Most tools help you count days. None help you prove you were there.
When a tax authority opens an investigation, day-counting apps, Google Maps, and boarding passes all fail the same test: they don't link your verified identity to a specific location on a specific day. That's the only thing that matters.
How it falls apart
The proof you have fails in ways you don't expect
Most methods look fine until an inspector actually tests them. Here is where they break.
- The phone trap
You leave your phone at home and travel elsewhere
A continuous-tracking app still shows you "at home". It proves where your phone was, not where you were. An inspector knows the difference.
- The paper trail
You keep every boarding pass and hotel receipt
They show you flew in and paid for a room. They say nothing about the other 182 days, or whether it was you who slept there. A paper trail is not presence.
- The timeline
You export your Google Maps Timeline as backup
It can be edited in seconds, after the fact, by anyone. Tax authorities treat it as self-reported, which means it carries no evidentiary weight at all.
Important distinction
Two categories of tools
Before comparing features, understand what you're actually comparing. These are fundamentally different product categories.
- Plan
Day-counting apps help you plan
They track how many days you've spent where, helping you avoid overstaying. But they produce no legal proof — they're glorified spreadsheets with GPS. Self-reported data with zero legal validity.
- Prove
Certified proof apps prove you were there
They generate legally defensible evidence of physical presence: biometric verification, GPS sealing, blockchain immutability, and eIDAS-compliant signatures. A different product category entirely — and where ResidenceSafe lives.
Head to head
ResidenceSafe vs the competition
Both claim to generate certified proof. But the approach to privacy, technology, and pricing could not be more different.
| Feature | ResidenceSafe | The Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric verification | Liveness detection (face) | None |
| GPS points per day | 1 (check-in only) | Up to 86,400 (apps that track continuously) |
| Privacy model | Zero tracking between check-ins | Continuous location surveillance |
| eIDAS 2 signatures | PAdES LTA (long-term) | ✗ No (local coverage only) |
| Blockchain certification | ✓ Yes (immutable) | ✗ No |
| Geolocated photos | ✓ Yes (sealed to coordinates) | ✗ No |
| Languages | 32 | 2 |
| Free tier | ✓ Yes (unlimited, no legal validity) | ✗ No |
| Entry pricing | €69.99/month | €198.99/month |
| Top tier pricing | €98.99/month | €494.99/month |
Different problems
ResidenceSafe vs day-counting apps
Day-counting apps help you plan. ResidenceSafe helps you prove. They solve different problems.
| Feature | ResidenceSafe | The Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Certified legal proof | Day counting & planning |
| Legal validity | eIDAS 2 + blockchain | None (self-reported data) |
| Biometric verification | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Designed for submission to tax authorities | Certified documentation | Not designed for audits |
| Privacy | Zero tracking | Varies (some track continuously) |
| Cost | From €0 | From €0-50/year |
When the letter arrives
ResidenceSafe vs DIY methods
You'll pull together what you have. Here's what each piece actually proves in front of a tax authority, and what it doesn't.
| Method | What it proves | What it doesn't prove | Legally certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps Timeline | You had a phone there | You were physically present; data is editable | ✗ |
| Boarding passes | You took a flight | You stayed at destination | ✗ |
| Credit card statements | A payment was made | Who made it; physical presence | ✗ |
| Spreadsheets | You typed numbers | Anything verifiable | ✗ |
| ResidenceSafe | You were physically present (biometric + GPS + blockchain) | ✓ eIDAS 2 |
Proof without surveillance
The privacy difference
Not all proof requires surveillance. Compare how much location data each approach can collect every day.
An app that tracks continuously can log one location point every second — where you sleep, where you eat, where you go — often stored on a third-party server. That is the model ResidenceSafe was built to avoid.
You control when you are located. One deliberate check-in. Zero data between check-ins. Your location history is your business.
Same legal proof. Up to 86,399 fewer GPS points per day than a continuous-tracking app. Learn how we protect your data →
Why it holds up
What makes a ResidenceSafe record hard to challenge
Five layers of technical proof, each closing a different attack vector. Together they make the record effectively irrefutable.
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Biometric identity, not just a device
Liveness detection links the check-in to your verified legal identity. A phone left at home, a photo, or a proxy can't pass it.
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Multi-vector GPS
GPS, Wi-Fi network IDs, cell signal, and IP cross-referenced simultaneously. Spoofing one is easy. Spoofing all four at once is not.
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External NTP timestamp
The time comes from external NTP servers, not your device clock. No one can change the clock and retroactively alter when you checked in.
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Blockchain seal before you close the app
The SHA-256 hash is written to Polygon before the session ends. We don't control Polygon. If we shut down tomorrow, your records stay there.
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eIDAS 2 PAdES LTA signature
Long-term archival signatures that remain legally valid for decades across all EU jurisdictions — not basic signatures that expire or only work locally.
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One point per day. Zero surveillance.
Many tools that claim certified proof rely on continuous tracking. ResidenceSafe records one deliberate check-in. Nothing in between.
Stop tracking. Start proving.
Counting days doesn't protect you. Neither do boarding passes, bank statements, or Google Maps. The only thing that holds up is a certified record that links your face, your location, and a timestamp no one can alter.
