Digital nomad visas: the countries where you can live and work remotely

Spain’s much anticipated digital nomad visa is part of the country’s new Startup Act. It allows people to live and work remotely in the country for up to a year initially, with the ability to apply for temporary residency after that. The minimum income level is an earning of at least €2,200 (£1,890 or $2,415) per month. And you’ll need to earn at least 80 per cent of your income from sources outside Spain.

Fancy WFH from an idyllic Greek island or with an office view of the Parthenon? Greece now offers a digital nomad visa that allows non-EU citizens to live and work in the country, initially for 12 months. You’ll need a monthly income of at least €3,500 (£3,030, $3,630), plus health insurance, proof of accommodation and a clean criminal record. There is also a €75 application fee and an €150 admin fee. To apply, fill in this application form and head to a Greek embassy or consulate.

If you’re really into that poolside lifestyle, Indonesia – which includes the island of Bali – might be the place to head to. The country’s new digital nomad visa allows overseas citizens to stay in the country for up to five years, meaning you don’t have to worry about renewing it for a long time. You don’t have to pay taxes, either, so long as you’re not working for an Indonesian company. The tourism ministry is hoping to attract people to places like Ubud for a bit of ‘serenity, spirituality and serenity’ – not words we usually associate with our morning commute.

Portugal has come up with an alternative to its D7 visa (which was originally aimed at retirees) which allows remote workers from outside the EU or EEA to live and work in the country for up to 12 months. To qualify, you’ll need to prove that you have a monthly income that is four times the current Portuguese minimum wage – which is currently €760 (£654, $834). In other words, so you’ll need to earn at least €2,820 (£2,430, $3094) per month.

A new law means you can now get a Costa Rican digital nomad visa for up to two years – and you’re exempt from income tax while you’re there, too. The only catch? You have to prove you’re earning more than $3,000 (£2,650) per month, or $5,000 (£4,420) if you’re travelling with family.

Dubai has also just announced a long-term visa scheme for remote workers and their families. The biggest city in the United Arab Emirates will allow you to stay for up to a year while still working for oversea firms. The visa costs $611 (£478) plus medical insurance. There is one snag, though: you must earn at least $5,000 (£4,420) a month to qualify.

Slap-bang in the middle of Europe, Croatia is conveniently located for remote working on any European time zone. To qualify to be a digital nomad in Croatia, you’ll need to come from a country that is not a member of the EU or EEA, earn a minimum of €2,300 (£1980, $2,520) per month, have proof of employment and show health insurance docs. Got all that, and you can stay for up to 12 months.

Introduced in January 2022, Brazil’s digital nomad scheme states that anyone who earns more than €1,400 ($1,500) per month and has valid health insurance can apply to live and work in the country for up to 12 months. The country is even home to entire villages built specifically for remote workers.

Iceland has introduced its first long-term visa for those outside the European Economic Area. (EEA residents were already free to relocate to the volcanic country.) This means that anyone can apply to spend six months living in the country under a programme called, imaginatively, ‘Work in Iceland’. Okay, not quite anyone: there’s a minimum income of 1 million ISK per month, which works out to around £5,900 or $7,300. You’ll need to sort out health insurance, too.

Almost-always-sunny beach destination Barbados has its ’12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp’ that allows anyone earning $50,000 (£39,200) or more to work remotely from the island.

Mauritius’s ‘premium visa’ is valid for one year (and renewable for even longer after that). There are currently no fees, and all prospective takers have to do is produce ‘proof’ of their long-stay plans and adequate travel and health insurance for their initial period of stay. Interested? The country has set up an ‘e-visa’ application platform here.

Fancy spending 18 months straddling Central and South America? Well, you can do just that with Panama’s short-term remote working visa. With its low up-front visa costs (about $300/£265) and about-average minimum yearly wage requirement ($36,000/£31,873), Panama’s visa is a solid choice indeed.

The beautiful Baltic country of Estonia has launched its long-awaited ‘digital nomad’ scheme. With a monthly salary threshold of €3,504 (£3,020, $3,845), you must either have a job contract with an employer outside the country, have your own company registered abroad or work as a freelancer for mainly non-Estonian clients.

At the intersection of Europe and Asia, Georgia has a digital nomad visa programme that allows international visitors to work there remotely for an indefinite period. The programme is available to ‘citizens of all countries' and is aimed at freelancers and the self-employed. An earning of $2,000 (£1570) per month is a requirement. 

With its slightly cheaper monthly income requirement of $700 (£549), Colombia’s digital nomad scheme is a bit more easy to qualify than most of the others on this list. If you’ve got health insurance and a letter proving your employment, you can now stay in the country for up to two years. We’ve got all the info on the Colombian digital nomad visa.

Anguilla welcomes remote workers on year-long visas. The country wants to prioritise ‘longer-stay visitors’, who can apply to live there for up to 12 months via an online form. Anyone who plans to stay for between three months and a year must pay a fee of $2,000 (£1,570), or $3,000 (£2,355) for a family of four.

Bahamas is also running an ‘Extended Access Travel Stay’ programme allowing workers and students to work or study remotely from any of the country’s 16 islands for up to a year. All you have to do is fill out the application form here, then pay a fee of $1,000 (£785) for the head of household (and $500 (£400) for each dependent) for a work visa, or $500 (£400) as a student.

