If you like to slow travel and stay longer in a particular country, you might have to revert back to longer stay visas. In this case, you can first look if the country offers a digital nomad visa.
In this article, we’ll look at the best digital nomad visa and how to determine when a digital nomad visa is a good option.
Top Countries with the Best Digital Nomad Visas
We’ll make a list of the three best digital nomad visas for each continent.
We’ll look into the duration of the visa, if you can extend and what the tax consequences are. In this way, you can see if you can optimize your taxes by using these digital nomad visas.
Furthermore, I linked to additional resources like dedicated articles or official websites.
In many of those countries I’ve also spent time myself and did extensive research about it.
Best Digital Nomad Visa in Europe
A vast amount of European countries started to introduce a digital nomad visa program.
Furthermore, many countries also don’t have a specific digital nomad visa but some other visa that is attainable for digital nomads (e.g. white card for freelancers).
Yet, specifically for the purpose of this list, we focused only on visas linked to remote work.
1. Malta
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, for up to four years in total
- Tax treatment: tax free for the first 12 months, afterwards 10% flat tax on professional income
You check all the details for the Digital Nomad Visa Malta in my dedicated article.
2. Cyprus
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, up to three years in total
- Tax treatment: tax residency in Cyprus if you spend more than 183 days in the country unless you remain a tax resident in another country
You can find more information about the digital nomad visa in Cyprus on the official website.
3. Romania
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, for one more year
- Tax treatment: tax free (if you remain tax resident in another country)
You can apply online for the DNV via the official Romanian e-visa website.
Best Digital Nomad Visas in Americas & Caribbean
The Americas and Caribbean include many countries which are popular with digital nomads. Especially if you need to work US hours, exploring this part of the world can be convenient.
1. Costa Rica
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, for one more year
- Tax treatment: tax free
2. Brazil
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, for one more year
- Tax treatment: you’ll become liable to Brazilian taxes if you spend more than 183 days in Brazil in a 12-month period
You can check the official website of the Brazilian Ministry of the Exterior for more information.
3. Colombia
- Duration: up to two years
- Renewable: yes, as long as you keep meeting the criteria
- Tax treatment: you qualify as a Colombian tax resident after spending 183 days there over 12 months
You can learn more about the Colombian digital nomad visa here.
Best Digital Nomad Visas in Asia
Asia and South East Asia in particular is an all time favorite for many digital nomads.
So, let’s have a closer look at the best digital nomad visas in Asia.
1. Thailand
- Duration: five years
- Renewable: yes
- Tax treatment: you will qualify as a Thai tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in the country during the calendar year. However, Thailand only taxes you on income you bring into the country which enables you to optimize your tax setup.
Check out my dedicated article to learn more about the Destination Thailand Visa.
2. United Arab Emirates
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: you can’t renew but you can file a new application from scratch
- Tax treatment: the UAE doesn’t have any personal income tax so your income will remain tax free
Check out the official page about working remotely from Dubai to learn more.
3. Malaysia
- Duration: up to one year
- Renewable: yes, up to a total of two years
- Tax treatment: the tax treatment differs for remote employees and freelancers. Furthermore, it depends on the exact time you’ll spend in Malaysia. Yet, Malaysia does offer some exemptions for foreign source income.
You can find more information on the DE Rantau Digital Nomad Pass here.
Best Digital Nomad Visa in Africa
Africa is probably still the least visited continent by digital nomads. Y
et, as the infrastructure is improving more and more digital nomads are exploring Africa.
The African countries themselves also realized this and some of them started introducing digital nomad visas.
1. Cabo Verde
- Duration: 6 months
- Renewable: yes, for another 6 months
- Tax treatment: tax free
Cabo Verde was my first destination as a fulltime digital nomad. Although is a less common destination, I don’t regret my stay there.
You can check out the official website regarding working remotely from Cabo Verde to gather more information.
2. Mauritius
- Duration: one year
- Renewable: yes, if you keep meeting the criteria
- Tax treatment: if you stay more than 183 days you’ll qualify as a tax resident. Yet, foreign source income can remain untaxed unless you bring it into the country.
