This article is in partnership with Day Translations.

What can we learn about digital nomads visas and which countries are more likely to accept digital nomads? One useful indicator that can help understand the state of the employment market and its flexibility is to look at which countries offer digital nomad visas.

Digital Nomad Visas

To establish digital nomad visas countries need to assess the internal need for candidates, the economic opportunity of getting people to travel and work there and the costs associated with checking that all requirements are met. Generally speaking, digital nomads can reside in countries issuing digital nomad visas for periods ranging from six months to one year.

EY published an index in 2024 to give readers a visual representation of the countries that have introduced digital nomad visas.

While at a first glance of the downloadable report it seems like the list of countries is rather long, looking at the map that summarises the report it is noticeable how many countries have decided against offering digital nomad visas.

Notable exceptions are, for example, France, Germany and Scandinavian countries.

On the opposite end of the scale is South America, where the majority of countries offer digital nomad visas.

The report also mentions the countries that used to have digital nomad visas but that have discontinued such programmes. Places such as the Cayman Islands, the Seychelles and Cyprus ran these schemes for a few years but have since suspended them.

The OECD looked at the global market for remote working and all its various aspects including whether there is a tangible economic benefit for a host country to attract foreign remote workers.

After analysing the data the results were inconclusive in terms of how much countries offering digital nomad visas can gain from an influx of foreign location independent employees and freelancers. While the spending power of international workers can be high, the cost to implement digital nomad visas such as checking entry, stay and income requirements may not be fully covered. Also, the impact on local housing has been highlighted as an important factor for consideration, especially in popular destinations where the availability of rentals may not meet the demand for accommodation.

Are Requirements To Apply for Digital Nomad Visas the Same?

First of all, a quick reminder that EU citizens don’t require visas to live and work in another EU country.

Having said that, some countries have more specific requirements for digital nomad visa applicants compared to others.

For example, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates accept people of all nationalities with very limited exceptions (such as places at high risk for terrorism), while Thailand, Panama, Uruguay and Kyrgyzstan accept all nationalities without exceptions.

The United Kingdom has set specific rules for business visa visitors according to bilateral agreements.

Turkey has a very limited list of countries where digital visa applications can come from: totalling fewer than 40 countries, the list includes most European countries plus the UK and the US but excludes Canada, the whole of South America and Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and other Asian countries. However, Russia is included in the list of eligible nationalities.

In summary, countries with the least restrictive conditions for eligibility to apply for digital nomad visas are likely to be the ones that want to attract more foreign visitors and foreign investments.

Picture: Rach Teo on Unsplash