Fancy upping sticks to the Med? Malta has introduced a scheme allowing you to make the island your office. The ‘Nomad Residence Permit’ allows non-EU citizens to work from the country for a year, as long as you have a monthly income of more than €2,700 (£2,325, $2,960) and work for a company outside of Malta.  

With its requirement that you only need to have a yearly income of $24,000 (£18,800), Malaysia’s accessible digital nomad scheme comes in the form of the DE Rantau Nomad Pass – and it can last up to two years. The initial visa fee is 1,000 ringgit (£171, $220) and if you want to bring along any ‘dependents’ (spouses or children), they’ll cost an extra 500 ringgit (£85, $110) each.

Not only is the Seychelles archipelago a picture-perfect holiday paradise, but it’s digital nomad visa scheme is very generous indeed. The country’s ‘Workcation Retreat Program’ has been around since May 2021 and only requires health/travel insurance and proof of income, though eligibility is decided on a case-by-case basis. Digital nomads in the Seychelles are exempt from income tax, personal income tax, business tax and customs duty on work-related goods. All you need to do is pay the €45 (£38) admin fee. 

Could you see yourself dialling into Zoom calls from a sun lounger? Then you should know that the Caribbean island of Dominica is also allowing remote workers to live and work there for up to 18 months. Applicants must earn an income of $50,000 (£39250) or more, and the visa itself costs $800 (£630) or $1,200 (£940) for families.

Following in the footsteps of fellow Baltic state Estonia, Latvia also has a visa scheme for remote workers. Introduced in July 2022, digital nomads from OECD countries can stay in the country for up to two years so long as they have health insurance, can prove employment and have a minimum monthly income that is two-and-a-half times the average Latvian salary. Currently, that minimum is about £2,460 per month.

Ecuador has started a scheme that allows remote workers to live and work in the South American country for up to two years. One of only 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries in the world, Ecuador has everything from Amazonian rainforest and Andean mountain ranges to huge stretches of Pacific coast. Remote workers can qualify for the country’s digital nomad scheme so long as they earn three times the country’s ‘basic income’ – which, in 2022, means earning a minimum of $1,275 (£1,000) per month.

Much like its regional neighbours of Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, Uruguay now offers a visa for digital nomads, and thanks to there being no minimum requirement for your earnings, it’s one of the most accessible on our list. As long as you have a clean criminal record, and you’re not Uruguayan, you’re all set. It’s also necessary to either be self-employed or work in a foreign country, but if you work in tech, you won’t need to pay any tax to Uruguay. You can fill out the online application form here. 

In the hopes of filling national skills shortages, particularly in the tech industry, Canada now offers a digital nomad visa. Though remote workers can already work for up to 6 months in the country on a visitor visa, it was announced in July that a specific visa for nomads has been planned. More details should be released soon, so keep an eye on the official government website.

The Czech Republic has launched a digital nomad visa to fill their shortage of skilled IT professionals. If you have a degree in a STEM subject — that's science, tech, engineering or maths — or three years experience working in IT, plus a salary of at least CZK 60,530 (£2,150, €2,507, $2,700) per month, you could qualify for this visa. You'll need to either be a freelancer, and apply for a Czech business licence, or be employed by a foreign company which has at least 50 employees. It's valid for up to a year, but you can apply for a residence permit if you'll struggle to leave the beer-flowing lifestyle behind. 

Peru has now joined the list of South American countries offering a digital nomad visa. It will enable remote workers, employed by a company based outside the country, to stay for up to a year (with the potential for an extension). So far, there’s been no announcement of minimum salary requirements, but with a cost of living that’s around 120 percent cheaper than the UK, it certainly sounds like an affordable option. Sampling ceviche and sipping on pisco sours while working? Don’t mind if we do! 

At long last, Italy joins the growing list of European countries offering a digital nomad visa. The visa offering is targeted at highly-skilled remote workers but is open to self-employed people too, and there are no specific education requirements. While you need to be earning a minimum of €28,000 (£23,992.50, $30,437) per year, that’s a much lower ask than other destinations. There is also an option to move with your family, and to extend your stay after your first year, but these are subject to certain conditions. To apply, you’ll need to make an in-person appointment at an Italian consulate, and bring all the required documents.

If you fancy a life of sipping Turkish tea in Istanbul’s glorious Grand Bazaar, the country’s recent digital nomad visa announcement will be rather exciting. The visa application is open to those aged between 21 and and 55 from the majority of EU countries as well as the UK, USA or Canada. You’ll need a monthly income of €2,800 ($3,000) and a university degree, but it’s open to everyone from freelancers to entrepreneurs. You can apply right here. 

As of June 1, 2024, Thailand has been offering a ‘Destination Thailand Visa’ which enables remote workers to live there for up to five years – a huge jump from the previous limit of 60 days. To apply, you’ll need to be either self-employed or work for a company based outside of Thailand, must be at least 20 years old, and if you’re based in the US, the UK, Brazil, Australia or (most of) Europe, you can apply online. One caveat is that you need to leave and re-enter the country every 180 days (and pay $270 each time - the cost of the application fee).