data/visas.json

{
  "dataset": "GlobeNomad Visa Dataset",
  "description": "Long-stay, remote-work and nomad visa records, one per programme, each sourced to an official government page and carrying the date it was last checked.",
  "source": "https://globenomad.com/data",
  "method_url": "https://globenomad.com/how-we-verify",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "GlobeNomad Visa Dataset — https://globenomad.com",
  "null_means": "null means the government has not published this rule. It never means \"no\".",
  "last_verified_at": "2026-08-27",
  "record_count": 51,
  "records": [
    {
      "slug": "albania",
      "country_slug": "albania",
      "country": "Albania",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/albania",
      "programme_name": "Unique Permit (Digital Nomad)",
      "visa_name": "Unique Permit (Digital Nomad)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Albania is one of Europe's cheapest and most underrated nomad bases — Adriatic and Ionian beaches, a fast-growing scene in Tirana, and a remarkably low cost of living. Its digital nomad route (a Type D visa plus a Unique Permit for 'digital mobile workers') has one of the lowest income bars on the continent, around $815/month, and can be renewed annually for up to five years. The application is fully online.",
      "min_income_usd": 815,
      "income_original": "about $9,800 per year (roughly $815 per month)",
      "cost_usd": 130,
      "max_stay_months": 60,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote income of at least about $9,800/year (~$815/month), from companies or clients outside Albania",
        "Remote work for a foreign employer, freelancing for international clients, or a business registered abroad",
        "Income earned exclusively from non-Albanian sources",
        "Valid passport",
        "Health insurance valid in Albania",
        "Proof of accommodation or address in Albania"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~$815/month threshold from foreign sources",
        "Create an account on Albania's official e-visa portal (e-visa.al)",
        "Select the Type D long-stay visa and the 'digital mobile worker' option, and complete the form",
        "Upload documents (passport, proof of remote income, insurance, address) and pay the ~€120 fee",
        "On approval, enter Albania and obtain the Unique Permit; renew annually for up to five years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Does Albania have an official digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Not under that exact name. Albania's nomad route combines a Type D long-stay visa with a Unique Permit for 'digital mobile workers,' introduced in 2022. In practice it functions as a digital nomad visa and is applied for entirely online."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay in Albania?",
          "answer": "The permit is issued for one year and can be renewed annually for up to five years total — one of the longer runways among nomad visas, paired with one of the lowest income requirements."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Albania?",
          "answer": "If you spend more than 183 days in Albania you may become a tax resident. Albania has relatively low tax rates, but treatment of foreign income depends on your situation — confirm with a local accountant before a long stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "How cheap is Albania really?",
          "answer": "It's among the most affordable countries in Europe — rent, food, and daily costs run well below Western Europe, which combined with the ~$815/month income bar makes it one of the most accessible nomad bases on the continent."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 7,
      "renewal_note": "One year to start, then renewals that lengthen — two years, then five — and after five continuous years you can apply for permanent residence, with naturalisation possible at seven. Permanent residence isn't automatic at the five-year mark: Albania also asks for Albanian language ability, evidence of integration and stable finances.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "We could not find a published nomad-specific tax exemption here, and we are not going to assume one exists — nor assume it doesn't. What is solid: residents are taxed on worldwide income, and passing 183 days in a year normally makes you resident. Confirm the current position with the national tax authority before you plan around it.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://e-visa.al",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "antigua-and-barbuda",
      "country_slug": "antigua-and-barbuda",
      "country": "Antigua and Barbuda",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/antigua-and-barbuda",
      "programme_name": "Nomad Digital Residence",
      "visa_name": "Nomad Digital Residence",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Antigua and Barbuda offers 365 beaches and a relaxed Caribbean pace under one of the region's longer nomad visas — two full years. You'll need $50,000/year in income and a $1,500 fee, but there's no local income tax and approval is fast. A strong pick for a longer Caribbean stay, family included.",
      "min_income_usd": 4167,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 1500,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "5–7 working days",
      "requirements": [
        "Expected income of at least $50,000/year for each of the two years, earned outside Antigua and Barbuda",
        "Remote work for an employer, clients, or business based abroad",
        "Valid passport",
        "Medical insurance covering the intended stay",
        "Police clearance for each applicant over 16"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you can show at least $50,000/year in foreign income",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of income, medical insurance, police clearance",
        "Apply online through the official Nomad Digital Residence portal",
        "Pay the $1,500 fee (single; family fees apply, plus $650 per dependent beyond three)",
        "Receive approval (typically 5–7 working days); the visa allows up to two years"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "Up to two years — one of the longer Caribbean nomad visas — and your immediate family can join you."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay income tax?",
          "answer": "No. Nomad Digital Residence holders and their dependents don't pay local income tax during their stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "What's the income requirement?",
          "answer": "At least $50,000/year for each of the two years of the visa, earned from outside Antigua and Barbuda."
        },
        {
          "question": "How fast is approval?",
          "answer": "Quick — typically 5 to 7 working days after a complete application."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": null,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "The Nomad Digital Residence runs two years, and sources genuinely disagree on whether it can be renewed at all — some state it is issued once and cannot be extended, others describe a single renewal. Assume two years and no more unless the NDR programme office confirms otherwise. Either way it does not lead to residency: Antigua's settlement routes are separate, and the country's citizenship-by-investment programme is a different thing entirely.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Antigua and Barbuda abolished personal income tax outright in 2016 — no tax on local or worldwide income, no capital gains, inheritance or wealth tax. As with the other zero-tax Caribbean jurisdictions, there is no special nomad regime because there is nothing to exempt you from.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "The Nomad Digital Residence is explicitly designed to admit your immediate family alongside you for the two-year term.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed online through the government's dedicated Nomad Digital Residence portal — no consulate visit required.",
      "official_url": "https://nomad.gov.ag",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "argentina",
      "country_slug": "argentina",
      "country": "Argentina",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/argentina",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Argentina gives remote workers a low-friction way to live in Buenos Aires and beyond — European-feeling cities, a strong café and food culture, and a cost of living that swings in your favour. There's no fixed income minimum: you show stable foreign earnings via a simple migration process you can do yourself. The trade-off is a shorter horizon than most — 180 days, extendable once to a year.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "10–30 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Be a national of a country that can enter Argentina visa-free as a tourist — the visa is only open to those nationalities",
        "Proof of stable, regular remote income from clients or companies based abroad (no fixed legal minimum; ~$1,500+/month is commonly shown)",
        "A signed application describing your independent remote work",
        "A short CV showing your experience and education level",
        "Contracts, company endorsements, or income receipts with at least one occupational reference",
        "Valid passport and international health insurance",
        "Criminal background check (apostilled or legalised; translated to Spanish if needed)"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your nationality can enter Argentina visa-free — eligibility for this visa depends on it",
        "Gather proof of remote work and income: contracts, invoices, or receipts, plus a CV and reference",
        "Apostille or legalise foreign documents and translate them to Spanish where required",
        "Apply through the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (the process is personal and doesn't need an agent), or at an Argentine consulate",
        "Receive a 180-day transitory residency, extendable once for another 180 days — up to a year total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is there a minimum income for the Argentina nomad visa?",
          "answer": "There's no fixed legal minimum stated by Argentina's migration authority — you must demonstrate regular, stable income from foreign sources through contracts, invoices, or bank statements. In practice most applicants show around $1,500/month or more to satisfy the 'sufficient means' test."
        },
        {
          "question": "Who is eligible to apply?",
          "answer": "The visa is only open to nationals of countries that don't need a visa for tourist entry to Argentina (which covers the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and many others). If your passport requires a tourist visa for Argentina, you can't use this route."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The visa grants 180 days of transitory residency, which can be extended once for another 180 days — up to one year in total. After that you'd need to pursue a different residency category to stay longer."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Argentina?",
          "answer": "Short stays generally don't trigger Argentine tax on foreign income, and foreign-sourced income is often treated favourably for newcomers. Tax residency and treatment depend on your time in-country and situation — confirm with a local accountant if you plan to stay long."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 1,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "180 days as a residente transitorio, extendable once by 180 more — one year maximum. The extension expects you to have spent at least half the initial period in Argentina. Transitory residence counts toward neither permanent residency nor citizenship, which matters here because Argentine naturalisation is otherwise famously quick at two years — but you need a residency category that actually accrues, such as the Rentista.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Stay under twelve months and foreign-sourced income is not taxed in Argentina — which lines up neatly with the visa's own one-year ceiling. Go beyond it and you trigger tax residency and worldwide taxation at progressive rates of 5–35%. There is no nomad-specific regime; the favourable treatment comes from simply not becoming resident.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed online, and unusually there is no officially published minimum income — in practice applicants are expected to show somewhere around $2,000–2,500 a month. Treat any specific figure you read as convention rather than rule.",
      "official_url": "https://www.argentina.gob.ar/servicio/obtener-una-residencia-transitoria-como-nomada-digital",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "bahamas",
      "country_slug": "bahamas",
      "country": "Bahamas",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/bahamas",
      "programme_name": "BEATS (Extended Access Travel Stay)",
      "visa_name": "BEATS (Extended Access Travel Stay)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "The Bahamas' BEATS program puts you on 700 islands of turquoise water within a short hop of the US east coast. There's no fixed income minimum — just proof you can support yourself — and approval is quick. The catch is cost: the Bahamas is expensive, with nomads typically spending several thousand a month. Renewable up to three years.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 1000,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "~5 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Proof of sufficient funds to support yourself and any dependents (no fixed income minimum) — typically 3–6 months of bank statements",
        "Remote work for an employer, clients, or business outside the Bahamas",
        "Valid passport with at least six months' validity",
        "Medical insurance valid across the Bahamas for the stay"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Gather documents: passport, bank statements, proof of remote work, medical insurance",
        "Apply online and pay the non-refundable $25 application fee",
        "On approval, pay the permit fee — $1,000 for professionals ($500 for students), plus $500 per dependent",
        "Receive approval (typically about 5 business days)",
        "Travel to the Bahamas; the permit lasts one year and is renewable up to three years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is there an income requirement?",
          "answer": "No fixed minimum. You demonstrate sufficient funds via bank statements rather than meeting a set salary. Given the high cost of living, plan for several thousand a month regardless."
        },
        {
          "question": "What does BEATS cost?",
          "answer": "A $25 application fee, then a $1,000 permit fee for professionals ($500 for students), plus $500 per dependent."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "One year, with annual renewals considered up to a maximum three-year stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay Bahamian tax?",
          "answer": "The Bahamas has no personal income tax, so your foreign earnings aren't taxed locally — though you may still owe tax in your home country."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 3,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable twice — three years maximum. BEATS is explicitly a non-immigrant permit, so none of that time counts toward Bahamian permanent residence, which runs on its own economic and long-residence routes.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "The Bahamas has no personal income tax at all — none on wages, pensions, dividends or capital gains — so there is no nomad-specific concession because none is needed. Government revenue comes from VAT, duties and property taxes instead, which is worth factoring into cost of living. Your home country still taxes you on its own rules.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.bahamasbeats.com",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "barbados",
      "country_slug": "barbados",
      "country": "Barbados",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/barbados",
      "programme_name": "Welcome Stamp",
      "visa_name": "Welcome Stamp",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Barbados led the Caribbean nomad-visa wave with its Welcome Stamp — a full year on a famously friendly, English-speaking island of pink-sand beaches and solid infrastructure. The income bar is high ($50,000/year) and the fee steep ($2,000), but there's no local income tax and approval is fast. Best for established earners wanting Caribbean island life.",
      "min_income_usd": 4167,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 2000,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "~7 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Expected income of at least $50,000/year, earned outside Barbados",
        "Remote work for an employer, clients, or business based outside Barbados",
        "Valid passport",
        "Valid health insurance for the duration of your stay",
        "Application fee of $2,000 (individual) or $3,000 (family)"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you expect to earn at least $50,000 over the next 12 months from outside Barbados",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of income, health insurance",
        "Apply online for the Welcome Stamp",
        "Pay the $2,000 individual fee ($3,000 for families) on approval",
        "Receive approval (typically about 7 business days) and travel; the stamp is valid 12 months"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Barbados on the Welcome Stamp?",
          "answer": "No. Welcome Stamp holders don't pay Barbadian income tax on their foreign earnings — a key draw despite the high fee."
        },
        {
          "question": "How much does it cost?",
          "answer": "$2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a family, and you must show $50,000/year in income. Renewals get a 25% discount on the fee."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "Up to 12 months from approval, with no minimum-stay obligation, and it can be renewed."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the program still running?",
          "answer": "Yes — as of 2026 the Welcome Stamp is confirmed to continue at least through the end of 2026. Check the official site for the latest status before applying."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Twelve months, renewable annually. The Welcome Stamp is a visitor-class permission and does not itself grant residency; Barbados has a separate five-year route to permanent residence for people residing as immigrants, which this stamp does not put you on. Check the programme still exists before planning: Cabinet has approved it only through 31 December 2026.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Unusually explicit, and in your favour: Welcome Stamp holders are deemed NOT tax resident in Barbados and pay no Barbadian income tax on foreign earnings — and that holds even if you spend more than 182 days in the country during the tax year, which is normally the exact line that catches people. The programme's own end date (currently 31 December 2026) is the thing to watch, not the tax treatment.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.barbadoswelcomestamp.bb",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "brazil",
      "country_slug": "brazil",
      "country": "Brazil",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/brazil",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (VITEM XIV)",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (VITEM XIV)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Brazil's VITEM XIV opens one of South America's biggest, most varied countries to remote workers — beaches, big cities, and a low cost of living outside the hotspots — at a modest $1,500/month income bar. The catch is paperwork: every foreign document must be apostilled, and that's the single most common reason applications stall. The visa is valid for one year and renewable for a second.",
      "min_income_usd": 1500,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "15–30 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Proof of remote foreign income of at least $1,500/month, or available bank savings of at least $18,000",
        "A work or service contract showing you're employed by or contracting for a company outside Brazil",
        "Valid passport with sufficient remaining validity",
        "Apostilled criminal background check — the most common rejection point when missing or incorrect",
        "Health insurance valid in Brazil",
        "Proof you work over the internet and not for a Brazilian employer",
        "Completed application forms and passport photos"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you meet the $1,500/month income (or $18,000 savings) test",
        "Apostille your documents under the Hague Convention — the criminal record especially; missing apostilles are the top rejection reason",
        "Gather income proof (often six months of bank statements or a tax return), contracts, insurance, and passport",
        "Apply at a Brazilian consulate abroad, or online via MigranteWeb if you're already inside Brazil",
        "Receive the one-year visa (renewable for a second year) in roughly 15–30 business days"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Do I really need to apostille my documents?",
          "answer": "Yes, and it's the single most important step. Every foreign-issued document — especially your criminal background check — must be apostilled under the Hague Convention. Missing or incorrect apostilles are the most common reason Brazilian nomad visa applications are rejected."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I apply from inside Brazil?",
          "answer": "Yes. If you're already in Brazil you can apply online through the MigranteWeb system; from abroad you apply at a Brazilian consulate. Processing from inside Brazil typically runs 15–30 business days."
