In the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the term "remote work" gained popularity all over the world: digital technologies began to develop quite quickly, and the number of IT workers willing to work remotely increased. In this regard, various countries have introduced a special type of residence permit - a visa for "digital nomads".

The digital nomad visa provides an opportunity to reside in a country for those persons who can work remotely. However, not everyone can get such a visa, but the so-called "digital nomads" (programmers, marketers, translators, copywriters, etc.). In this article, we examined the conditions for obtaining visas in different countries and their distinctive features.

Currently, there are many options to visit different countries and get to know the world. Entering the country on a tourist visa, it is quite difficult for a person to evaluate whether this country is suitable for him to live and work. The digital nomad visa is issued for six months or more and allows a person to explore the country and living conditions.

In this article, we want to focus on some countries where it is possible to obtain a digital nomad visa*, and which, in our opinion, have the most interesting and attractive conditions for getting the visa**.

Please note that for all the countries mentioned in this article, except Cyprus and Georgia (our company has offices there), we took information from open sources.

**In this article, we do not provide a specific list of documents and conditions that are needed to obtain a visa for digital nomads (please see them on the official websites of countries or contact providers before making a final decision).

Cyprus

In 2021, the Government of Cyprus provided an opportunity for citizens to issue visas to "digital nomads" (Digital Nomad Visa). The purpose of this introduction was to contribute to the development of the economy of Cyprus due to the prosperity of the digital technology sector.

Income that needs to be proved: 3 500 EUR per month (enough for the applicant and her/his family members altogether).

The "digital nomad" visa has many advantages:

  • the right to reside in Cyprus for 1 year with the possibility of extension for another 2 years (you can extend it an unlimited number of times);
  • after 5 years of residence in Cyprus, a digital nomad has the right to apply for Cyprus citizenship;
  • the right of residence for family members for the same period as a digital nomad, but without the right of employment in Cyprus;
  • a digital nomad will be considered a tax resident of Cyprus if an applicant has lived there for more than 183 days during the same tax period.

Georgia

In 2020, Georgia launched the "Remotely from Georgia" program, which enabled employees to work remotely from Georgia. This program allowed one to stay in Georgia for up to 1 year without a visa on a passport or other travel document. The applicant had to confirm his income of 2 000 US dollars per month and obtained a preliminary permit to cross the border. However, in 2022 this program became inactive, and at the moment the above requirements do not need to be met.

Currently, it is enough just to come to Georgia and work there without any justification.

Advantages of the visa:

  • allows one to live for 1 year in Georgia;
  • no income verification requirements;
  • no need to pay taxes.

Germany

Germany became the first country in Europe to create a visa for remote workers. In Germany, a visa for remote workers is a Freiberufler Visa (visa for freelancers in the field of science, art, or education).

Income that needs to be proved: no specific requirement; you need to prove that you have the funds for your work and your living expenses. For people over 45 years of age, you will need a pension plan: in perspective, at the age of 67, you must have either a monthly pension of 1 340,47 EUR (for at least 12 years) or an asset amount of 195 104 EUR.

Advantages of the visa:

  • the right to stay in Germany for up to 3 years (depends on how long the visa was issued);
  • the opportunity to obtain a permanent residence permit in Germany after 3 years of residence.

Such a visa in Germany is not issued to all remote workers, but only to those who are highly qualified in their field and can bring real benefits to Germany. At the same time, this visa does not allow you to work remotely in another country, but provides exclusively for activities linked to the German jurisdiction and its tax obligations.

More details with the package of documents and other information on this visa can be found here.

Portugal

In Portugal, freelancers and entrepreneurs can apply for a remote worker visa (D7 visa).

Income that needs to be proved: over the past 12 months, there has been regular and legal income from 705 EUR per month (if the relatives also want to get a visa, then you need to add to this amount of income +50% for spouse and +30% for dependent child).

Advantages of the visa:

  • issued for 1 year with the possibility of its extension up to 5 years;
  • after 5 years, it is possible to obtain a permanent residence permit in Portugal.

It is interesting that in 2021, the Government of Madeira launched a project for digital nomads, according to which participants will be able to live in the village of Ponta do Sol in hotels or villas and use free Internet.

To obtain a residence permit in Portugal, a digital nomad needs to open an account in a Portuguese bank – an amount sufficient for a family to stay for a year is transferred to a bank account (it is difficult for citizens of Russia and Belarus to do this at the moment).

More details with the package of documents and other information on this visa can be found here.

Hungary

In Hungary, such a visa as a White Card is provided for digital nomads. This visa is intended entirely for remote workers and therefore does not give the right to take a family with you and work in Hungary. This visa allows you to work remotely from Hungary for a foreign company.

Income that needs to be proved: from 2 000 EUR per month.

Advantages of the visa:

  • allows one to live in Hungary for 1 year with the possibility of extension for another 1 year;
  • allows one to travel within the Schengen area.

More details with the package of documents and other information on this visa can be found here.

Croatia

In 2021, Croatia opened the project "Croatia, your new Office", which allowed digital nomads to work remotely from Croatia.

Income that needs to be proved: from 2 700 US dollars per month.

Advantages of the visa:

  • allows one to stay in Croatia for 1 year without the possibility of extending the visa (one can apply for a visa again 6 months after the expiration of the previous visa);
  • one can take family members with you;
  • digital nomads do not pay taxes in Croatia.

Please note that after receiving such a visa, a digital nomad cannot leave Croatia for more than 1 month, otherwise the visa will be canceled.

More details with the package of documents and other information on this visa can be found here.

The difference between a digital nomad visa and a tourist visa

Based on a tourist visa, foreign citizens from an exempt country have the opportunity to work remotely in Europe, but for a short period. The digital nomad visa allows working remotely for a long time. With a tourist visa a person can stay in a country for a maximum of 90 days within 183 days; nomad digital visas, on the contrary, are issued for a longer period of stay (1 year or more).

At the same time, please note that neither a tourist visa nor a visa for digital nomads will allow you to work in local companies. However, the digital nomad visa allows you to take your family members with you for the duration of its validity (there are some exemptions though).

Conclusion

In this article, we have highlighted some of the migration features of obtaining a digital nomad visa in the example of different countries. In which country to get a digital nomad visa is up to you exclusively, based on your preferences and capabilities.

In conclusion, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that a digital nomad visa allows you to understand whether a country is suitable for you to live in or not. 

Nevertheless, when choosing and moving to another country, you need:

  • to prepare and legalize the necessary documents; 
  • to have the income to provide for yourself and your family; 
  • to study which income will be taxed and which will not;
  • to calculate expenses (rental housing, utilities, etc.); 
  • if you are moving with children - to reveal the educational options in a country (schools, universities, etc., to calculate expenses for education and prepare the relevant documents); 
  • to study the issue of medical care in the country (how much it will cost to call a doctor at home, medicines, etc.); 
  • to suppose whether the climate of a particular country suits you; 
  • to pay attention to the language in which people speak in the country (will you be able to speak it freely, understand other people, etc.).

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.