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With the growth of remote work, professionals can now choose from different destinations. To attract this community, countries are now offering benefits and legal solutions to facilitate visitors’ stay, such as the digital nomad visa.
This visa can offer legal residency, tax incentives, and compliance with immigration laws. The process of acquiring such a document is also time- and cost-efficient in comparison to long-term traditional visas.
The number of countries with visas for digital nomads has risen significantly over the past couple of years. According to a new analysis by the World Tourism Organization covering 54 important global destinations, almost half of them offer visas for at least one year.
If you want to hire professionals who are currently working with these visas or are actively seeking one, you need to understand the rights and limitations that come with them, so you keep your global workforce compliant with international regulations.
What’s a digital nomad visa?
A digital nomad visa is a special type of visa that allows remote workers to live in another country while maintaining employment with a company outside that country, either as full-time employees or international independent contractors.
Typically, these visas range from a few months to several years and may include tax benefits or other incentives to attract skilled professionals. Each country sets its requirements, but the goal is to encourage remote workers to contribute to the local economy without competing for local jobs.
Digital nomads can make an independent application directly with local government platforms. If approved, the visa will give them more legal security.
Where can one get a digital nomad visa?
We created an extensive and exclusive map containing information on the countries that offer a visa for digital nomads as of 2024.
Browse our interactive map below to discover.
Who is eligible for a digital nomad visa?
The digital nomad visa is ideal for anyone who enjoys the flexibility of working remotely and wants to experience life in a different country for an extended period. Freelancers, entrepreneurs, and full-time employees with companies that allow remote work can all benefit from this opportunity.
For those already accustomed to remote work, a digital nomad visa can offer a legally secure way to live abroad without the challenges of short-term tourist visas or the complexity of traditional work visas.
If a traveler plans on staying in a region for a very quick period, such as only a week or two, there may be no need to apply for a specific visa for digital nomads, as long as they pay attention to the deadlines of a tourist visa and legal stay.
On the other hand, if a foreigner has secured employment with a local company and intends to work within the country for a longer period, they can also do so with a work visa. However, these visas require sponsorship from a local employer, whether a subsidiary or a legal representative, such as an employer of record.
Suppose you want to hire global remote collaborators. In that case, you should analyze the best way to classify a professional according to the local regulations, where they are temporarily based, and your company’s requirements.
In summary, a digital nomad visa is most beneficiary to contractors and entrepreneurs staying in a foreign country where they have no other visa, and they are staying for a short, but considerable amount of time, usually at least a semester.