        },
        {
          "question": "How is my income taxed in Brazil?",
          "answer": "If you spend more than 183 days in Brazil within a 12-month period you generally become a tax resident and may owe Brazilian tax on worldwide income; below that you usually don't. Brazil's tax rules are complex — confirm your situation with a local accountant before a long stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The visa is valid for one year and can be renewed once for a second year, for two years total. After that you'd need to look at other Brazilian residency routes."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Resolution 45/2021 gives one year plus one renewal — two years is what you are entitled to. Third years have been granted in practice through 2026, but treat that as discretion rather than a rule you can plan around. No number of renewals turns into permanent residency: people who stay switch lanes entirely (marriage or união estável, retirement income, investment, work). File through MigranteWeb before the current residence expires, or it becomes a fresh application.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Brazil is stricter than most and catches people out: cumulative presence above 183 days in any rolling 12-month window triggers automatic fiscal residency — a rolling window, not a calendar year, and regardless of which visa you hold. Once resident you are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates up to 27.5%. There is no digital-nomad exemption.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": 500,
      "child_income_add_usd": 500,
      "family_note": "Dependants add roughly $500/month each to the income requirement. Expect apostilled and sworn-translated proof of the relationship for each one, plus their own passport and background check — the translation step is the slow part, so start it early.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "Either at a Brazilian consulate before travelling or in-country. Renewals go through MigranteWeb and must be filed before the current residence expires — miss the window and it is treated as a fresh application rather than an extension.",
      "official_url": "https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/consulado-houston/servicos-consulares/vistos-visa/types-of-visa/vitem-xiv-retirement-and-digital-nomad",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "cape-verde",
      "country_slug": "cape-verde",
      "country": "Cape Verde",
      "region": "Africa",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/cape-verde",
      "programme_name": "Remote Working Program",
      "visa_name": "Remote Working Program",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Cape Verde is an Atlantic island chain off West Africa — year-round warmth, beaches, and a relaxed Creole-Portuguese culture, in a timezone friendly to both Europe and the Americas. Its Remote Working Program is cheap and fully online, and unusually it asks for an average bank balance rather than a fixed salary. You get six months, renewable.",
      "min_income_usd": 1600,
      "income_original": "€1,500 per month (individual) or €2,700 per month (family)",
      "cost_usd": 58,
      "max_stay_months": 6,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "An average bank balance of at least €1,500 over the last six months (€2,700 for families) — balance-based, not a fixed salary",
        "Remote work as a freelancer or employee for clients or a company outside Cape Verde",
        "Valid passport with at least six months' validity",
        "Proof of health insurance",
        "Accommodation booking in Cape Verde",
        "Criminal background check",
        "Eligible nationality (Europe, North America, Portuguese-speaking/CPLP, or ECOWAS countries)"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your six-month average bank balance meets the €1,500 (individual) or €2,700 (family) requirement",
        "Gather documents: passport, six months of bank statements, insurance, accommodation booking, criminal record",
        "Apply online through Cape Verde's Remote Working portal and pay the ~€20 application fee",
        "Get approval (usually about two to four weeks) by email",
        "Travel to Cape Verde, pay the ~€34 airport security tax on entry, and collect your six-month residence permit"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is the requirement income or savings?",
          "answer": "Savings/balance, not salary. Cape Verde asks for an average bank balance of about €1,500 over the previous six months for individuals (€2,700 for families) — a different test from the monthly-income requirements most countries use."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The permit is valid for six months and can be renewed. After renewals some nomads extend further or move to longer residency, but the base grant is half a year."
        },
        {
          "question": "Who is eligible to apply?",
          "answer": "The program is open to remote workers from Europe, North America, Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) countries, and ECOWAS (West African) states. Check your nationality qualifies before applying."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Cape Verde?",
          "answer": "Short stays on the remote working program generally don't trigger local income tax on foreign earnings. Confirm your specific situation if you renew and stay long-term."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 1,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Six months, renewable once for another six — a year in total. It is issued as a combined temporary work and tourism visa rather than a residence permit, so treat settlement as an entirely separate application.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "We could not find a published position on how Cabo Verde treats digital nomad visa holders' foreign income, and we are not going to guess on a tax question. Confirm with the Direção Nacional de Receitas do Estado before you rely on any figure you read elsewhere.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Families are catered for with a separate threshold: about €1,500/month for an individual against roughly €2,700/month for a family, rather than a per-person add-on.",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.visit-caboverde.com/en/remote-working",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "cayman-islands",
      "country_slug": "cayman-islands",
      "country": "Cayman Islands",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/cayman-islands",
      "programme_name": "Global Citizen Concierge Program",
      "visa_name": "Global Citizen Concierge Program",
      "program_status": "closed",
      "summary": "The Cayman Islands ran one of the pandemic era's most exclusive nomad programs — the Global Citizen Concierge Program, a two-year stay for remote workers earning US$100,000+ — and then quietly closed it. As of 2026 it is not accepting applications, making Cayman one of several island programs (Bermuda's went the same way) to shut once tourism recovered. Remote workers can still visit on standard visitor entry; there is simply no dedicated nomad route anymore.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": null,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Status check (verified July 2026): the Global Citizen Concierge Program is closed — no new applications are being accepted",
        "For reference, the closed program required proof of US$100,000+ annual salary (US$150,000 with a dependent), remote employment outside Cayman, health insurance, and an annual fee of roughly US$1,469",
        "What you need today: standard visitor entry — many nationalities (US, UK, EU, Canada) visit without a pre-arranged visa, typically admitted for up to 30 days and extendable",
        "Working for a Cayman employer or serving the local market requires a work permit through an employer — visitor status doesn't allow it"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Accept the honest premise: there is currently no nomad visa to apply for in the Cayman Islands",
        "Short remote-work stints: enter as a visitor (most Western passports need no advance visa), keep your work fully remote for foreign employers, and extend locally if needed",
        "Longer stays: the remaining routes are employment-based work permits or substantial-investment residence options — both categorically different from a nomad visa",
        "Watch the official government channels for any relaunch; program pages from 2020–2023 still circulate and read as if the GCCP were open — check the date on anything you read"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is the Cayman Islands digital nomad visa still available?",
          "answer": "No. The Global Citizen Concierge Program stopped accepting applications and is closed as of 2026. It was among the first high-profile nomad programs to shut down — launched in late 2020 to offset collapsed tourism, wound down once visitors returned. Plenty of guides online still describe it in the present tense; they're out of date."
        },
        {
          "question": "What did the program offer while it ran?",
          "answer": "A two-year residential certificate for remote workers and their families — at a price. Applicants needed a salary of at least US$100,000 (US$150,000 with one dependent, US$168,000 with two), proof of remote employment outside Cayman, insurance, and an annual fee of roughly US$1,469 plus card processing charges. It was deliberately aimed at high earners, in keeping with Cayman's tourism positioning."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I still work remotely from the Cayman Islands?",
          "answer": "As a visitor, briefly and informally — many nationalities enter without a pre-arranged visa for stays typically granted at up to 30 days, extendable through immigration. Answering emails for your foreign employer on a visit isn't policed, but there is no legal long-stay remote-work status anymore, and Cayman's cost of living is among the highest in the Caribbean. For a legal long stay, the realistic routes are an employer work permit or investment-based residence."
        },
        {
          "question": "Which islands still have open nomad programs?",
          "answer": "The Caribbean landscape has thinned — Cayman and Bermuda both closed their programs — but options remain: Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, and the Bahamas have all operated remote-worker stays, and we track each one on its own country page. Programs in this region open and close with tourism cycles, so verify status on the official site before building plans around any of them."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": null,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.gov.ky",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "slug": "colombia",
      "country_slug": "colombia",
      "country": "Colombia",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/colombia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V)",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Colombia's nomad visa has the lowest income requirement of any major program — around three times the local minimum wage, roughly $1,400/month — for up to two years in Medellín's eternal spring, Bogotá's altitude, or the Caribbean coast. The application is online and decided in weeks.",
      "min_income_usd": 1400,
      "income_original": "3× the Colombian monthly minimum wage (SMMLV)",
      "cost_usd": 230,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "1–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote work for foreign companies/clients, or a digital-entrepreneurship project, fully online application",
        "Monthly income of at least 3× the Colombian minimum wage (about $1,400 in 2026 — COP 5,252,715, resets each January with the minimum wage)",
        "Bank statements for the last 3 months proving the income",
        "Health insurance covering Colombia for the visa period",
        "Letter describing your remote work or employer letter"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Prepare bank statements, work letter, insurance, passport scan, photo",
        "Apply online via the Cancillería visa portal and pay the study fee",
        "Respond to any document requests; on approval pay the visa fee",
        "Receive the e-visa, enter Colombia, and register your visa (cédula de extranjería) if staying over 6 months"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Do I become a Colombian tax resident on the nomad visa?",
          "answer": "If you stay 183+ days in any 365-day window, yes — and Colombia taxes worldwide income at meaningful rates. Many nomads deliberately keep stays under the threshold; if you'll exceed it, price the tax cost first."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the visa valid for multiple entries?",
          "answer": "Yes — it's multi-entry for its full validity (up to two years), so you can base yourself in Colombia and travel the region freely."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is $1,400/month really enough to qualify and live there?",
          "answer": "To qualify, yes — it's the floor, pegged to local wages. To live well in Medellín or Bogotá you'll want more like $1,800–2,500/month; the visa's low bar just means almost any working nomad clears it."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Valid up to two years and renewable, but the V visa is a visitor category: none of that time counts toward Colombian residency. Only M-type visas (marriage, pension, investor, work) accumulate against the five years residency needs, so if settling is the plan you want to move onto an M as early as you can rather than stacking nomad renewals.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Over 183 days in any 365-day period makes you a Colombian tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates. There is no nomad exemption, which is why many people on the V visa deliberately stay under the line — four or five months, then a real break. Colombia does have double-taxation treaties (Spain, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Czechia, South Korea and others) that prevent genuine double taxation for residents of those countries.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed online through the Cancillería. On the income bar, note that our USD figure and the ones circulating elsewhere don't agree: the requirement is legally pegged to 3× the Colombian minimum wage, and published conversions for 2026 range from roughly $750 to $1,400 a month depending on which wage figure and exchange rate is used. Work from the SMMLV multiple, not from anyone's dollar conversion.",
      "official_url": "https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/visa/tipos-de-visa",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "costa-rica",
      "country_slug": "costa-rica",
      "country": "Costa Rica",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/costa-rica",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia)",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Costa Rica wrote its nomad visa into law with real perks: foreign income is tax-exempt, your home driver's license stays valid, and your work equipment enters duty-free. Pura vida plus surf, jungle, and one of the most stable democracies in the Americas — for a $3,000/month income bar.",
      "min_income_usd": 3000,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 190,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "2–3 months",
      "requirements": [
        "Stable foreign income of at least $3,000/month (or $4,000/month covering family) over the last year, bank-documented",
        "Remote work or services exclusively for employers/clients outside Costa Rica",
        "Medical insurance covering the full stay in Costa Rica",
        "Apostilled supporting documents; application via Migración",
        "First permit covers 12 months, renewable once for 12 more if you spent at least 80 days in-country"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Compile 12 months of bank statements proving the income floor, apostilled and translated where required",
        "Submit the application online or at Migración (or a consulate) with insurance and passport documents",
        "Wait out processing, then complete registration and biometrics in Costa Rica",
        "Renew at month 12 if you've met the minimum-presence requirement"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Do digital nomads pay Costa Rican taxes?",
          "answer": "No — the law explicitly exempts your foreign-source remote income from Costa Rican income tax, and it also waives import duties on your work gear (laptops, cameras, equipment). It's one of the most concrete tax carve-outs of any nomad visa."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is $3,000/month income enough to live in Costa Rica?",
          "answer": "Comfortably in most of the country, tightly in premium beach towns like Tamarindo or Santa Teresa during high season. San José suburbs and smaller coastal towns stretch the budget much further."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I just do border runs instead?",
          "answer": "Many do — tourist entries are typically 180 days now. But the nomad visa removes the gamble at the border, adds the tax exemption and license validity, and signals legal residence to banks and landlords."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable once — and the renewal has teeth: you must have been physically in Costa Rica at least 180 days during that first year. It is a non-resident stay category, so none of it converts to residency. After two years you either leave or apply under Rentista, Pensionado or an investor category, each of which does lead to permanent residency after three years.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Costa Rica taxes territorially, so income earned from foreign clients or employers is outside the Costa Rican income tax net, and the Estancia is written as a non-resident stay category. The trade-off is that this arrangement builds nothing: the routes that do lead to residency (Rentista, Pensionado, investor) come with their own tax posture.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "The Estancia lets the main applicant sponsor accompanying family members. The income threshold is higher for a family than for a single applicant, so check which figure you are being quoted.",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Trabajadores%20Remotos.aspx",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "croatia",
      "country_slug": "croatia",
      "country": "Croatia",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/croatia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Residence Permit",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Residence Permit",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Croatia was one of Europe's first movers on nomad visas, and the package is solid: up to 18 months of Adriatic coastline, no tax on your foreign remote income while on the permit, and an application you can start online. The catch — it doesn't renew, so it suits a long stay rather than a settling plan.",
      "min_income_usd": 3900,
      "income_original": "€3,622.50 per month",
      "cost_usd": 80,
      "max_stay_months": 18,
      "processing_time": "3–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote work for a company or clients outside Croatia (or your own foreign-registered company)",
        "Monthly income of 2.5× the average Croatian net salary — €3,622.50 in 2026 — or equivalent savings (~€65,205 for 18 months)",
        "Proof of accommodation in Croatia and health insurance covering the whole stay",
        "Clean criminal record certificate from your home country",
        "Croatia is in Schengen — time on the permit doesn't consume your 90-day tourist allowance elsewhere"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Gather documents: work contracts, income statements or bank balance, insurance, accommodation proof, criminal record",
        "Apply online via the Ministry of Interior portal, at a Croatian embassy, or at a police station if already in Croatia",
        "Wait for approval, then register your address and biometrics at the local police station",
        "Collect your residence card — valid up to 18 months, non-renewable (a fresh application needs 6 months outside Croatia)"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Do digital nomads pay Croatian income tax?",
          "answer": "No — income from your foreign remote work is explicitly exempt from Croatian income tax while you hold the digital nomad permit. That makes Croatia one of the cleanest tax setups in Europe for a year-plus stay. Other obligations (like home-country taxes) still apply."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I renew the Croatian nomad permit?",
          "answer": "Not back-to-back. When the permit expires you must spend six months outside Croatia before applying again. If you want a long-term European base, look at Portugal or Spain instead."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can my family join me in Croatia?",
          "answer": "Yes — close family members can apply for temporary stay at the same time, with the income requirement increased by roughly 10% per family member."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": false,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Issued for up to 18 months and deliberately not renewable back-to-back: you must leave Croatia for at least six months before applying again. Time on this permit counts toward neither permanent residency nor naturalisation. It's a long stay, not a move.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Croatia's is one of the cleanest arrangements in Europe: holders of the digital nomad permit are exempt from Croatian income tax on foreign-sourced income, and unusually that exemption holds even past the 183-day mark that would normally make you tax resident. The catch is the permit itself — 18 months, non-renewable — so the tax benefit has a hard expiry. Your home country still taxes you on its own terms.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "A partner and children can join, with the income threshold rising roughly 10–20% per additional family member. Read the fine print on work rights though: an accompanying spouse cannot simply take a Croatian job on the strength of your permit.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "Can be filed at a Croatian consulate before travelling or at a local police administration once in Croatia. Note the income figure moved for 2026 — older guides quote roughly €3,295.",
      "official_url": "https://mup.gov.hr/aliens-281621/stay-and-work-281622/temporary-stay-of-digital-nomads-286853/286853",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "curacao",
      "country_slug": "curacao",
      "country": "Curaçao",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/curacao",
      "programme_name": "@HOME in Curaçao",
      "visa_name": "@HOME in Curaçao",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Curaçao blends Dutch-Caribbean culture, colorful Willemstad, and reliably sunny weather on the edge of the hurricane belt. Its @HOME program is fully online, moderately priced, and asks for around €2,600/month — and foreign income isn't taxed locally. You get six months, renewable once for a year total.",
      "min_income_usd": 2800,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 300,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Verifiable income of at least about €2,600/month (≈$2,800), from outside Curaçao",
        "Ability to work independently online — for a foreign employer, a foreign company you co-own, or foreign freelance clients",
        "Valid passport",
        "Health insurance",
        "Proof of accommodation and a return flight ticket",
        "Clean criminal record"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~€2,600/month threshold from foreign sources",
        "Gather documents (English, Dutch, or Spanish accepted): passport, proof of income, insurance, accommodation, return ticket, criminal record",
        "Apply online through the @HOME in Curaçao portal",
        "Pay the application fee of about ANG 535 (~$300)",
        "On approval, travel to Curaçao; the permit is valid six months, renewable once for a year total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay in Curaçao?",
          "answer": "Six months initially, renewable once for another six — up to a year total. It's a temporary permit, not a path to permanent residency."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Curaçao?",
          "answer": "No local income tax on your foreign-earned income under the @HOME program. You may still owe tax in your home country depending on citizenship."
