Like in most other legal matters, you don't draw a line. There are situations where you are unambiguously a visitor, situations where you are unambiguously a re

Like in most other legal matters, you don't draw a line. There are situations where you are unambiguously a visitor, situations where you are unambiguously a resident, and situations where your legal status is ambiguous. If you are in an ambiguous situation, you are taking a personal risk. The risk may be minimal, and it may be worth it, but your immigration and tax situation is uncertain and cannot be known in advance. Also, it's not up to you to determine the purpose of your visit. Immigration and tax authorities determine it by any means they want. If you disagree with them, you are wrong unless you can prove otherwise according to the criteria they use. As a non-citizen in a foreign country, immigration and tax law are often areas where you are guilty until proven innocent. You don't have the same rights you are used to in your home country. It's up to you to prove that you are following the law, rather than for the authorities to prove that you are breaking it. Some countries encourage tourism by not enforcing their laws. As long as you are a nice harmless tourist doing nice harmless touristy things, the authorities ignore you. But if they have a reason to dislike you, it turns out you are illegally in the country, because you didn't follow some overcomplicated process to the letter.