The complete guide
What is a nomad visa?
Updated 29 October 2026 · Figures verified against official sources — see our methodology
Quick answer
A nomad visa — officially a digital nomad visa — is a residence permit that lets you live in a foreign country for 6 months to 5 years while working remotely for an employer or clients based outside that country. Most programs require proof of foreign income (typically €1,000–€3,700/month), health insurance and a clean criminal record. It is not a work permit: your income must come from abroad.
45
dedicated visa programs
100
countries tracked
€0
lowest entry (savings-based)
5 years
longest stay (Thailand, Spain)
Nomad visa countries: all 45 programs compared
Every dedicated program, sorted by income requirement. A further 55 countries allow long stays through remote-work-friendly routes — browse them in the full directory, or compare any two side by side from the comparison index.
| Program | Min. income | Max stay | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand — Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) | Savings-based | 5 years | Full guide → |
| Peru — Digital Nomad Visa | No fixed bar | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Uruguay — Provisional Digital Nomad Identity Sheet | No fixed bar | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Bahamas — BEATS — Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay | No fixed bar | 3 years | Full guide → |
| Bermuda — Work from Bermuda Certificate | No fixed bar | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Germany — Freelance Residence Permit ("Freiberufler") | €992/mo | 3 years | Full guide → |
| Czechia — Živnostenský list (Trade License) + Long-Term Business Residence | €1,000/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Colombia — Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V — Nómadas Digitales) | €1,300/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Brazil — Digital Nomad Visa | €1,380/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Mauritius — Premium Visa | €1,380/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Cabo Verde — Remote Working Program (Cabo Verde) | €1,655/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Georgia — Remotely from Georgia | €1,840/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Chile — Digital Nomad Visa | €1,840/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Malaysia — DE Rantau Nomad Pass | €1,840/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Philippines — Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86) | €1,840/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Sri Lanka — Digital Nomad Visa | €1,840/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Kenya — Class N Digital Nomad Permit | €1,840/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Namibia — Digital Nomad Visa | €1,840/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Italy — Digital Nomad / Remote Worker Visa | €2,066/mo | 5 years | Full guide → |
| Argentina — Digital Nomad Residence (Residencia Transitoria) | €2,300/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Costa Rica — Rentista / Digital Nomad Visa ("Nómadas Digitales") | €2,760/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Turkey — Digital Nomad Visa | €2,760/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Panama — Short Stay Remote Worker Visa | €2,760/mo | 18 months | Full guide → |
| Albania — Residence Permit for Digital Nomads | €2,800/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Spain — Digital Nomad Visa (Telework Visa) | €2,849/mo | 5 years | Full guide → |
| South Africa — Digital Nomad Visa (Immigration Regulations amendment, 2024) | €2,931/mo | 3 years | Full guide → |
| Hungary — White Card (Fehér Kártya) | €3,000/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Latvia — Digital Nomad Visa (Long-Stay) | €3,000/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Montenegro — Digital Nomad Visa | €3,000/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Taiwan — Digital Nomad Visitor Visa | €3,067/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| UAE (Dubai) — Virtual Working Programme | €3,220/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Greece — Digital Nomad Visa (National Type-D → Residence Permit) | €3,500/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Malta — Nomad Residence Permit | €3,500/mo | 4 years | Full guide → |
| Cyprus — Digital Nomad Visa | €3,500/mo | 3 years | Full guide → |
| Norway — Residence Permit for Self-Employed / Independent Contractors | €3,600/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Croatia — Temporary Stay for Digital Nomads | €3,622.5/mo | 18 months | Full guide → |
| Portugal — D8 Visa — Residency Visa for Remote Professional Activity | €3,680/mo | 5 years | Full guide → |
| Barbados — Welcome Stamp | €3,835/mo | 2 years | Full guide → |
| Romania — Long-Stay Visa for Digital Nomads | €3,950/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Mexico — Temporary Resident Visa (used by remote workers) | €4,200/mo | 4 years | Full guide → |
| Estonia — Digital Nomad Visa (Long-Stay D Visa) | €4,500/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Indonesia — E33G Remote Worker KITAS (Digital Nomad Visa) | €4,600/mo | 1 year | Full guide → |
| Japan — Designated Activities Visa ("Digital Nomad") | €4,900/mo | 6 months | Full guide → |
| South Korea — Workation Visa (F-1-D) | €5,675/mo | 3 years | Full guide → |
| Iceland — Long-Term Visa for Remote Workers | €6,900/mo | 6 months | Full guide → |
Income shown in euros as published by each program (foreign-currency thresholds converted at ECB reference rates). See also: all income requirements · government fees · processing times
The best nomad visas by goal
Best overall →
Spain leads on the combination of speed, cost and a 5-year horizon; Portugal and Thailand run it close. Six categories ranked from verified data.