        },
        {
          "question": "What does it cost?",
          "answer": "About ANG 535 (roughly $300) for the application, which is done entirely online."
        },
        {
          "question": "What income do I need?",
          "answer": "Around €2,600/month (about $2,800), verifiable, from foreign sources."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 1,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Six months, renewable once for another six — one year in total, then you leave or move to a different permit. @HOME is a temporary-stay permit by design and leads nowhere onward. Dependants can come, but everyone aged 12 and over files their own application.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "@HOME holders owe no Curaçao income tax on foreign-earned income for the duration of the permit. Since the permit itself caps at a year, this is a clean twelve months rather than a long-term arrangement — and the Dutch Caribbean tax position changes entirely if you later move onto an ordinary residence permit.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Dependants can come, but note the mechanics: every family member aged 12 or over files their own separate application rather than being added to yours. Budget the extra time and fees per head.",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://athomeincuracao.com",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "cyprus",
      "country_slug": "cyprus",
      "country": "Cyprus",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/cyprus",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Cyprus offers an English-friendly, sunny EU base with over 300 days of sunshine and a low-crime, low-cost lifestyle by Western-European standards. The Migration Department runs the scheme for non-EU remote workers, with a clear €3,500/month net income bar. The main catch is a hard cap on the number of permits issued, so it can close to new applicants — apply when the window is open.",
      "min_income_usd": 3800,
      "income_original": "€3,500 per month (net)",
      "cost_usd": 150,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "5–7 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Stable net income of at least €3,500/month (after taxes and contributions), from sources outside Cyprus",
        "Be a non-EU / non-EEA national; the scheme is for third-country nationals only",
        "Work remotely — employed by a company registered abroad, or providing services to clients/companies located abroad",
        "Valid passport and proof of accommodation in Cyprus",
        "Private health insurance covering inpatient and outpatient care",
        "Clean criminal record certificate",
        "Completed application submitted to the Migration Department"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Check the permit cap is open — Cyprus limits the number of digital nomad permits and applications pause when full",
        "Confirm you meet the €3,500/month net income test from foreign sources",
        "Gather documents: passport, bank statements, employment or client contracts, health insurance, criminal record, proof of accommodation",
        "Submit your application to the Civil Registry and Migration Department (in Nicosia) and pay the fees (about €70 application + €70 registration)",
        "Examination takes roughly 5–7 weeks; the permit is valid one year and renewable for up to two more"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is there a limit on how many people get the Cyprus visa?",
          "answer": "Yes. Cyprus caps the total number of digital nomad permits, and the ceiling has been raised over time as demand grew. When the cap is reached, applications pause until it's increased again — so if the scheme is open, it's worth applying promptly rather than waiting."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I bring my family to Cyprus?",
          "answer": "Yes. Your spouse and minor children can join you, but they receive residence permits that don't grant the right to work or carry out economic activity in Cyprus. You'll need to show additional income to support them."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Cyprus?",
          "answer": "If you stay more than 183 days you generally become a Cyprus tax resident. Cyprus has favourable rules, including a 'non-dom' regime, but how your foreign income is treated depends on your situation — confirm with a Cyprus tax adviser before a long stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The initial permit is valid for one year and can be renewed for up to two additional years, for three years total. After that you'd need to look at other Cyprus residency routes."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 3,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable for two more — three years total, then this route is finished and staying means switching to a different immigration category. Renew through the Civil Registry and Migration Department in Nicosia at least a month before expiry (€70). EU long-term residence needs five years of legal residence, which this permit alone cannot get you to.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Cyprus is unusual twice over. First, the 60-day rule: spend just 60 days here, spend under 183 in any other single country, and keep a permanent home and business ties, and you can be tax resident — and since 1 January 2026 that route no longer requires you to be non-resident elsewhere. Second, non-dom status gives 0% on dividends and interest (and, from 1 January 2026, rental income) for up to 17 years. Read the limit carefully though: non-dom exempts passive income, NOT employment or self-employment earnings, which is what most nomads actually live on. The visa and tax residency are separate applications.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.gov.cy/mip-md/en/documents/digital-nomads-and-family-members/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "czechia",
      "country_slug": "czechia",
      "country": "Czechia",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/czechia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Programme",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Programme",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Czechia's nomad route is narrower than most: a fast-tracked programme for IT professionals and freelancers from a shortlist of countries, layered on the classic long-stay framework Prague's expats have used for years. If you qualify, you get one of Europe's best cities at half the Western European burn rate.",
      "min_income_usd": 3000,
      "income_original": "€33,000 per year",
      "cost_usd": 120,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "1–3 months",
      "requirements": [
        "Citizenship of an eligible country (includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan)",
        "Work in IT or a comparable in-demand field, as an employee of a foreign company or a freelancer",
        "Income/funds around 1.5 times the Czech average gross salary — verify the current figure",
        "University degree or relevant professional experience",
        "Accommodation in Czechia, health insurance, and clean criminal record"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Check eligibility (nationality + profession) against the official programme criteria",
        "Apply to the programme for inclusion; freelancers may also need the trade license (živnostenské oprávnění)",
        "Submit the long-stay visa application at the Czech embassy with the programme confirmation",
        "Enter Czechia, register with the foreign police, and renew via a long-term residence permit if staying on"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What if I'm not in IT or from an eligible country?",
          "answer": "The classic route still exists: the Czech freelance long-stay visa via a trade license (the 'živno'), open to more professions and nationalities but slower and more bureaucratic. Many Prague nomads have used it for years."
        },
        {
          "question": "How are freelancers taxed in Czechia?",
          "answer": "Czech freelancers benefit from generous lump-sum expense deductions that can keep effective tax rates low. Once you're tax resident, get a local accountant — the setup is genuinely favorable but paperwork-sensitive."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the Czech route lead to permanent residency?",
          "answer": "Yes — unlike pure visa programmes, time on Czech long-term residence permits counts toward permanent residency at five years."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 10,
      "renewal_note": "One year first, then renewable as a two-year residence permit. Unlike most nomad visas this one sits on the živno (trade licence) track, so the time does count toward the five years needed for permanent residency and ten for citizenship. The catch is at the door, not the exit: the programme is open only to citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and the US.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "No nomad-specific tax break — the Digital Nomad Programme is an immigration fast-track, not a tax scheme. Over 183 days in a year, or establishing a permanent home here, makes you a Czech tax resident on worldwide income under progressive rates. If you are on the živno track you will also be dealing with Czech social and health contributions as a self-employed person, which people routinely forget to budget for.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.mpo.gov.cz/en/business/digital-nomads/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "ecuador",
      "country_slug": "ecuador",
      "country": "Ecuador",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/ecuador",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Ecuador packs the Andes, Amazon, Pacific coast, and the Galápagos into a compact, US-dollar economy with a low cost of living. Its digital nomad visa asks for a modest ~$1,446/month, doesn't tax foreign income, and leads to up to two years of legal residency. You apply from a consulate before you arrive.",
      "min_income_usd": 1446,
      "income_original": "$1,446 per month (3× the Ecuadorian minimum wage)",
      "cost_usd": 450,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Monthly income of at least $1,446 (three Unified Basic Salaries), shown for the three months before applying",
        "Remote work as an employee, freelancer, or business owner based outside Ecuador",
        "Valid passport (6+ months validity)",
        "Health insurance with coverage in Ecuador",
        "Clean criminal record"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~$1,446/month threshold over the prior three months",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of foreign income/employment, health insurance, criminal record",
        "Book a visa appointment at an Ecuadorian embassy or consulate — you must apply before entering Ecuador",
        "Attend the appointment to verify your identity and documents, and pay the visa fees (about $450)",
        "Receive the visa, valid 12 months and renewable for a second year (two years total)"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Digital Nomad Visa or Professional Visa?",
          "answer": "If you hold a bachelor's degree, Ecuador's Professional Visa qualifies you at a much lower ~$482/month from any lawful income. Without a degree, working remotely for a foreign employer, the Digital Nomad Visa's ~$1,446/month applies."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Ecuador?",
          "answer": "No — holders aren't liable for Ecuadorian tax on income earned outside the country, a strong draw for remote workers."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I apply before arriving?",
          "answer": "Yes. You must apply at an Ecuadorian consulate in your country of residence before entering Ecuador; it's not an on-arrival visa."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "12 months initially, renewable for another year — up to two years on the digital nomad visa."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 2,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 5,
      "renewal_note": "Two years, renewable in two-year blocks for as long as you still qualify — and unusually among nomad routes, it genuinely settles you. Permanent residency opens at 21 months of physical residence, and naturalisation after roughly three further years of permanent residency. The constraint is presence, not paperwork: as a temporary resident you may be outside Ecuador no more than 90 days per calendar year, and unused days don't roll over. That rules it out as a base for heavy travellers.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Ecuador taxes territorially: foreign-sourced income is fully exempt, and only Ecuador-source income (local work, local business, rent on Ecuadorian property) is taxed at 0–35%. Combined with the residency route this is the strongest pairing in our dataset — few countries offer both a real path to settlement and no tax on foreign earnings. Document your foreign sourcing properly for the SRI, and remember the flip side of residency: no more than 90 days outside Ecuador per calendar year.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "el-salvador",
      "country_slug": "el-salvador",
      "country": "El Salvador",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/el-salvador",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "El Salvador has reinvented itself as a safe, dollar-denominated, crypto-friendly base with Pacific surf towns and a growing remote-work scene. Its digital nomad visa is accessible at ~$1,460/month, exempts foreign income from tax, and can extend for years. A compact Central American option that's easy to apply for online.",
      "min_income_usd": 1460,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Monthly income of at least $1,460 for a single applicant (more for dependents), from remote work outside El Salvador",
        "Remote work as an employee, freelancer, or business owner for companies/clients outside El Salvador",
        "Valid passport (valid 6+ months beyond the visa's expiry)",
        "Clean criminal record from every country lived in over the last two years",
        "International health insurance covering your whole stay"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~$1,460/month threshold (higher with dependents)",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of foreign income, criminal record, health insurance",
        "Apply online, or in person at an El Salvador embassy or consulate (online is usually faster)",
        "Wait for review and approval",
        "Receive the visa; nominally up to two years (currently issued as renewable one-year permits)"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How long is the visa valid?",
          "answer": "On paper up to two years, renewable for two more (four years total). In practice the authorities are currently issuing renewable one-year visas."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in El Salvador?",
          "answer": "No — digital nomad visa holders get an exemption from income tax on their foreign earnings."
        },
        {
          "question": "What's the income requirement?",
          "answer": "About $1,460/month for a single applicant; it rises with dependents — for example, roughly $2,260/month for a couple with one child."
        },
        {
          "question": "How do I apply?",
          "answer": "Online or through an El Salvador embassy/consulate. Online applications usually have a quicker turnaround."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Twelve months to start, and renewable — but by how much is genuinely unclear. Reputable 2026 sources variously describe the ceiling as two, three and four years, and several note that in practice the authorities have been issuing one-year renewals regardless. The residency question is equally muddled: some sources claim eligibility after three consecutive years, others that El Salvador requires five years of continuous residence and that nomad time doesn't qualify. We would rather flag the disagreement than pick a side — confirm with the Dirección General de Migración before planning a long stay.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "El Salvador taxes territorially, so a salary or client income paid from outside the country is not subject to Salvadoran income tax. That is the clearest thing about this programme — as noted above, the renewal and residency rules are considerably less settled.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://migracion.gob.sv/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "estonia",
      "country_slug": "estonia",
      "country": "Estonia",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/estonia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Estonia invented the digital nomad visa, and it remains the most digital-friendly bureaucracy in Europe — the same country that runs e-Residency. The income bar is on the higher side, but the process is clear, fast, and entirely English-friendly, with Tallinn's startup scene as the backdrop.",
      "min_income_usd": 4900,
      "income_original": "reputable 2026 sources cite between €3,504 and €4,500 per month",
      "cost_usd": 110,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "15–30 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote work for employers or clients registered outside Estonia, or your own foreign company",
        "Gross monthly income above the official threshold (around €4,500) for the six months before applying",
        "Evidence of the work relationship: contracts, payslips, bank statements",
        "Valid travel/health insurance and accommodation plan",
        "Apply at an Estonian embassy or, in some cases, in-country"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you clear the six-month income history at the published threshold",
        "Complete the online application form and book an appointment at the nearest Estonian embassy",
        "Submit documents and biometrics; pay the state fee",
        "Receive the D-visa — up to 12 months, with up to half the time usable across Schengen"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is Estonia's nomad visa connected to e-Residency?",
          "answer": "They're separate things. e-Residency gives you a digital identity to run an Estonian company remotely — it grants no right to live in Estonia. The digital nomad visa is a physical-stay visa. Plenty of nomads combine both: an Estonian company via e-Residency, plus the visa when they want to live there."
