As borders gradually open up again after the pandemic, people all over the world have resumed travelling abroad – or are at least thinking about international trips. In relation to this, countries that are looking to rejuvenate their tourism sectors are devising ways to attract visitors from overseas. One of the ways that dozens of countries aim to do this is by launching digital nomad schemes.
In this post, we’ll see what digital nomad visas are, the benefits they provide, and which countries offer them.
What Is a Digital Nomad Visa?
A digital nomad can be described as someone who spends extended periods away from their home country. Digital nomads are usually self-employed and have a job or business that can be done from anywhere – provided they have a laptop and a stable internet connection.
Most digital nomads leverage their flexible work situation by moving to countries with low costs of living – and where their income grants them a far higher standard of living than they’d enjoy in their own country. Other digital nomads are avid explorers, so they hop from place to place, taking in as much of the world as possible.
A digital nomad visa is designed to let international visitors stay in a country for an extended period: typically 6-12 months with various renewal options. As long as a tourist fulfils certain criteria, such as fulfilling a monthly income threshold and having proof of health insurance, they can enjoy an extended stay in the country.
What Are the Benefits of a Digital Nomad Visa?
There are two ways to look at the advantages of the growing trend of digital nomad visas: from the point of view of international travelers and the countries themselves.
For digital nomads, the new visa scheme allows them to remain in their country of choice without having to go through the “loophole” of leaving and re-entering again. Better still, they’ll have the security of being able to legally work in a country without acquiring a work permit (which is often a lot of hassle and paperwork).
However, COVID has accelerated the emergence and growth of a different kind of digital nomad: the business-leisure traveller. These are individuals that live and work abroad for longer than a regular vacation, usually weeks or months, before returning to their home country. In contrast, a typical digital nomad can spend years on the road.
The main cause of the growth of business-leisure travelers is remote working. Lots of employees worldwide have realised that working from home doesn’t actually require them to be at home. As a result, especially when considering the fact they’ve been stuck inside the house, some have seized the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new environment.
For countries, on the other hand, whose tourism revenue has been wiped out during the pandemic, digital nomads and business-leisure travelers are a way to boost their recovering economies. Because their digital nomad visas require applicants to have a proven income, as well as health insurance, they’re considered an asset to the country instead of a liability. The money from these tourists will find its way into the hands of local landlords and hotel owners, cafes and restaurants, market vendors and supermarkets, local attractions and bars, and other parts of the economy.
Which Countries Offer Digital Nomad Visas?
Which Countries Offer Digital Nomad VisasHere’s a list of countries that have launched a digital nomad visa program. As mentioned earlier, each has different requirements for successful applications, namely that you have a certain, provable monthly income and proof of adequate health insurance.
- Anguilla – 1 year
- Antigua & Barbuda – 2 years
- Argentina – 6 months, renewable for – 6 months
- Aruba – 90 days
- Bahamas – 1 year, option to extend up to – 3 years
- Barbados – 1 year, option to reapply
- Bermuda – 1 year, option to reapply
- Brazil – 1 year, option to renew
- Cabo Verde – 6 months, option to renew for 6 months
- Cayman Islands – 2 years
- Costa Rica – 1 year, option to extend 1 year
- Croatia – 1 year
- Curaçao – 6 months, option to extend for 6 months
- Cyprus – 1 year, option to renew for 2 years
- Czech Republic – 1 year, option to renew
- Dominica – 18 months
- Ecuador – 2 years
- Estonia – 90 days (short-term) or 1 year (long-term)
- Georgia – 1 year
- Germany – 6 months, option to extend up to 3 years
- Greece – 1 year, option to renew for 3 years
- Hungary – 1 year, option to renew for 1 year
- Iceland – 6 months
- Latvia – 1 year, option to extend 1 year
- Malta – 1 year, option to renew
- Mauritius – 1 year, option to renew
- Mexico – 6 months, option to extend up to 3 years
- Montserrat – year, option to reapply
- Norway – 6 months, option to extend up to 3 years
- Panama – 9 mths, option to renew once for 9 mths
- Portugal – 1 year, option to extend up to 5 years
- Saint Lucia – 1 year
- Seychelles – 1 year, option to renew
- Spain – 1 year, option to renew
- UAE (Dubai) – 1 year
Countries Looking To Offer Digital Nomad Visas
As well as those listed above, other countries are looking to also hop on the digital nomad bandwagon and offer their own version soon. Some of these countries are simply described as having a digital nomad visa “in the works” or “coming soon”, while others, like Belize, Indonesia, and Thailand, have more concrete plans and are looking to launch theirs soon.
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Italy
- Romania
- Sri Lanka – although they already have a program in place that allows you to extend your visa for up to 270 days, they are also launching an official digital nomad visa
- Serbia
- Belize
- North Macedonia
- Grenada
eSIM: A Digital Nomad’s New Best Friend
Whether you’re a well-travelled digital nomad or someone looking to seize the globe-trotting opportunities of remote working, you can’t go wrong taking an eSIM-enabled device along for the ride. With an eSIM-compatible smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you can download a local data plan from over 200 mobile operators in over 180 destinations here at esimpop.com.
That means you won’t have to mess around with local SIM cards, resort to pricey international data roaming or loiter in cafes for spotty, unsecured free Wi-Fi!