You can apply for the Premium Visa online.
3. South Africa
- Duration: up to three years (authorities discretion)
- Renewable: yes
- Tax treatment: if you remain tax resident in a country with a double tax treaty with South Africa, you don’t have to pay taxes in South Africa unless you spend more than 183 days in the country during a 12-month period. If you come from a country with not double tax treaty you need to register with the tax authorities immediately after arrival. South Africa applies a worldwide taxation regime.
I meet many clients from Europe who spend their winter in South Africa, Cape Town mostly. Nevertheless, you want to keep an eye open for the potential tax consequences.
Read this article if you want to learn everything about the South African digital nomad visa.
Key Factors to Evaluate a Digital Nomad Visa
The main element we took into account to assess which is the best digital nomad visa is to look at the tax consequences.
This is a rather objective criteria that allows us to compare the visas on their merits.
Whether or not a country offers a good lifestyle is also important. Yet, what this means in practice will differ from person to person. Some people look for budget friendly destinations while others might look for a luxurious lifestyle.
Common Steps for Digital Nomad Visa Applications
If you want to apply for a digital nomad visa you need to follow the correct procedure.
There is no general procedure to follow when applying for a visa. The reason for this is that each country has its own rules.
Nevertheless, we will discuss some common steps we see coming back with the best digital nomad visas:
- Check eligibility criteria: before applying, you should check all the eligibility criteria (e.g. valid health insurance). In this way you avoid wasting time applying for a visa you don’t qualify for.
- Gather documentation: in order to prove that you meet the eligibility criteria, you will have to gather the necessary documents (e.g. bank statements to meet minimum income threshold). Please note that some countries require that documents get apostilled to confirm their authenticity and they might only accept documents in the local language.
- File application: you are now ready to file your application. For this step, you’ll have check where you can file your application. Some countries allow you to apply if you are already in the country, while others only allow you to apply from abroad. Moreover, some countries even only let you apply from your country of residence. If you’re lucky, you are applying for a DNV whereby the full application process is managed online avoiding visits to any embassy or immigration office.
- Extend your visa: if you’re enjoying your stay in your new country, you can look into extending your digital nomad visa. Many countries allow for an extension. Yet, there are other countries which don’t allow an extension but give you the option to start the procedure from scratch again. However, there are also a few countries which have a waiting time before you can apply again.
FAQ
Let’s have a look at some Frequently Asked Questions about best the digital nomad visa.
What’s the Easiest Digital Nomad Visa to get?
The easiest digital nomad visa to get is the Thai Digital Nomad Visa.
It doesn’t have a minimum income requirement as you just show a bank balance of 500.000 THB and proof of remote work.
Furthermore, the application process is fairly easy and flexible on where you apply from.
Moreover, the visa is valid for five years so you once you got it you’re good to go for a while.
Can I Become a Tax Resident with a Digital Nomad Visa?
Yes, you can become a tax resident with a digital nomad visa.
Digital nomad visas concern immigration law while taxes are determined by the tax laws. Therefore, these are separate topics.
Some provisions regarding digital nomad visas contain specific exemptions or rules regarding taxes. However, in most countries the normal tax rules will apply to you if you stay there on a digital nomad visa.
In many cases, this means that if you genuinely plan to stay long-term in the country or build your base there, you can become liable to taxes.
Whether or not this is an interesting option will depend on the country in question.
Which Countries have Low Tax Rates for Nomads?
There are few countries that have low tax rates for nomads.
A first category of countries is those which have specific rules for people who obtained a digital nomad visa.
One such example, is the Malta Nomad Residency Permit. It provides for an exemption of taxes for the first twelve months. After this period, you pay a fixed tax rate of 10% on your professional income.
At the same time, there are some countries which offer beneficial tax rates in general. That means that as a digital nomad you can also benefit from them.
A good example is the United Arab Emirates. If you move there on digital nomad visa and qualify as a tax resident, you can benefit from the fact that they don’t levy personal income tax.