        },
        {
          "question": "Why is Estonia's income requirement so high?",
          "answer": "The threshold tracks Estonian wage statistics and is rechecked periodically, and the country deliberately aims at established remote earners. If you're under it, Croatia and Colombia accept much lower incomes."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the Estonian visa lead to residency?",
          "answer": "Not directly — it's a visa, not a residence permit, and it doesn't count toward permanent residency. For a path to staying in Europe long-term, Portugal and Spain are the stronger plays."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": false,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Estonia's is a visa, not a residence permit — one year maximum, no extension, and time on it counts toward neither permanent residency nor citizenship. You can reapply after a spell outside Estonia. E-Residency is a separate thing entirely and grants no right to live here.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "No nomad-specific break: cross 183 days in any 12-month period and you are an Estonian tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at the flat 22% rate with a €700/month tax-free allowance. Below that threshold you generally aren't resident — which, given the visa maxes out at a year, makes the day count worth tracking deliberately rather than accidentally.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Filed at an Estonian embassy or consulate. Two things to plan for. The income test looks backwards over six months rather than at a single payslip, so a recent jump in earnings won't carry an application on its own. And the threshold itself is genuinely disputed — 2026 sources cite figures from €3,504 to €4,500 per month, so confirm the current number with the Police and Border Guard Board before assembling statements.",
      "official_url": "https://www.politsei.ee/en/instructions/visa-and-extending-period-of-stay/long-term-visa",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "greece",
      "country_slug": "greece",
      "country": "Greece",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/greece",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Greece pairs one of Europe's most livable climates with a nomad visa that converts into a two-year renewable residence permit — and a 50% income tax break for those who shift their tax residence there. Athens and Thessaloniki for city life, the islands for everything else.",
      "min_income_usd": 3800,
      "income_original": "€3,500 per month",
      "cost_usd": 85,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "10–30 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote work for employers or clients outside Greece — working for Greek companies is not allowed",
        "Monthly net income of at least €3,500 (rises 20% for a spouse, 15% per child)",
        "Employment contract or proof of freelance/business activity",
        "Health insurance, accommodation in Greece, and a clean criminal record",
        "Apply at the Greek consulate in your country of residence"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Assemble income proof, contracts, insurance, and accommodation documents",
        "Apply at the Greek consulate — decisions are legally due within 10 days when files are complete",
        "Enter Greece on the 12-month visa",
        "Before it expires, apply in-country for the two-year digital nomad residence permit, renewable while conditions hold"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What is Greece's 50% tax incentive for nomads?",
          "answer": "If you move your tax residence to Greece and qualify under the special regime, half of your Greek-taxable employment income can be exempt from income tax for up to seven years. It requires committing to Greek tax residency — get Greek tax advice before counting on it."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I visit the rest of Europe on the Greek visa?",
          "answer": "Yes — Greece is in Schengen, so you can move around the zone under the standard 90/180 rules while holding the visa or permit."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the Greek nomad permit lead anywhere long-term?",
          "answer": "The permit renews in two-year blocks, but time on it does not count toward permanent residency or citizenship. It's built for staying comfortably, not naturalizing."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 7,
      "renewal_note": "The 12-month visa converts to a two-year residence permit that keeps renewing while you meet the income and insurance bar. Permanent residency needs five years with more than 183 days a year in Greece; citizenship needs seven, plus B1 Greek and an integration exam. Since February 2026 you must obtain the national (Type D) visa at a consulate first — applying from inside Greece as a tourist was abolished.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Greece halves it: nomads who move their tax residency here get a 50% exemption on qualifying income for up to seven years. On €60,000 that works out around a 9.83% effective rate. You become tax resident on passing 183 days in a calendar year, at which point Greece taxes worldwide income — the exemption reduces the bill, it doesn't remove the obligation to file.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Family members can be included, with the income requirement rising per person. As in Croatia and Malta, an accompanying spouse's right to work in Greece is restricted, so treat the visa as supporting one remote income rather than two local ones.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "This changed in February 2026 and older guides are now wrong: you must obtain the national (Type D) visa at a Greek consulate before travelling. Applying from inside Greece as a tourist was abolished by Law 5275/2026. If a guide tells you to fly in and sort it locally, it predates the change.",
      "official_url": "https://migration.gov.gr/en/gas/aitoyntes-kai-dikaioychoi/adeies-diamonis/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "hungary",
      "country_slug": "hungary",
      "country": "Hungary",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/hungary",
      "programme_name": "White Card",
      "visa_name": "White Card",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Hungary's White Card gives remote workers a budget-friendly EU base in Budapest — grand architecture, thermal baths, and a low cost of living for the Schengen zone. It asks for €3,000/month income plus savings, runs up to two years, and is straightforward to apply for. One caveat: it's a dead-end for residency — it can't lead to permanent residency or citizenship.",
      "min_income_usd": 3250,
      "income_original": "€3,000 per month",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "21–30 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Net monthly income of at least €3,000 for the six months before applying, maintained during your stay",
        "At least €10,000 in savings",
        "Be a third-country national working remotely for a foreign company or your own business abroad",
        "Comprehensive health insurance (or proof you can cover healthcare costs)",
        "A rental or purchase agreement for accommodation in Hungary (12 months)",
        "Valid passport"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you've earned €3,000+/month net for the last six months and hold €10,000+ in savings",
        "Gather documents: passport, six months of income proof, savings proof, insurance, 12-month accommodation agreement",
        "Visa-free nationals can travel to Hungary and apply for the White Card directly; others apply at a Hungarian consulate first",
        "Submit your application; processing typically takes 21–30 days",
        "Receive the one-year residence permit, extendable once for two years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can the White Card lead to permanent residency?",
          "answer": "No. The White Card explicitly does not confer a path to permanent residency or citizenship, and after two years you must leave Hungary. It's for a defined stay, not settling permanently."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work for a Hungarian company?",
          "answer": "No. White Card holders can't work for a Hungarian employer — your income must come from a foreign company or your own business abroad."
        },
        {
          "question": "What are the financial requirements?",
          "answer": "€3,000/month net income for the prior six months, plus at least €10,000 in savings. You must maintain the income level throughout your stay in Hungary."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "One year, extendable once for the same period — two years maximum. After that, you must leave Hungary."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Issued for a year and extendable once — two years is a hard ceiling, and at the end of it you leave. Time on a White Card counts toward nothing: it cannot convert to permanent residence, and the years don't accrue toward it either.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "White Card holders are generally not taxed in Hungary on foreign income — until presence makes them resident. Cross 183 days in a year and you become a Hungarian tax resident, at which point the flat 15% personal income tax applies. Since the card itself is capped at two years and expects you to live here, treat the 183-day line as something you will probably cross rather than an edge case.",
      "dependents_allowed": false,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "The hard no of this dataset. The White Card carries no family reunification at all — a partner and children get no residence permit from your application and must qualify separately on some other basis. Families with school-age children are effectively excluded from this route.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://oif.gov.hu/factsheets/white-card-residency-for-digital-nomads",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "indonesia",
      "country_slug": "indonesia",
      "country": "Indonesia",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/indonesia",
      "programme_name": "Remote Worker Visa (E33G KITAS)",
      "visa_name": "Remote Worker Visa (E33G KITAS)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Bali finally got a real nomad visa: the E33G remote worker KITAS gives a full year of legal residence (renewable) for remote employees of foreign companies. The income bar is steep at $60,000/year, but it ends the visa-run era for the world's most famous nomad island.",
      "min_income_usd": 5000,
      "income_original": "$60,000 per year",
      "cost_usd": 400,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Employment contract with a company located outside Indonesia",
        "Annual income of at least $60,000, paid into a personal account",
        "Bank statement showing roughly $2,000 in the last 3 months",
        "Passport valid 6+ months; application via the official e-visa portal",
        "No working for Indonesian companies or clients"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Prepare employment contract, income proof, bank statement, passport scan",
        "Apply on the official evisa.imigrasi.go.id portal (or via a reputable visa agent — common in Bali)",
        "Pay the fees and receive the e-visa approval",
        "Enter Indonesia and complete the KITAS formalities; renew annually while eligible"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What if I don't meet the $60k income bar for the E33G?",
          "answer": "Most nomads use the C1 tourist e-visa (60 days, extendable to 180) and accept periodic resets. There's also the B211A-style social/cultural route via agents. The E33G is for those who want a real KITAS and a Bali base without visa runs."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do remote workers pay Indonesian tax on the E33G?",
          "answer": "Stay 183+ days and you're technically a tax resident, but Indonesia has signaled that foreign-source income of remote workers on this visa is not its target, and double-tax treaties usually protect employment income taxed at home. The practice is still settling — get advice if you're going full-time."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the E33G cover freelancers?",
          "answer": "It's written around employees with a foreign employment contract. Freelancers with multiple clients fit awkwardly — some qualify via their own company employing them; otherwise the tourist-visa pattern remains the fallback."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Renewable a year at a time, and under the general one-year ITAS framework the stack can reach around six years. Two caveats worth knowing before you count on it. First, sources disagree on the mechanics — some describe a true in-country extension, others say you must apply for a fresh E33G with new employment and financial evidence each time; budget for the stricter version. Second, converting to KITAP (permanent stay) is not a right: official guidance says an E33G may be converted to another permit when you qualify, which is not the same as the E33G itself leading to permanent residency. Start an extension up to 30 days before expiry; processing runs about 14 working days.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "The common belief that Bali is tax-free on a nomad visa is wrong. Indonesia taxes residents on worldwide income, and holding an E33G KITAS is treated as intent to reside — which can make you a tax resident regardless of your day count. There is a territorial option (PMK-18/2021) covering only Indonesian-sourced income for your first four fiscal years, but it is limited to foreigners with 'particular expertise' in science, technology or mathematics, and it must be formally applied for. It is not automatic and most remote workers won't qualify.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Indonesia runs a dedicated family-dependent visa for remote workers covering a spouse and children, applied for alongside the E33G rather than bundled into it.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed through Indonesia's online immigration system. Renewals are handled in-country, though sources disagree on whether that is a true extension or a fresh application each time — budget for the stricter reading.",
      "official_url": "https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "italy",
      "country_slug": "italy",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/italy",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Italy's long-awaited nomad visa finally arrived in 2024, aimed at 'highly skilled' remote workers. The income bar is moderate by European standards, the visa renews annually, and the prize is living in Italy — the paperwork is heavier than its neighbors, but that's the Italian deal across the board.",
      "min_income_usd": 2700,
      "income_original": "€28,000 per year",
      "cost_usd": 125,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "1–3 months",
      "requirements": [
        "Qualify as highly skilled: a university degree, professional accreditation, or substantial professional experience",
        "At least six months of prior experience in the remote work you'll be doing",
        "Annual income of at least about €28,000 (consulates apply €25,000–30,000 depending on profile)",
        "Health insurance covering Italy, accommodation proof, and a clean criminal record",
        "No conviction-related bars for the employer/company if you're employed"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you meet the highly-skilled definition and income threshold",
        "Book the appointment at the Italian consulate for your residence country and submit the dossier",
        "Enter Italy on the visa, then apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) at the post office/questura within 8 working days",
        "Renew annually while the conditions continue to hold"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Who counts as 'highly skilled' for Italy's nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Broadly: a degree, a recognized professional qualification, or strong documented professional experience in your field. Consulates assess this case by case — bring more evidence than you think you need."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay Italian taxes?",
          "answer": "Spend over 183 days a year in Italy and you become a tax resident on worldwide income. Italy has a reduced 'impatriate' regime that can significantly cut taxable income for new residents who qualify — worth a consultation before you move."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can my family come with me to Italy?",
          "answer": "Yes, family members can accompany or join you under family-cohesion rules, with income requirements scaled up accordingly."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 10,
      "renewal_note": "The permesso di soggiorno runs up to a year and renews annually while you still meet the income, insurance and accommodation conditions. Five continuous years earns EU long-term resident status; ten earns citizenship.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Italy's impatriati regime exempts 50% of employment or professional income for five years (60% with a dependent child under 18), capped at €600,000 — but read the eligibility before counting on it. You must have been non-resident for the previous three years, hold a degree or qualify as highly skilled, and work mainly in Italy. Crucially it covers employment and professional income and EXCLUDES business and freelance income, which rules out a large share of nomads. A dedicated digital-nomad incentive has been proposed in the 2026 budget process but is not law.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Visa at the consulate first, then apply for the permesso di soggiorno within eight days of arriving in Italy. That eight-day window is the step people miss.",
      "official_url": "https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "japan",
      "country_slug": "japan",
      "country": "Japan",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/japan",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Japan's 2024 nomad visa is short and demanding — six months, no renewal, ¥10 million yearly income — but it's six legal months in Japan, which tourist entries never reliably gave remote workers. For high earners who've always wanted a Tokyo or Kyoto season, this is the clean way to do it.",
      "min_income_usd": 5600,
      "income_original": "¥10,000,000 per year",
      "cost_usd": 25,
      "max_stay_months": 6,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Annual income of at least ¥10 million (roughly $65,000–70,000 depending on exchange rate)",
        "Citizenship of one of ~50 eligible countries/regions (visa-waiver countries with tax treaties — US, UK, EU members, Australia, etc.)",
        "Remote work for employers/clients outside Japan",
        "Private health insurance covering the stay (death/injury/illness, ¥10M+ coverage)",
        "Spouse and children can accompany you under a linked status"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm nationality eligibility and the income bar",
        "Prepare income evidence, insurance certificate, and the activity description",
        "Apply for the Certificate of Eligibility / visa at the Japanese embassy",
        "Enter Japan with 'designated activities' status — 6 months, non-extendable; reapply after at least 6 months outside Japan"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I extend the Japan nomad visa or convert it to residency?",
          "answer": "No — six months is the ceiling, it doesn't renew, and it grants no residence card or path to longer status. You can apply again after spending six months outside Japan. It's built for seasons, not settling."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I pay Japanese taxes during the six months?",
          "answer": "Generally no — under six months you typically remain a non-resident, and the eligible-country list was built around tax treaties precisely to keep remote income taxed at home. Keep your stay within the visa term and ordinary cases stay clean."
