Insights

Belgium does not have a specific visa for digital nomads. The normal rules apply. Moreover, in Flanders, (in the case of secondments), in the absence of an employer or host company located in Flanders, the employee will only be granted a work authorisation if s/he is subject to Belgian social security.

The Brazilian digital nomad programme, which was launched in January 2022, is similar to the Spanish one.  

Digital nomads can either start working in Brazil under a visitor visa (which is valid for 90 days in a 180-day period for nationals of Schengen countries, or 90 days, renewable for another 90 days in one migration year (a one-year period counting from first entrance to Brazil) for other nationalities. At the end of this period, they could apply for a change of the visitor visa to a residence permit for international remote work, valid for one-year, renewable for further one-year periods, or apply directly at the Brazilian Consulate for the one-year visa for remote work, also renewable for one-year periods.  If the application is filed at the Brazilian Consulate, they also need to present health insurance valid for Brazil. 

Digital nomads must only work for, and be paid by, a foreign organisation. As long as the work is carried out remotely, there are no requirements concerning the digital nomad’s qualifications. They only need to prove that they have either an employment agreement or a services contract with a foreign entity, and an income of a minimum of USD 1,500 per month, or bank funds of a minimum of USD 18,000 available.  

Dependents will also qualify for visas or residence permits, as appropriate, for the same period of validity as the digital nomad. For them there is no restriction is terms of work: as long as their visas are valid, they can work for a Brazilian company without any special authorisation. 

Currently, there is no digital nomad visa in Chile, even though Chile updated its immigration and visa process regulation in April 2021, when the rules for remote work were already in place.  

From 1 January 2021, Croatia introduced a temporary digital nomad visa. This is a residence permit which can be issued to:  

• third-country (non-EEA) nationals,  
• who are employed or perform duties remotely / via communication technology, 
• for an organisation that is not registered in Croatia and does not perform duties or provide services to clients in Croatia. 

Digital nomad visas can be issued for up to one year, with a possibility of extension.  However, an application for the new approval of a digital nomad’s temporary residence / digital nomad visa can only be submitted six full months after the previous approval has expired. 

There are no qualification requirements for digital nomads, but they need to be able to prove that they have entered into either an employment agreement or a services contract with an organisation that is not registered in Croatia and does not perform duties or provide services to clients in Croatia.  

The applicant must receive a monthly salary from the foreign-based employing company of at least 2.5 average monthly net salary for employees in Croatia in the previous calendar year. This is currently a minimum of HRK 17,822 net or approximately EUR 2,376 net. 

Applications can be submitted online here, and will be forwarded to the competent police department/station according to the applicant’s intended place of residence. For in-person applications submitted personally, the form here must be completed. Copies of required documents can be submitted either in Croatian or in English. 

The Digital Nomad Scheme was announced on 15 October 2021 and is limited to 500 residence permits only. The Scheme enables non-EU and third-country citizens, who are not EEA nationals and are willing to work in different locations using telecommunications technology, to reside temporarily in the Republic of Cyprus while working for employers located abroad. Individuals who meet the requirements are granted a residence permit for one year in Cyprus, with a possibility of renewal for further two years and a residence permit for their family members for the same period as them. If they reside in Cyprus for one or more periods that in total exceed 183 days within the same tax year, then they may be considered tax residents of Cyprus. 

There are no similar arrangements in Finland, nor are there any known reforms to change the current visa option structure. Working remotely in Finland for a foreign company does not on its own constitute grounds for a visa or a residence permit on the basis of work.

Third country nationals who are self-employed, freelancers or employees can work remotely using information and communication technologies with employers or customers outside Greece (digital nomads) for a period of up to 12 months. For this purpose, applicants can be granted a national visa if they present the legally required documents in person or by email or registered mail to the competent Greek Consular Authority.  

Provided that the third-country national (and accompanying family members, if any) still meet the conditions of visa, they may be granted a two-year residence permit if they apply before the national visa expires. This permit does not give the right to dependent employment or independent financial activity of any kind in Greece, either for the main applicant or for his or her spouse or partner or family members. 

In 2022, Hungary introduced its equivalent of a digital nomad visa, the ‘White Card’. It allows non-EEA or Swiss nationals to obtain a residence permit to live in Hungary while working remotely for their employer located outside of the country or managing their non-Hungarian company remotely.

It comes with some drawbacks in comparison with other types of visas; for example, no residence permit may be issued to a family member of a non-EEA or Swiss national holding a White Card on the grounds of family ties.

There are currently no proposals to change the immigration and visa system in Ireland to make special provision for digital nomads.

In Italy the number of digital nomads is also growing and, recognising the importance of the phenomenon, the government has decided to adopt provisions to simplify the entry of this new category of workers into the employment market.

A piece of legislation that entered into force early this year adds digital nomads to the category of workers who can enter Italy for work purposes outside the fixed quotas set by the government. In it, digital nomads were defined as ‘non-EU nationals who carry out a highly qualified job (self-employed or on behalf of a company, even not established in Italy) through electronic devices which allow them to work remotely’.

The employment visa digital nomads obtain is valid for no more than one year and is granted only if the worker is covered by valid healthcare insurance and is compliant with tax and social security provisions.

On 29 June 2022, Latvia started issuing nomad visas to foreign nationals who want to reside in Latvia while working remotely for an employer registered in another OECD member state or as a self-employed person registered in an OECD member state. 

The visa is issued for one year with the right to reapply for another year. After the expiry of the renewed nomad visa, the holder is entitled to apply for a new nomad visa in Latvia after a minimum of six months. Residence permits based on remote work are not issued. 

In addition to the basic documents for obtaining a visa, employee applicants must submit: 

• a document certifying the foreign national’s current employment issued by the tax administration or social insurance institution of an OECD member state; 
• a certificate from an employer registered in that state country confirming: the foreign national’s previous employment with this employer for at least six months; monthly salary of at least 3192.50 EUR and confirmation that the applicant can work remotely.  

Self-employed applicants must submit a document issued by the tax administration of an OECD member state certifying that the income earned in the last six months from their self-employed activities is not less than the average monthly gross wages of the employees in the previous year (currently EUR 3192.50). 

To date, no digital nomad visa or equivalent has been introduced in Luxembourg.

New Zealand does not currently have a visa tailored specifically to digital nomads. The closest equivalent is the working holiday scheme, which allows young citizens of approved countries whose primary intention is to holiday in New Zealand, to undertake employment and/or study during their stay of up to 12 months (or 23 months if from the UK or Canada).  Successful applicants are able to work remotely, provided they do not undertake permanent employment (tax obligations may apply). Incidentally, Immigration New Zealand has just announced that an extra 12,000 working holiday visa holders will be able to enter New Zealand for the 2022/23 season. 

Poland hasn’t introduced similar tool yet, but offers the Poland Business Harbour (PBH) visa for highly skilled employees from IT and new tech industries and their family members for stays up to 365 days. The PBH visa replaces both visa and work permits, however the applicant must provide a sponsorship letter issued by the inviting company registered in Poland. Upon arrival, a PBH visa–holder can accept additional employment also offered by the foreign entity not registered in Poland. Even if it is not exactly the same solution, in certain situations PBH visas can serve as digital nomad visas. The PBH visa is available for citizens of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.