Cheapest to get →
Germany and the Czech Republic test income at roughly €1,000/month; Colombia is the Americas' lowest bar. Every program under €1,500/month, ranked.
No income requirement →
Thailand tests savings instead of salary; Costa Rica and others accept contracts or bank balances. The honest list — and what they check instead.
The NomadVisa Index →
All 45 programs scored on the same published methodology — income burden, duration, cost and path to residency — so the ranking is checkable, not vibes.
Nomad visa requirements: what every program asks for
Remote work for a foreign source. Employment with a company outside the country, or contracts with foreign clients — local employment is excluded by almost every program.
Income or savings above the threshold. Proven with bank statements (usually 3–6 months), payslips or contracts. Thresholds run from about €992/month (Germany) to €6,900/month (Iceland); two programs test savings instead.
Health insurance. Cover valid in the country for the full stay — Spain and Italy specify no-copay policies; Thailand's DTV does not mandate it. Our insurance guide maps who requires what.
Clean criminal record and a valid passport. Certificates often need an apostille and a sworn translation — the step that delays the most applications.
Sometimes: nationality limits. A few programs are open only to certain passport holders (Taiwan restricts to visa-exempt nationals), and several exclude applicants already in the country on other statuses.
How to apply for a nomad visa
- Pick the program with our eligibility quiz — 6 questions rank all 45 against your income and nationality.
- Read the country guide for the exact documents, fees and traps — every figure links to its official source.
- Gather documents early — apostilles and translations take weeks, longer than the visa decision itself.
- Apply at the consulate or online — some programs (Spain, Estonia, Thailand) accept in-country or fully online applications; most still route through consulates.
- Register on arrival — many programs require a local registration, tax number or residence-card appointment within 30–90 days of entry.
Nomad visa vs tourist visa
A tourist visa (or visa-free entry) lets you visit; it does not make working — even remotely, for a foreign employer — legal, and it caps stays at 30–90 days. A nomad visa exists precisely to fix both problems: it legalises remote work and extends the stay to 6 months–5 years, often with a path to renew or convert. Working on a tourist stamp is the grey zone most nomads start in; a nomad visa is how you leave it.
Which nomad visa do you actually qualify for?
Answer 6 questions and we rank all 45 programs against your income, nationality and work setup.
Take the eligibility quizFrequently asked questions
What is a nomad visa?
A nomad visa (digital nomad visa) is a residence permit that lets you live in a foreign country for 6 months to 5 years while working remotely for an employer or clients based outside that country. Unlike a tourist visa, it makes the work legal; unlike a work permit, your income must come from abroad.
Which countries offer nomad visas?
45 countries run dedicated digital nomad visa programs in 2026, including Spain, Portugal, Thailand, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Japan, the UAE, Costa Rica and Brazil. Another 55 countries allow long stays through remote-work-friendly routes. The full comparison table on this page lists every program with its income requirement and duration.
Which country has the easiest nomad visa?
On paperwork alone, Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa is the easiest: there is no monthly income test, about €13,340 in savings qualifies, and it lasts 5 years. Among income-tested programs, Germany (about €992/month) and the Czech Republic (about €1,018/month) set the lowest bars.
How much money do you need for a digital nomad visa?
Income requirements range from none at all (Thailand and Costa Rica test savings or contracts instead) up to about €6,900/month (Iceland). Most programs sit between €1,500 and €3,500/month. Spain asks €2,849/month, Portugal €3,680/month, and the UAE about €3,223/month.
How long does it take to get a nomad visa?
Most programs decide within 2 to 8 weeks of a complete application. Spain's in-country route targets 20 working days; Greece quotes around 10 business days. Portugal is the outlier — after approval, the AIMA residence-card appointment can take many additional months.
Can anyone get a digital nomad visa?
No. Every program requires proof of remote work for a foreign employer or clients, income or savings above its threshold, health insurance and usually a clean criminal record. Some programs also restrict eligible nationalities — Taiwan's nomad visa, for example, is open only to visa-exempt nationals.
Do I still pay taxes on a digital nomad visa?
Usually, yes — somewhere. Staying more than 183 days in a country typically makes you a tax resident there, though several programs exempt foreign income entirely (Croatia) or offer special regimes (Spain's Beckham Law, Italy's impatriates regime). US citizens keep filing US taxes regardless; the foreign earned income exclusion may apply.
How hard is it to get a digital nomad visa?
For applicants who genuinely meet the income bar, approval is mostly a paperwork exercise — the common failure points are proving the income correctly (employer letters, apostilled documents, the right statements), not the decision itself. Our country guides list the exact document traps for each program.