        },
        {
          "question": "Why can't I just do this on a tourist entry?",
          "answer": "Japan's tourist status doesn't authorize work, even remote work for foreign employers — it's a grey zone people used quietly. The nomad visa makes the same stay legal, insurable, and honest on landing cards."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": false,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Six months, flatly non-extendable — when it expires you leave, and a cooling-off period (widely reported as six months outside Japan) applies before you can apply again. You are not issued a residence card (zairyu card), which is the tell: this is a long visitor permission rather than residence, and it builds nothing toward permanent residency.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "The visa's six-month cap and the tax line are designed to agree: stay 183 days or fewer, be paid by a foreign employer with no Japanese branch, and Japan treats you as non-resident and does not tax that foreign income. Because the visa cannot be extended past six months, you are structurally unlikely to cross into residency — which is arguably the programme's main appeal, given how heavily Japan taxes residents on worldwide income.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Unusually generous on paper: a spouse and children can be included on the same application and Japan does not require extra income for them, unlike most European programmes. Two conditions people miss — children must be unmarried and under 19, and your dependants must themselves be nationals of visa-exempt countries.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Applied for at a Japanese consulate before travelling, and because the visa cannot be extended you will be doing this from outside Japan again if you return. No residence card is issued, which affects everyday admin such as opening a bank account or signing a phone contract.",
      "official_url": "https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/visa_digitalnomad.html",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "latvia",
      "country_slug": "latvia",
      "country": "Latvia",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/latvia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Latvia offers an affordable EU base with a digital, fast-internet capital in Riga, Baltic coastline, and easy Schengen travel. Its digital nomad visa is open only to people working for — or self-employed in — OECD-country companies, with a high income bar of about €4,213/month. For OECD-tied remote workers wanting an EU foothold for up to two years, it's a clean option.",
      "min_income_usd": 4550,
      "income_original": "cited between €3,400 and roughly €4,200 per month",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "10–15 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Monthly income of at least €4,213 (about 2.5× Latvia's average salary)",
        "Employment by, or self-employment registered in, an OECD member country — the defining condition of this visa",
        "Be a third-country national (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)",
        "At least six months of consistent remote-work history",
        "Health insurance valid in Latvia and the Schengen area (minimum €42,600 coverage)",
        "Proof of accommodation in Latvia"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you work for (or are self-employed in) an OECD country and meet the €4,213/month income bar",
        "Gather documents: passport, six months of income proof, OECD employer/registration proof, insurance, accommodation",
        "File the long-stay visa application at a Latvian mission abroad (often via VFS Global) or the PMLP e-form",
        "A decision is normally made within 10–15 business days (up to 60 if more information is needed)",
        "Receive the one-year visa, extendable for a second year (two years total)"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What's the OECD requirement?",
          "answer": "Latvia's nomad visa is only open to people employed by, or self-employed and registered in, an OECD member country. You'll prove this via your employer's registration or an OECD tax authority confirmation — it's the key eligibility filter."
        },
        {
          "question": "How much income do I need?",
          "answer": "About €4,213/month, roughly 2.5 times Latvia's average gross salary — one of the higher European thresholds. It must be shown over the prior six months."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "One year, renewable for a second, for two years total. After that you must spend at least six months outside Latvia before reapplying."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work for a Latvian company?",
          "answer": "No. The visa doesn't grant the right to local employment — your income must come from your OECD-based employer or clients."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable once, two years maximum. Be careful with the claim — common on nomad sites — that this converts to permanent residency at two years: Latvia's DNV is a long-stay visa rather than a residence permit, and Latvian permanent residence normally requires five years of continuous residence on a permit. Sources disagree, so treat the PR route as unconfirmed and ask the OCMA directly. Eligibility is also narrower than most: you must work for an employer or own a business registered in an OECD country.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "We could not find a published nomad-specific tax exemption here, and we are not going to assume one exists — nor assume it doesn't. What is solid: residents are taxed on worldwide income, and passing 183 days in a year normally makes you resident. Confirm the current position with the national tax authority before you plan around it.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Filed at a Latvian embassy or consulate, and eligibility is narrower than most: you must work for an employer or own a business registered in an OECD country. The income threshold is tied to a multiple of the Latvian average wage and therefore moves — published 2026 figures disagree by several hundred euros, so treat any single number as indicative and confirm with the OCMA.",
      "official_url": "https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/article/obtaining-long-stay-visa-remote-work",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "malaysia",
      "country_slug": "malaysia",
      "country": "Malaysia",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/malaysia",
      "programme_name": "DE Rantau Nomad Pass",
      "visa_name": "DE Rantau Nomad Pass",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Malaysia's DE Rantau pass is Southeast Asia's most accessible nomad visa: $24,000/year income for digital professionals, 12 months renewable for another 12, and Kuala Lumpur's first-world infrastructure at developing-world prices. Penang and Langkawi are certified 'nomad hubs' with vetted housing and workspaces.",
      "min_income_usd": 2000,
      "income_original": "$24,000 per year (tech roles) or $60,000 per year (non-tech)",
      "cost_usd": 220,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "4–8 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Work in a digital field: IT, software, content, digital marketing, design, and similar (non-IT professionals have a higher income bar)",
        "Annual income of at least $24,000 for digital/IT applicants — verify the current threshold for your category",
        "Active employment contract (3+ months remaining) or freelance contracts with foreign or local clients",
        "Passport valid 14+ months, proof of income (bank statements/payslips), personal bond payment",
        "Health insurance covering Malaysia for you and any dependents"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Check your professional category and income threshold on the MDEC DE Rantau portal",
        "Apply online with contracts, income proof, resume, and passport documents",
        "Pay the pass and processing fees once conditionally approved",
        "Receive the pass, enter Malaysia, and renew once for a second year if still eligible"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I work for Malaysian clients on DE Rantau?",
          "answer": "Yes — unusually, DE Rantau allows freelancers to serve local Malaysian clients as well as foreign ones. Most nomad visas prohibit local work entirely; this is one of the pass's quiet advantages."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I bring family on the DE Rantau pass?",
          "answer": "Yes — spouse and children can come as dependents with additional fees per person. KL's international schools and healthcare make it one of Asia's easiest family-nomad setups."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I pay Malaysian tax as a DE Rantau holder?",
          "answer": "Malaysia generally does not tax foreign-source income remitted by individuals under current exemptions, and short-stay nomads rarely trigger issues. Cross 182 days and you're tax resident — usually still benign for foreign income, but confirm the current rules."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Twelve months, renewable once — 24 months total. Renewal is discretionary rather than automatic; apply two months before expiry and expect six to eight weeks of processing. The pass is issued as a Professional Visit Pass, a category built for temporary stay, so it does not move you toward permanent residence.",
      "tax_residency_days": 182,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Malaysia taxes territorially and foreign-sourced income received by individuals is generally exempt — the reason DE Rantau looks so attractive on tax. Watch the expiry date, because it has moved: the individual exemption was previously running out on 31 December 2026, and Budget 2026 extended it to 31 December 2036. Confirm the current position with LHDN before relying on it, since this is precisely the kind of provision that gets revisited.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "DE Rantau covers a dependent spouse and children. The pass fee is charged per head — roughly RM1,000 for the main applicant and RM500 per dependant.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed online through the DE Rantau portal run by MDEC. Note the two-tier income test — tech and non-tech applicants face very different bars for the same pass.",
      "official_url": "https://mdec.my/derantau",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "malaysia-mm2h",
      "country_slug": "malaysia",
      "country": "Malaysia",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/malaysia-mm2h",
      "programme_name": "Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)",
      "visa_name": "Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "MM2H is not a retirement visa in the sense the other Asian long-stay routes are — it is residence by investment, and the marketing rarely says so. There is no income test at any tier. Instead every participant must place a fixed deposit (from USD 150,000 on Silver) AND buy a Malaysian home (from RM 600,000 on Silver) which cannot be sold for ten years. That combined bar is the highest of any long-stay route in this dataset. Two further things the guides get wrong: the entry tier runs FIVE years, not the ten the programme is still widely described as offering, and you cannot apply yourself — every application must go through a licensed MM2H tour operating business.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "no income test at any tier — the bar is a fixed deposit from USD 150,000 plus a compulsory property purchase from RM 600,000",
      "cost_usd": 1467,
      "max_stay_months": 60,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "⚠ NO INCOME REQUIREMENT EXISTS, at any tier. The bar is capital, and it is two separate commitments — a fixed deposit AND a compulsory property purchase — which most summaries report as one or omit entirely.",
        "SILVER: fixed deposit USD 150,000 · property from RM 600,000 · participating fee RM 1,000 · pass valid 5 years · minimum age 25.",
        "GOLD: fixed deposit USD 500,000 · property from RM 1,000,000 · participating fee RM 3,000 · pass valid 15 years · minimum age 25.",
        "PLATINUM: fixed deposit USD 1,000,000 · property from RM 2,000,000 · participating fee RM 200,000 · pass valid 20 years · minimum age 25. Platinum is the only tier permitted to work, run a business or invest.",
        "SEZ/SFZ (Forest City, Johor only): fixed deposit USD 65,000 for ages 21–49, or USD 32,000 for ages 50 and above · property in Forest City at the floor price set by Johor state policy · participating fee RM 1,000 · pass valid 10 years.",
        "⚠ COMPULSORY PROPERTY PURCHASE at every tier, after approval. The residence may not be sold for 10 years unless it is to upgrade to a more expensive one, and failing any condition revokes the pass.",
        "Up to 50% of the principal fixed deposit may be withdrawn after approval, and only for a residence, education, medical or tourism spending inside Malaysia.",
        "⚠ YOU CANNOT APPLY DIRECTLY. Every application must be submitted through an MM2H tour operating business licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture under the Tourism Industry Act 1992, via the One Stop Centre. Agent fees are on top of the government fees and are not published anywhere official.",
        "Minimum presence of 90 cumulative days per year for participants aged 25–49, which may be met between the principal and/or spouse and dependants. No minimum stay for participants aged 50 and above.",
        "Compulsory medical check-up at a clinic or hospital on the Ministry's panel, for the principal and every dependant, after approval.",
        "Government fees beyond the participating fee: processing RM 5,000 for the principal and RM 2,500 per dependant, a visa fee of RM 0–50 depending on nationality, and a fixed pass fee of RM 500 per year.",
        "Open to nationals of any sovereign country holding diplomatic relations with Malaysia. Final immigration approval rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs, not with the tourism ministry that runs the programme."
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Pick a tier against the capital you can commit and lock up — the deposit and the property together, not either alone.",
        "Engage an MM2H tour operating business licensed under the Tourism Industry Act 1992. This is mandatory and there is no direct-application route; ask what the agent charges before anything else, because that figure is published nowhere official.",
        "The agent submits the application through the One Stop Centre MM2H (OSC MM2H).",
        "On approval, place the fixed deposit in a Malaysian institution licensed under the Financial Services Act 2013 or the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013.",
        "Complete the compulsory medical check-up at a Ministry panel clinic or hospital, for the principal and every dependant.",
        "Purchase and own a qualifying residence at or above your tier's minimum value. It cannot be sold for ten years except to upgrade."
