on Annex II today. Every period links to the Official Journal text that added or removed it. Sort by any column, or narrow it down.

The list was born at 17, halved within two months as places made commitments, then filled up again in March 2019 when those commitments fell due. The count after each revision:

Count of Annex I jurisdictions after each of the 27 revisions from 5 December 2017 to 9 October 2026, from the Official Journal texts linked in the record above.

Two things stand out. Removals usually follow a concrete fix: a new exchange agreement, a repealed regime, a better peer review rating. And the places that stay longest are the ones that never made a commitment at all, like American Samoa and Guam, on every version since 2017.

Nothing changes inside the listed country. What changes is how EU countries treat money that flows to it. Since 1 January 2021 every member state applies at least one of four defensive measures agreed in the Council's guidance of November 2019:

A worked example: Ireland

Ireland's Revenue uses all four routes in some form: companies disclose interest, royalty and dividend dealings with listed places on their tax return, certain CFC exemptions are switched off, withholding tax applies to interest, royalties and distributions to listed places since 2024, and the participation exemption is not available for a subsidiary resident in one.

DAC6 reporting

Under the EU's mandatory disclosure rules, a deductible cross-border payment between related companies to a recipient in a listed jurisdiction is a reportable hallmark on its own (Directive 2018/822, hallmark C.1(b)(ii)). Advisers or the taxpayer must file it.

Banks

No EU rule tells a bank to close an account because a country is listed. But the European Banking Authority's risk factor guidelines name the EU tax list among the sources banks use to judge a country's tax transparency, so expect more questions, not a refusal.

Where do you live? pick it

None of the places Heirson forms companies in is on Annex I today. Eleven have been at some point, mostly briefly, and two sit on Annex II. Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Estonia are EU members, which the list doesn't cover.

• United Arab EmiratesNot listed todayAnnex I: Dec 2017 to Jan 2018; Mar 2019 to Oct 2019
• British Virgin IslandsAnnex II todayAnnex I: Feb 2023 to Oct 2023
• PanamaAnnex II todayAnnex I: Dec 2017 to Jan 2018; Feb 2020 to Oct 2026
• Cayman IslandsNot listed todayAnnex I: Feb 2020 to Oct 2020
• BelizeNot listed todayAnnex I: Mar 2019 to Nov 2019; Oct 2023 to Feb 2024
• SeychellesNot listed todayAnnex I: Feb 2020 to Oct 2021; Oct 2023 to Feb 2024
• BahamasNot listed todayAnnex I: Mar 2018 to May 2018; Oct 2022 to Feb 2024
• BermudaNot listed todayAnnex I: Mar 2019 to May 2019
• Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis)Not listed todayAnnex I: Mar 2018 to May 2018
• Marshall IslandsNot listed todayAnnex I: Dec 2017 to Mar 2018; Mar 2019 to Oct 2019; Feb 2023 to Oct 2023
• BahrainNot listed todayAnnex I: Dec 2017 to Mar 2018
• SwitzerlandNever on Annex I
• Hong KongNever on Annex I
• MauritiusNever on Annex I
• JerseyNever on Annex I
• GuernseyNever on Annex I
• Isle of ManNever on Annex I
• GibraltarNever on Annex I
• Labuan, MalaysiaNever on Annex I
• CuraçaoNever on Annex I
• GeorgiaNever on Annex I
• United KingdomNever on Annex I
• United StatesNever on Annex I

Each tax guide explains what the listing history means for a company there today. For the full picture of where companies pay little or no tax, see our tax haven guide.