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What is the income requirement for MM2H?",
          "answer": "There isn't one. MM2H applies no income test at any tier, which is why it is better understood as residence by investment than as a retirement visa. What it requires instead is capital in two forms at once: a fixed deposit — from USD 150,000 on Silver, USD 500,000 on Gold, USD 1,000,000 on Platinum, and USD 65,000 or USD 32,000 by age band in the Johor SEZ/SFZ tier — and a compulsory property purchase from RM 600,000, RM 1,000,000 and RM 2,000,000 respectively. Taken together that is the highest bar of any long-stay route we hold a record for."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long is an MM2H visa valid?",
          "answer": "It depends on the tier, and the widely repeated “10-year visa” is no longer the entry offer. Silver runs 5 years, the Johor SEZ/SFZ tier 10 years, Gold 15 years and Platinum 20 years, all renewable, with the pass validity also bounded by the validity of your passport. Anyone quoting a flat ten years for MM2H is describing an older version of the programme."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I have to buy a property to get MM2H?",
          "answer": "Yes, at every tier, and it is the condition people most often discover late. The purchase is compulsory after approval, the minimum value is set by tier — from RM 600,000 on Silver — and the residence cannot be sold for ten years unless you are replacing it with a more expensive one. Failing any programme condition revokes the pass. The Johor SEZ/SFZ tier requires the property to be in Forest City specifically."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I apply for MM2H myself?",
          "answer": "No. Every application must be submitted through an MM2H tour operating business licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture under the Tourism Industry Act 1992, and processed via the One Stop Centre. That is a published rule, not a convention — which also explains why the search results for MM2H are almost entirely agencies. Their fees sit on top of the government fees and are published nowhere official, so ask early."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does MM2H exempt me from Malaysian tax?",
          "answer": "The programme lists a tax exemption on foreign funds and income among its benefits, but read what that actually is. Malaysia taxes territorially and generally exempts foreign-sourced income received by individuals regardless of MM2H — the exemption is a feature of Malaysian tax law, not a privilege the programme confers. The individual exemption has also moved: it was previously due to end on 31 December 2026 and Budget 2026 extended it to 31 December 2036. Confirm the current position with LHDN rather than relying on a programme brochure."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work in Malaysia on MM2H?",
          "answer": "Only on Platinum. The programme's own category table permits business, investment and career activity at the Platinum tier — a USD 1,000,000 fixed deposit and a RM 2,000,000 property — and not at Silver, Gold or the Johor SEZ/SFZ tier. If working in Malaysia is the point, the DE Rantau nomad pass or an employment pass is the route, not MM2H."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "The pass is renewable and its validity is additionally bounded by the validity of the participant's passport. The term differs by tier — 5 years on Silver, 10 on the Johor SEZ/SFZ tier, 15 on Gold, 20 on Platinum. ⚠ Whether MM2H leads anywhere permanent is NOT recorded, because the programme's own guidelines do not address permanent residency at all. MM2H is a social visit pass rather than a residence permit, which is a reason to doubt it leads to PR, but it is not a published answer and we do not publish inference as fact.",
      "tax_residency_days": 182,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "special_tax_regime is FALSE on purpose, and the reason is the most-repeated misconception about this programme. MM2H lists a “tax exemption on foreign funds or income” among its category benefits, and it is routinely sold as an MM2H perk. It is not one: Malaysia taxes territorially and generally exempts foreign-sourced income received by individuals whether or not they hold MM2H. The programme restates the ordinary rule; it does not create a regime. The exemption also has a moving expiry — previously 31 December 2026, extended by Budget 2026 to 31 December 2036 — so confirm the current position with LHDN. Malaysian tax residency attaches at 182 days.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Dependants are unusually broad: spouse; biological, step or adopted children under 21; children aged 21 to 34 provided they are unemployed and single while in Malaysia; medically certified disabled children with no age limit; and parents and parents-in-law. Platinum participants may additionally bring foreign domestic help. There is no income add-on per dependant because there is no income test — the cost of dependants is the RM 2,500 processing fee each, and the 90-day annual presence requirement for under-50s may be satisfied between the principal, the spouse and the dependants rather than by the principal alone.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "SOURCE: mm2h.gov.my, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture's own programme site — the category pages for Platinum, Gold, Silver and SEZ/SFZ plus the guidelines page, read 2026-08-26. Currency: government fees are published in ringgit and the deposits in US dollars, so both are recorded in their original currency. cost_usd converts the RM 6,000 of unavoidable government fees at the Silver tier — RM 5,000 processing plus RM 1,000 participating — at RM 4.09 to USD 1, the rate on 26 August 2026.\n\n⚠ THE REAL COST IS NOT KNOWABLE FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES, and that is a finding rather than a gap in our research. Because applications must go through a licensed agent, every applicant pays agent fees on top, and no government page publishes what those are. Any total cost figure you see for MM2H is either government fees only — understated — or an agent quoting their own price.\n\nWHY THIS RECORD READS DIFFERENTLY FROM THE MARKETING. Three claims are near-universal and none survives the programme's own guidelines: that MM2H is a ten-year visa (Silver, the entry tier, is five), that it is a retirement visa comparable to Thailand's O-A (it applies no income test and requires a property purchase, which makes it residence by investment), and that it carries a tax exemption (Malaysia's territorial system already exempts foreign-sourced individual income). Note also the state programmes: Sarawak and Sabah run their own MM2H schemes on separate terms, and this record covers the NATIONAL programme only.",
      "official_url": "https://www.mm2h.gov.my/apply/guidelines",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "malta",
      "country_slug": "malta",
      "country": "Malta",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/malta",
      "programme_name": "Nomad Residence Permit",
      "visa_name": "Nomad Residence Permit",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Malta pairs an English-speaking, year-round-sunny Mediterranean base with one of Europe's most generous nomad tax deals: a flat 10% on foreign remote-work income once you're tax resident, and a full exemption in your first year. The Residency Malta Agency runs the permit directly, you can apply without an agent, and holding it gives you Schengen travel. The trade-off is a higher income bar than most and a small-island cost of living.",
      "min_income_usd": 3800,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 430,
      "max_stay_months": 48,
      "processing_time": "~30 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Gross income of at least €42,000/year (about €3,500/month), from active remote work — savings and investments don't count toward the threshold",
        "Be a third-country national (non-EU/EEA/Swiss); EU citizens don't need this permit",
        "Remote work in one of three forms: employment with a foreign-registered company, ownership of a foreign company, or freelance/consulting for clients based abroad",
        "Valid rental or purchase agreement for property in Malta",
        "Health insurance covering risks in Malta and across the EU",
        "Clean police conduct certificate",
        "Valid passport and completed background verification"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you qualify on income (€42,000/year gross) and the third-country-national rule",
        "Line up Maltese accommodation — a rental or purchase agreement is required for the application",
        "Gather documents: passport, three months of bank statements and payslips, work contract, health insurance, police conduct certificate",
        "Submit the application directly to the Residency Malta Agency and pay the fees (about €300 application + €100 residence card)",
        "On approval (around 30 days), collect your residence card; the permit is valid one year and renewable up to four years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How does Malta's 10% nomad tax actually work?",
          "answer": "If you spend more than 183 days in Malta you become tax resident, and foreign-sourced remote-work income is taxed at a flat 10% rather than Malta's normal progressive rates. In your first year on the permit, that foreign income is exempt entirely. You may still have home-country obligations depending on your citizenship, so confirm with a cross-border accountant."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can EU citizens use the Malta Nomad Residence Permit?",
          "answer": "No — it's only for third-country nationals (non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss). EU/EEA/Swiss citizens already have the right to live and work in Malta and don't need this permit."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I bring my family?",
          "answer": "Yes. Spouses and dependent children can be added to your application. You'll need to show additional income to support each dependent and provide their documents, but they're covered under the same permit framework."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay on the permit?",
          "answer": "The permit is issued for one year and can be renewed up to three more times, for a maximum of four years. Renewals depend on continuing to meet the income and eligibility requirements at each step."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 4,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Renewable three times, four years maximum, then it stops — Residency Malta states plainly that this permit leads to neither permanent residency nor citizenship. Each renewal wants bank statements proving you actually spent at least five months of the previous twelve in Malta.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Nomad Residence Permit holders get a 12-month exemption from Maltese income tax on authorised work income, then a flat 10% from year two — against standard rates reaching 35%. The Malta Tax & Customs Administration formally clarified this in January 2026. Note the mechanism: the 10% applies to income remitted to Malta, so how and when you bring money in matters as much as what you earn.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Dependants are allowed and Malta is one of the more family-workable options in Europe — but a spouse's right to work locally is restricted, so plan on the household running on remote income only.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Handled online through the Residency Malta Agency rather than at a consulate — one of the more administratively straightforward programmes in Europe. Budget around 60 days for processing.",
      "official_url": "https://nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "mauritius",
      "country_slug": "mauritius",
      "country": "Mauritius",
      "region": "Africa",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/mauritius",
      "programme_name": "Premium Visa",
      "visa_name": "Premium Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Mauritius is a tropical Indian Ocean base — beaches, a stable economy, and English widely spoken — with one of the most accessible nomad visas anywhere. The Premium Visa has a low $1,500/month income bar, is completely free, and is often approved within about a week. Valid a year and renewable, it's a low-friction way to live and work remotely in paradise.",
      "min_income_usd": 1500,
      "income_original": "$1,500 per month",
      "cost_usd": 0,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "~1 week",
      "requirements": [
        "Minimum income of $1,500/month for a single applicant ($3,000 for a couple; +$500/month per child under 24)",
        "Remote work for an employer or clients based outside Mauritius",
        "Valid passport",
        "Travel or health insurance covering the duration of your stay",
        "No intention to work in the Mauritian labour market or do business with Mauritius residents"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the $1,500/month minimum (more for dependents)",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of remote income, travel/health insurance, travel plans",
        "Apply online through the Mauritius Premium Visa portal — there's no application fee",
        "Receive approval, often within about a week",
        "Enter on the multi-entry Premium Visa, valid one year and renewable"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How much does the Mauritius Premium Visa cost?",
          "answer": "Nothing. The application is free of charge with no government processing fee — which, combined with the low income bar, makes it one of the most accessible nomad visas available."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long does approval take?",
          "answer": "Often very fast — approval can come in as little as about a week, much quicker than most European nomad visas."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I be taxed in Mauritius?",
          "answer": "Money you keep offshore generally isn't taxed in Mauritius, but income remitted into the country can be. Mauritius has relatively low taxes overall — confirm your specific situation with a local adviser if you stay long-term."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I bring my family?",
          "answer": "Yes. A spouse and dependent children can be included, with the income requirement rising for each — about $3,000/month for a couple and an extra $500/month per child."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable, and unusually there is no published cap on how many times — holders describe renewing with substantially the same paperwork each time. Note what it is, though: Mauritius issues this as a premium *travel* visa rather than a residence permit, so it should not be assumed to accrue toward permanent residence. Mauritius has separate residence and occupation permit routes for that.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Mauritius does have a personal income tax, but it works on a remittance basis for foreign income: only what you actually bring into Mauritius is taxable there. In practice that produces a near-zero outcome for many Premium Visa holders — but it is an outcome you have to manage, not an automatic exemption, so how and when you remit money is the whole question.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "One of the fastest in the dataset — approvals have been reported in as little as seven days, against the 60-plus days common in Europe.",
      "official_url": "https://passport.govmu.org/passport/?page_id=595",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "mexico",
      "country_slug": "mexico",
      "country": "Mexico",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/mexico",
      "programme_name": "Temporary Resident Visa",
      "visa_name": "Temporary Resident Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Mexico never created a dedicated nomad visa — it didn't need one. The Temporary Resident Visa gives remote workers up to four years of legal residence on an income or savings test, and Mexico City, Oaxaca, and the coasts already host one of the world's largest nomad populations.",
      "min_income_usd": 4300,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 55,
      "max_stay_months": 48,
      "processing_time": "1–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Proof of solvency: monthly income (roughly $4,000–4,500, consulates vary) over the last 6 months, OR savings around $70,000+ over 12 months",
        "Application starts at a Mexican consulate outside Mexico — requirements and thresholds genuinely differ by consulate",
        "Valid passport and consulate-specific documentation",
        "After entry, exchange the visa for the resident card at the INM office within 30 days",
        "Remote income from abroad; working for Mexican employers requires work permission"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Pick your consulate strategically — thresholds and appetite vary; book the appointment",
        "Present income/savings statements, passport, photos at the interview",
        "Receive the visa, enter Mexico within 180 days",
        "Complete the canje at INM within 30 days of entry to get your 1-year resident card",
        "Renew in-country for up to 3 more years, then convert to permanent residency"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Why do requirements differ between Mexican consulates?",
          "answer": "Consulates apply the financial criteria with real discretion — minimums, documents, even whether they accept remote-work cases vary. Nomad forums track which consulates are currently straightforward; check recent reports before booking."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I stay in Mexico as a tourist instead?",
          "answer": "Tourist entries (FMM) can grant up to 180 days, but immigration officers increasingly stamp fewer days, and back-to-back tourist runs draw scrutiny. For anything beyond a season, temporary residency is the durable answer."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does temporary residency lead to permanent status?",
          "answer": "Yes — after four years of temporary residency (or two if married to a Mexican citizen) you can convert to permanent residency, which has no renewal requirement."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 4,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 4,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 5,
      "renewal_note": "Issued for one year, then renewable for one, two or three more — four years total as a temporary resident, after which you can convert to permanent residency. This is one of the few nomad-friendly routes that genuinely settles you: naturalisation needs five years of legal residence immediately before applying and temporary-resident time counts toward it, or just two years for nationals of Latin American countries, Spain and Portugal. Expect a Spanish language and Mexican history exam.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "No nomad-specific break. Mexico taxes residents on worldwide income at progressive rates, and residency turns less on a day count than on where your 'centre of vital interests' sits — establishing a home and life here can make you resident even without an obvious 183-day trigger. If you take the four-year temporary-residency route seriously, assume you will be filing in Mexico.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "A spouse and children can accompany you, with a higher income threshold and extra paperwork — marriage and birth certificates, generally apostilled. Mexico's family-unity provisions are well-trodden, which makes this one of the more predictable family routes in the dataset.",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "montenegro",
      "country_slug": "montenegro",
      "country": "Montenegro",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/montenegro",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Montenegro packs Adriatic coastline, mountains, and a low cost of living into a small, scenic Balkan country. Its digital nomad visa allows up to four years total and exempts your foreign income from local tax. One important caveat: the program is currently scheduled to end on 31 December 2026, so confirm it's still open before you plan around it.",
      "min_income_usd": 1950,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 48,
      "processing_time": "9–12 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote income above roughly 3× Montenegro's minimum wage — in 2026, about €1,800/month (vocational) or €2,400/month (bachelor's degree or higher)",
        "Proof of remote work for an employer or clients outside Montenegro (employer letter or client contracts)",
        "Valid passport",
        "Health insurance valid in Montenegro",
        "A rental agreement for accommodation in Montenegro",
        "Clean criminal record, certified and translated into Montenegrin"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Check the program is still open — it's currently scheduled to end 31 December 2026",
        "Confirm your income clears the threshold for your education level (~€1,800 or ~€2,400/month)",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of remote work, health insurance, rental agreement, translated criminal record",
        "Apply through Montenegro's official portal at digitalnomads.gov.me",
        "Processing runs about 9–12 weeks; the permit allows up to 2 years, renewable once for 4 years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is the Montenegro nomad visa ending?",
          "answer": "As of 2026 the program is scheduled to end on 31 December 2026. It may be extended, but confirm its status on the official portal before making plans — don't assume it'll still be open later in the year."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax on the visa?",
          "answer": "No — digital nomad visa holders are exempt from Montenegrin income tax on foreign earnings. You may still owe tax in your home country depending on your citizenship and time abroad."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The permit allows up to two years and can be renewed once for another two, for four years maximum. After the four years you must leave for six months before reapplying."
        },
        {
          "question": "How do I apply?",
          "answer": "Through the official government portal at digitalnomads.gov.me. The full process — from consultation to residence permit — typically takes 9–12 weeks."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 4,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Up to two years, renewable once — four years maximum, and then it ends. The part that catches people: those four years count for nothing toward permanent residence, which needs five continuous years of ordinary temporary residence. If settling is the goal you have to switch to a standard route (company, property, employment, family) early rather than late. Note too that the programme itself is currently legislated only to 31 December 2026, with no extension confirmed — anyone planning around it should confirm the scheme still exists before committing.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "We could not find a published nomad-specific tax exemption here, and we are not going to assume one exists — nor assume it doesn't. What is solid: residents are taxed on worldwide income, and passing 183 days in a year normally makes you resident. Confirm the current position with the national tax authority before you plan around it.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://digitalnomads.gov.me",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "namibia",
      "country_slug": "namibia",
      "country": "Namibia",
      "region": "Africa",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/namibia",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Namibia offers dramatic desert-and-safari landscapes, English as the official language, and solid connectivity in Windhoek and Swakopmund — a striking, low-cost African base. Its digital nomad visa is straightforward at $2,000/month income, though it caps at six months with no renewal and requires a chest X-ray as part of the process. Best for a defined half-year stay rather than a long-term move.",
      "min_income_usd": 2000,
      "income_original": "$2,000 per month (single applicant)",
      "cost_usd": 180,
      "max_stay_months": 6,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Income of at least $2,000/month for the main applicant ($1,000 for a spouse, $500 per child), from payslips or contracts — savings don't count",
        "Proof of remote employment or client contracts, plus a portfolio of work",
        "Six months of bank statements",
        "Health insurance valid in Namibia",
        "A radiological report (chest X-ray) by a licensed radiologist — a standard Namibian immigration requirement",
        "Original or notarised police clearance from your home country (translated if not in English)"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the $2,000/month threshold (it must come from work, not savings)",
        "Complete application form 3-1/0033 (and a separate form for any dependents)",
        "Get your chest X-ray (radiological report) and police clearance certificate",
        "Submit the application by email to the NIPDB before you travel",
        "On approval, enter Namibia and pay the NAD 3,300 fee (about $180) on arrival; the visa is valid six months, non-renewable"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Why do I need a chest X-ray?",
          "answer": "A radiological report (chest X-ray) by a licensed radiologist is a standard requirement under Namibian immigration rules and must be included with your application — one of the more unusual documents among nomad visas."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay in Namibia?",
          "answer": "Six months total. The visa is not renewable, so once it expires you must leave the country. It's designed for a defined half-year stay, not long-term relocation."
        },
        {
          "question": "Where do I apply?",
          "answer": "Through the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), by email, before you arrive. You pay the NAD 3,300 (about $180) fee on arrival in Namibia."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can my family join me?",
          "answer": "Yes. Dependents complete a separate form, and the income requirement rises — about $1,000/month for a spouse and $500/month per child on top of your own income."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": false,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Six months, not renewable — and the cooling-off is unusually harsh: you may only reapply 12 months after your previous visa expired, so a second stint means a full year away. Plan it as a single six-month season rather than a base.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "No published nomad-specific tax treatment that we could verify. In practice the six-month, non-renewable design means most holders will not be there long enough to trigger residency — but confirm with the Namibia Revenue Agency rather than assuming, particularly if you already have Namibian ties.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": 1000,
      "child_income_add_usd": 500,
      "family_note": "Dependants are allowed and the tiers are published plainly: $2,000/month alone, $3,000 with a spouse, $3,500 with a spouse and one dependant, then a further $500 per additional dependant.",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.nipdb.com/digital-nomad-visa",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "panama",
      "country_slug": "panama",
      "country": "Panama",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/panama",
      "programme_name": "Short Stay Remote Worker Visa",
      "visa_name": "Short Stay Remote Worker Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Panama is the easy on-ramp to Latin America for remote workers — a US-dollar economy, fast Caribbean and Pacific access, and a modern, connected base in Panama City. The short-stay remote worker visa (the country's digital nomad route) asks for solid income and must be filed through a local lawyer, but Panama's territorial tax system means your foreign income isn't taxed here. Best for a 9-to-18-month stay rather than settling.",
      "min_income_usd": 3000,
      "income_original": "$36,000 per year",
      "cost_usd": 300,
      "max_stay_months": 18,
      "processing_time": "30–45 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Foreign-source income of at least $36,000/year ($3,000/month), from an employer or clients outside Panama",
        "A work contract with a foreign company, or proof of self-employed remote work for clients abroad",
        "Private health insurance valid in Panama for the stay",
        "Valid passport with at least six months' validity and three passport photos",
        "Clean criminal background certificate",
        "A licensed Panamanian immigration lawyer to file the application — you can't submit directly"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you meet the $36,000/year foreign-income requirement",
        "Engage a licensed Panamanian immigration lawyer — filing through one is legally required",
        "Gather documents: passport, bank statements, work/client contracts, health insurance, criminal record",
        "Your lawyer files with the Servicio Nacional de Migración and pays the fees (~$250 + $50 card)",
        "On approval (about 30–45 business days), receive the 9-month visa, renewable once for 18 months total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Why do I need a lawyer to apply?",
          "answer": "Panama law requires immigration applications to be filed by a licensed Panamanian attorney — you can't submit the remote worker visa directly to immigration yourself. Budget for legal fees on top of the roughly $300 in government charges."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Panama?",
          "answer": "Not on foreign income. Panama uses a territorial tax system, so income earned from sources outside Panama isn't taxed locally — a major draw of this visa. You may still owe tax in your home country depending on your citizenship."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The visa is granted for nine months and can be renewed once for another nine, for a maximum of 18 months. It's a short-stay route, not a path to permanent residency."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I bring my family?",
          "answer": "Dependents can generally be included with additional documentation and income evidence. Confirm the current per-dependent requirements with your immigration lawyer."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Nine months, extendable once by another nine — 18 months maximum, then the route is finished. It is explicitly a non-resident permit: it establishes neither tax residency nor immigration residency, and no amount of it counts toward permanent residency or citizenship. Panama has plenty of routes that do settle you (Friendly Nations, Qualified Investor); this is not one of them.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Panama taxes territorially — income earned outside Panama is not subject to Panamanian income tax — and the remote-worker visa is explicitly a non-resident permit that does not establish tax residency at all. That combination is why the 18-month cap stings: the tax treatment is about as clean as it gets, and it expires.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.migracion.gob.pa",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "peru",
      "country_slug": "peru",
      "country": "Peru",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/peru",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "announced_not_open",
      "summary": "Peru wrote a digital nomad residence category into law, but as of mid-2026 the application procedure has never been published — there is no way to apply, no official fees, and no launch date. Ignore any site walking you through a Peru nomad visa 'application'; it doesn't exist yet. The good news: nomads live in Peru anyway, on generous tourist stays of up to 183 days a year, with the independent-worker residence route for those who want to stay formally.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": null,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Status check (verified July 2026): the nomad-visa category exists in law but Migraciones has not published the procedure — applications are not open",
        "Announced-but-unconfirmed criteria if it launches: roughly US$2,500/month of remote income earned from employers or clients outside Peru",
        "Remote work only — the category as written prohibits working for Peruvian companies or earning locally",
        "What you actually need today: a passport most nationalities can use to enter visa-free as a tourist, with the officer granting up to 183 days per year"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Today's realistic route: enter as a tourist — most Western passports are visa-free — and ask for the maximum stay; officers can grant up to 183 days in a rolling year",
        "Work remotely for foreign clients on that tourist stay, as most nomads in Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa currently do; keep foreign income and local work strictly separate",
        "Want formal, renewable status? Look at the trabajador independiente (independent worker) residence route with a Peruvian immigration lawyer",
        "If the nomad-visa procedure ever goes live, apply through Migraciones (migraciones.gob.pe) — check its TUPA updates for the category being switched on"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I apply for Peru's digital nomad visa now?",
          "answer": "No. The category was created in law and regulations were even approved, but successive updates to the official procedures came and went without the application process ever being published. As of mid-2026 there is no form, no fee schedule, and no way to file. Any website offering to 'walk you through the application' is describing a visa that cannot currently be obtained."
        },
        {
          "question": "How do digital nomads stay in Peru legally then?",
          "answer": "As tourists. Most Western nationalities enter visa-free and immigration officers can grant up to 183 days in a rolling year — one of the longest tourist allowances anywhere, and enough for a serious stint in Lima or Cusco. Working remotely for foreign employers on a tourist stay is the de facto norm; what's prohibited is working for Peruvian companies or earning income locally."
        },
        {
          "question": "What income would the visa require if it launches?",
          "answer": "The announced figure attached to the category is roughly US$2,500 per month of remote income from outside Peru, provable via bank statements, contracts, or an employer letter — but since the procedure was never published, no figure is operational. Treat it as a signal of intent, not a requirement you can plan around, and verify with Migraciones if the category ever opens."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is there any formal residence route for remote workers today?",
          "answer": "The nearest thing is the trabajador independiente (independent-worker) residence, aimed at freelancers and contractors who can document their income. It's a real, renewable status — but it's paperwork-heavy and typically worth doing with a Peruvian immigration lawyer. For stays under six months a year, the tourist allowance is simpler and what nearly everyone uses."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": null,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.gob.pe/migraciones",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "slug": "philippines",
      "country_slug": "philippines",
      "country": "Philippines",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/philippines",
      "programme_name": "Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV Classic)",
      "visa_name": "Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV Classic)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "The SRRV is permanent residency bought with a refundable bank deposit rather than earned through income, which makes it structurally different from every other route in this dataset. The Philippine Retirement Authority sets the deposit by age band and by whether you hold a pension, and the Bureau of Immigration issues the visa. The stay is indefinite with multiple entry, and — uniquely among the Asian long-stay routes we hold — it exempts the holder from needing a separate work or student permit.",
      "min_income_usd": 800,
      "income_original": "USD 800/month lifetime pension (single applicant); USD 1,000/month with dependents",
      "cost_usd": 1500,
      "max_stay_months": null,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Principal must be 40 or over. The visa deposit is set by age band AND pension status: 50+ pensioner USD 15,000 · 40–49 pensioner USD 25,000 · 50+ non-pensioner USD 30,000 · 40–49 non-pensioner USD 50,000.",
        "The pensioner tiers require proof of a LIFETIME pension of at least USD 800/month for a single applicant, or USD 1,000/month for an applicant with dependents.",
        "The deposit is a requisite dollar time deposit remitted from abroad into a PRA-accredited bank — it is refundable capital, not a fee, and under SRRV Classic it may be used for investment purposes allowed by the programme.",
        "PRA processing fee of USD 1,500, plus USD 300 for each joining dependent.",
        "PRA annual fee of USD 360 covering the principal plus two dependents, payable on joining and every year after, plus USD 100 for each dependent beyond two.",
        "Medical certificate and police clearance from the country of origin or residence, each issued within 6 months of submission.",
        "Bureau of Immigration Clearance Certificate. An NBI clearance is additionally required for anyone who has already stayed more than 90 days in the Philippines.",
        "Documents issued outside the Philippines must be in English and either apostilled or authenticated by a Philippine embassy or consulate.",
        "⚠ Much lower deposits exist under SRRV Courtesy — USD 1,500 to USD 6,000 — but only for former Filipino citizens, and for retired diplomats, officers of DFA-recognised international organisations and retired military from countries with recognised bilateral relations. Most applicants do not qualify, and PRA's own table for the foreign-national Courtesy tier is laid out ambiguously enough that we are not restating its bands as fact."
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Enter the Philippines on a tourist visa without restrictions, valid for at least one month while the SRRV is processed, and extend it if it expires mid-process.",
        "Choose a PRA-accredited bank. For a private bank you must first request a Letter of Introduction from PRA at srrvwalkin@pra.gov.ph.",
        "Remit the visa deposit from a bank abroad as an inward remittance, naming the SRRV deposit, the applicant and the passport number as the remittance purpose.",
        "Submit the PRA application form with passport, medical certificate, police clearance, BI clearance and eight 2x2 photographs, and pay the USD 1,500 processing fee.",
        "PRA endorses the approved application to the Bureau of Immigration, which issues the visa."
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How much do you need to deposit for an SRRV?",
          "answer": "It depends on your age and whether you hold a pension, and the figure most sites quote is out of date. PRA's current SRRV Classic tiers are USD 15,000 for a pensioner aged 50 or over, USD 25,000 for a pensioner aged 40–49, USD 30,000 for a non-pensioner aged 50 or over, and USD 50,000 for a non-pensioner aged 40–49. The pensioner tiers require proof of a lifetime pension of at least USD 800 a month, or USD 1,000 with dependents. The deposit is refundable capital held in a PRA-accredited bank, not a fee."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can you work in the Philippines on an SRRV?",
          "answer": "The SRRV exempts its holder from needing a separate work or student visa or permit, which is unusual — Thailand's O-A retirement visa prohibits employment outright. That exemption is published by PRA among the visa's benefits. It is a different question from whether a particular job or business also needs sector licensing, so take local advice on the specific work rather than treating the exemption as blanket permission."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the SRRV permanent residency?",
          "answer": "Yes. PRA describes it as permanent residency with multiple entry and indefinite stay, and holders are exempt from the Bureau of Immigration's annual reporting and from the ACR I-Card. There is no renewal cycle. What recurs is the PRA annual fee — USD 360 for SRRV Classic covering the principal and two dependents — and the status persists while the deposit is maintained and the fee is paid."
        },
        {
          "question": "What is the minimum age for the SRRV?",
          "answer": "Forty. That is lower than most Asian retirement routes — Thailand's O-A starts at 50 — but the deposit is higher in the 40–49 band: USD 25,000 with a pension and USD 50,000 without, against USD 15,000 and USD 30,000 for applicants aged 50 and over."
        },
        {
          "question": "Are there cheaper SRRV options?",
          "answer": "Yes, under SRRV Courtesy, at USD 1,500 to USD 6,000 — but eligibility is narrow. It covers former Filipino citizens, retired diplomats, officers of international organisations recognised by the Philippine DFA, retired military from countries with recognised bilateral relations with the Philippines, and certain high achievers. Most applicants do not qualify, and PRA's own table for the foreign-national tiers is laid out ambiguously enough that we do not restate its exact bands here."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Permanent residency is granted on issue rather than after a qualifying period, which is why no PR waiting time is recorded. There is no renewal cycle in the usual sense: the SRRV confers permanent residency with multiple entry and indefinite stay, and holders are exempt from the Bureau of Immigration's annual reporting and from the ACR I-Card. What recurs is the PRA annual fee — USD 360 for the principal plus two dependents. The status persists while the deposit is maintained and the fee is paid.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "PRA publishes a specific set of exemptions and we record only those: SRRV holders are exempt from tax on pensions and annuities, from travel tax, and from customs duties on a one-time importation of household goods up to USD 7,000. ⚠ We have NOT verified how the Philippines taxes other foreign income for a resident alien, nor the day threshold at which residency attaches, so both fields are left blank rather than guessed. The pension exemption is not a general foreign-income exemption and must not be read as one.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Spouse and unmarried children under 21 qualify, and can join on the initial application or be added after the principal's visa is approved. Each joining dependent costs USD 300 in application fees. Two dependents are covered by the principal's deposit; each dependent beyond two requires an additional USD 15,000 deposit, except for former Filipino citizens. The pension threshold also rises from USD 800 to USD 1,000 a month once you have dependents.",
      "apply_from_abroad": false,
      "apply_method": "in_country",
      "logistics_note": "The figure most sites publish for this visa — a USD 10,000 deposit for a pensioner aged 50 or over — is out of date. PRA's own page now sets that applicant at USD 15,000, with the other three Classic tiers at USD 25,000, USD 30,000 and USD 50,000. Checked against pra.gov.ph on 2026-08-25.\n\nTwo things make this route unusual rather than merely cheap. The deposit is refundable capital rather than a fee, so the real cost is the foregone return on it plus USD 1,500 up front and USD 360 a year. And the visa exempts the holder from needing a separate work or student permit — a retirement visa that does not prohibit working, which Thailand's O-A does outright.\n\nApplied for inside the Philippines on a tourist visa. The deposit must arrive as an inward remittance from a bank abroad, so the money moves internationally while the application itself is filed with PRA locally.",
      "official_url": "https://pra.gov.ph/SRRVisa",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-25"
    },
    {
      "slug": "philippines-digital-nomad",
      "country_slug": "philippines",
      "country": "Philippines",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/philippines-digital-nomad",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Executive Order No. 86, s. 2025)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "The Philippines created a digital nomad visa by Executive Order No. 86 on 24 April 2025 and the Department of Foreign Affairs began issuing it at the end of June 2025, so this is a live route rather than an announcement. Two things about it are reported almost everywhere in a form the Executive Order does not support. It sets NO income figure — the text requires \"proof of sufficient income which is generated outside the Philippines\" and names no number. And it is not open to everyone: eligibility is gated on reciprocity, meaning your country must itself offer a digital nomad visa to Filipinos and must host a Philippine Foreign Service Post. No definitive list of qualifying countries has been published, so for most nationalities the honest answer to \"can I apply\" is that the government has not said.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Be at least 18 years old.",
        "⚠ RECIPROCITY, and it is the condition that decides most applications: you must be a national of a country that itself offers digital nomad visas to Filipinos, AND where the Philippines maintains a Foreign Service Post. No definitive list of qualifying countries has been published, so eligibility cannot be determined from public sources for most nationalities — ask the Philippine embassy or consulate for your country before making any plan around this visa.",
        "Work remotely using digital technologies for clients or employers located OUTSIDE the Philippines.",
        "Proof of sufficient income generated outside the Philippines. ⚠ The Executive Order states no figure. Widely published thresholds of USD 2,000 a month or USD 24,000 a year do NOT appear in the text and we could not verify them against any Department of Foreign Affairs page.",
        "Must not be employed in the Philippines.",
        "Valid health insurance covering the period of stay — a stated condition of the visa, not a recommendation.",
        "No criminal record, and no security threat to the Philippines."
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your nationality qualifies under the reciprocity condition with the Philippine embassy or consulate covering your country. This is the step that ends most applications and no public list answers it.",
        "Register on the Philippine eVisa portal at evisa.gov.ph and complete the digital nomad visa application.",
        "Upload proof of remote work, proof of income generated outside the Philippines, health insurance covering the stay, and a police clearance.",
        "The Department of Foreign Affairs issues the visa through the Philippine Foreign Service Post handling your application."
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Does the Philippines have a digital nomad visa in 2026?",
          "answer": "Yes. Executive Order No. 86 was signed on 24 April 2025 and the Department of Foreign Affairs began issuing the visa at the end of June 2025. It allows a stay of up to one year, renewable for the same duration, for remote work performed for clients or employers outside the Philippines. The important qualification is that it is not open to every nationality — see the reciprocity condition."
        },
        {
          "question": "What is the income requirement for the Philippines digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Executive Order No. 86 does not state one. Its text requires \"proof of sufficient income which is generated outside the Philippines\" and names no figure. Almost every guide publishes USD 2,000 a month or USD 24,000 a year; neither number appears in the Executive Order, and we could not verify either against a Department of Foreign Affairs source. If a threshold exists it would sit in implementing guidance we have not been able to read, so we record no figure rather than repeat one."
        },
        {
          "question": "Who is eligible for the Philippines digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Nationals of countries that themselves offer digital nomad visas to Filipino citizens, and where the Philippines maintains a Foreign Service Post. That reciprocity condition is written into Executive Order No. 86, and no definitive list of qualifying countries has been published. It means the answer for your specific passport is a question for the Philippine embassy or consulate covering your country, not something any guide including this one can tell you."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work for Philippine clients on this visa?",
          "answer": "No. The Executive Order requires that the work be performed for clients or employers situated outside the Philippines, and separately states that the holder must not be employed in the Philippines. Local clients are outside what this visa permits; the route for working for a Philippine employer is the 9(g) pre-arranged employment visa, which requires an employer to petition for you."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is health insurance required for the Philippines digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Yes. Valid health insurance covering the period of stay is one of the conditions written into Executive Order No. 86 — a documented requirement of the visa rather than general advice. Philippine private hospitals, which is where foreigners are treated, bill upfront, so the cover has a practical job to do beyond satisfying the application."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Executive Order No. 86 sets the stay at up to one year and states that holders may renew for the same duration, with multiple-entry privileges available during validity. The text sets no cap on the number of renewals and no residency or citizenship path attaches to the visa, so max_total_years is left blank rather than guessed.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Executive Order No. 86 contains no tax provisions at all — it neither exempts the holder nor states when Philippine tax residency attaches. Several guides present this visa as carrying a foreign-income exemption; that is not in the instrument that creates it. We have not verified the Philippines' resident-alien treatment of foreign income against a Bureau of Internal Revenue source, so all three tax fields are blank rather than filled from inference.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Executive Order No. 86 as published does not address accompanying dependants, so we record nothing. Whether spouses and children can be included is a question for the Foreign Service Post handling the application.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "SOURCE, stated plainly because it is not the Official Gazette. The text of Executive Order No. 86 was read on 2026-08-25 at lawphil.net, the Arellano Law Foundation's Philippine law library and the standard citation source for Philippine legal texts. The Official Gazette's own copy (officialgazette.gov.ph) and the Department of Foreign Affairs site both return HTTP 403 to automated reads, so neither could be checked directly; the Bureau of Immigration and the eVisa portal are reachable but publish no digital nomad visa terms. Everything recorded here comes from the Executive Order's operative text.\n\nWHAT MAKES THIS ROUTE DIFFERENT FROM ITS REPUTATION. Two claims are near-universal in coverage of this visa and neither survives the text. The first is an income threshold: there is none in the Executive Order. The second is that the Philippines has 'opened' to digital nomads generally — it has not, because the reciprocity condition limits it to nationals of countries that offer Filipinos the same thing and host a Philippine Foreign Service Post, and the qualifying list has not been published. A visa that is genuinely issuing, to an undisclosed set of nationalities, on an unstated income bar, is a different proposition from the one being marketed.\n\nNote also what this does NOT replace. The SRRV remains the route for anyone 40 or over who can place the deposit: it is permanent residency on issue with no reciprocity gate and no renewal cycle, where this visa is a one-year non-immigrant stay.",
      "official_url": "https://lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo2025/eo_86_2025.html",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-25"
    },
    {
      "slug": "portugal",
      "country_slug": "portugal",
      "country": "Portugal",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/portugal",
      "programme_name": "D8 Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "D8 Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Portugal's D8 visa is the European benchmark for nomads who want to settle rather than pass through: prove solid remote income, and it converts into a renewable residence permit with a path to permanent residency and citizenship. Mild winters, strong nomad communities in Lisbon, Porto, and Madeira, and full Schengen access while you hold it.",
      "min_income_usd": 4000,
      "income_original": "€3,680 per month",
      "cost_usd": 100,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "2–4 months",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote income of at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage per month, earned from employers or clients outside Portugal",
        "Proof of accommodation in Portugal (rental contract, booking, or invitation letter)",
        "Portuguese tax number (NIF) — obtainable remotely through a fiscal representative",
        "Savings buffer — banks and consulates typically want to see roughly a year of minimum-wage equivalent in reserve",
        "Clean criminal record certificate from your country of residence (apostilled)",
        "Health insurance valid in Portugal until you enter the public system",
        "Employment contract, freelance client contracts, or company ownership documents proving the remote work"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Get your NIF (tax number) and open or prepare a Portuguese bank account — both can be arranged remotely",
        "Gather documents: income proof for recent months, contracts, accommodation, criminal record (apostilled), insurance",
        "Submit the D8 application at the Portuguese consulate (often via VFS Global) in your country of residence",
        "Receive the four-month, double-entry visa and travel to Portugal",
        "Attend your AIMA appointment in Portugal to convert the visa into a two-year residence permit (renewable for three more)"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I bring my family on the Portugal D8 visa?",
          "answer": "Yes. Spouses, dependent children, and in some cases dependent parents can apply through family reunification, either together with your application or after you receive your residence permit. Each family member adds to the income requirement — roughly 50% more for a spouse and 30% per child."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay taxes in Portugal on the D8?",
          "answer": "Once you spend more than 183 days a year in Portugal you become a tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. The old NHR flat-rate regime closed to new applicants; a narrower incentive (IFICI/'NHR 2.0') exists for some professions. Get advice from a Portuguese tax professional before you commit — this is the part that surprises people."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does freelance income count, or only employment?",
          "answer": "Both work. Employees show an employment contract and payslips; freelancers and business owners show client contracts, invoices, and bank statements. What matters is that the income is stable, documented, and comes from outside Portugal."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the D8 a path to EU citizenship?",
          "answer": "Yes, and the timeline moved in 2026 — most guides still quote the old one. The D8 leads to a renewable residence permit and permanent residency after five years; that part is unchanged. Citizenship is what changed: Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force 19 May 2026, raised the naturalisation requirement from six years of legal residence to ten for most applicants, and from five to seven for EU and CPLP nationals, alongside a basic language test. The same law changed how the time is counted — legal residence now runs from the issue date of your residence card, so the wait for the card no longer counts toward the total. Applications already pending on 19 May 2026 keep the old rules."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 5,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 10,
      "renewal_note": "The D8 residence permit runs two years, then renews for three — but you must actually be in Portugal for at least 16 months of that first two-year period. Note the 2026 change most guides still get wrong: Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force 19 May 2026, raised the residence required for naturalisation from six years to ten for most applicants, and from five to seven for EU and CPLP nationals. It also changed how the time is counted — legal residence now runs from the issue date of your residence card, so the wait for the card no longer counts toward the total. Applications already pending on 19 May 2026 keep the old rules. Permanent residency is unaffected and still available at five years.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Ignore any guide still selling you NHR: the Non-Habitual Resident regime closed to new entrants in 2024 and was replaced by IFICI (often marketed as 'NHR 2.0'), which is much narrower. IFICI gives a flat 20% on qualifying income for ten years, but eligibility is restricted to specific activities — scientific research, technology, qualified roles in strategic sectors, startup work. A remote worker serving foreign clients generally does not qualify simply by holding a D8. Assume ordinary Portuguese rates on worldwide income unless a tax adviser confirms you fit IFICI. Note also that the habitual-residence test can make you resident below 183 days.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": 2000,
      "child_income_add_usd": 1200,
      "family_note": "The income bar scales sharply: +50% for a partner and +30% per child on top of the main applicant's €3,680/month. A couple with two children needs roughly €7,700/month — more than double the single figure, which is where a lot of family applications quietly fail.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Two stages: the D8 visa at a Portuguese consulate in your country of residence, then the residence permit with AIMA once you have arrived. Consulate appointment waits are the usual bottleneck rather than the paperwork itself.",
      "official_url": "https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/national-visas/necessary-documentation/residency",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "qatar",
      "country_slug": "qatar",
      "country": "Qatar",
      "region": "Middle East",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/qatar",
      "programme_name": "No Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "No Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "none",
      "summary": "Qatar does not offer a digital nomad visa. Employment in Qatar runs on employer sponsorship, there's no freelance-visa scheme, and the remote-work visa that's been rumoured since the mid-2020s hasn't materialised — only a five-year residence permit for exceptional talent and entrepreneurs has been announced. What exists in practice: visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry for dozens of nationalities, extendable in some cases, which is how the few nomads basing in Doha actually do it.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": null,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Status check (verified July 2026): no digital nomad or freelance visa exists — all in-country employment requires employer sponsorship",
        "What you need today: a passport eligible for Qatar's visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry (dozens of nationalities qualify, typically for 30–90 days depending on passport)",
        "Onward or return ticket and confirmed accommodation are commonly checked at entry",
        "Remote work for foreign employers during a visit is tolerated in practice, but visitor status grants no right to work in the Qatari market"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Check your passport's entry allowance — many nationalities get visa-free entry or visa on arrival for 30 days (some up to 90), extendable in certain cases",
        "For a short remote-work stint, enter as a visitor and keep your work strictly remote and foreign-paid; Doha's infrastructure, from fibre to coworking, is excellent",
        "Need to stay long-term? The real routes are employer sponsorship, business setup in a Qatari free zone, or the announced five-year talent/entrepreneur residence permit",
        "Watch official channels (Hukoomi, MOI) for a nomad-visa launch — it has been repeatedly rumoured but nothing has opened as of mid-2026"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Does Qatar have a digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "No. As of mid-2026 Qatar offers no digital nomad or remote-work visa, and no freelance visa either — all employment in the country runs through employer sponsorship. A longer-term remote-work pathway has been talked about for years and a five-year residence permit for exceptional talent and entrepreneurs has been announced, but nothing a typical remote worker can apply for exists today."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work remotely from Qatar as a visitor?",
          "answer": "In practice, for a short stay, yes — dozens of nationalities enter visa-free or with a visa on arrival, typically for 30 to 90 days depending on the passport. Answering to a foreign employer from your hotel or a Doha coworking space isn't what visitor rules were written for, but it isn't policed as local employment. What visitor status absolutely doesn't allow is working for Qatari companies or clients."
        },
        {
          "question": "What are Qatar's alternatives for a longer stay?",
          "answer": "Three real routes: get sponsored by a Qatari employer (the standard path), set up a company in one of Qatar's free zones and sponsor yourself through it, or qualify for the announced five-year residence permit aimed at exceptional talent and entrepreneurs. All are heavier lifts than a nomad visa — Qatar is currently a fine short-stint base but a poor fit for the classic nomad-visa play."
        },
        {
          "question": "Which Middle East countries do offer nomad visas?",
          "answer": "The UAE is the regional standard-bearer — its virtual work residence visa gives remote workers a 12-month renewable stay with a clear application process, and Dubai has built a genuine nomad scene around it. If a Gulf base is the goal and Qatar's lack of a program rules it out, the UAE page on this site covers the requirements and application in full."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": null,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": null,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://hukoomi.gov.qa/en",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "slug": "romania",
      "country_slug": "romania",
      "country": "Romania",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/romania",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Romania pairs a low cost of living with some of Europe's fastest internet, the medieval charm of Transylvania, and a lively hub in Bucharest — plus Schengen-area access. The catch is a steep income bar, pegged at roughly 3× the national average salary (around €5,000+/month). For higher earners wanting an affordable Eastern-European base, it delivers.",
      "min_income_usd": 5800,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 325,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "7–14 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Monthly income of at least roughly 3× Romania's average gross salary (about RON 26,730 / €5,370+ per month), shown for the prior six months",
        "Remote work for a company registered outside Romania, or your own foreign-registered business",
        "Valid passport",
        "Health insurance valid in Romania",
        "Proof of accommodation in Romania",
        "Clean criminal record"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~3× average-salary threshold (around €5,000+/month) over the last six months",
        "Gather documents: passport, six months of income proof, employment/business proof, insurance, accommodation, criminal record",
        "Apply online via Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-visa portal, or at a consulate, 2 weeks to 3 months before travel",
        "Pay the €120 application fee; online decisions typically take 7–14 business days",
        "Enter on the long-stay visa and obtain a residence permit; renewable, up to 3 years total on temporary residence"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Why is Romania's income requirement so high?",
          "answer": "It's pegged at three times Romania's average gross monthly salary — roughly €5,000+/month, among the higher thresholds in Europe despite the country's low cost of living. You show it over the six months before applying."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The visa leads to a residence permit that's renewable as long as you keep qualifying, up to a maximum of three years on temporary residence."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the visa include Schengen travel?",
          "answer": "Yes — Romania is in the Schengen area, so the visa comes with Schengen travel access alongside your stay in Romania."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Romania?",
          "answer": "If you become a tax resident (generally past 183 days) you may owe Romanian tax. Treatment of foreign income varies — confirm your situation with a local accountant before a long stay."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable once — 24 months and the nomad route is exhausted, so staying longer means switching to a different permit. Whether the nomad time counts toward the five years for permanent residency is genuinely unsettled: reputable 2026 sources contradict each other, and we would rather say so than pick one. Confirm with the Romanian Immigration Office before planning around it. Separately, the long-stay visa fee rose from €120 to €300 on 27 April 2026.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "One of the strongest deals in Europe and not widely known: Law No. 69/2023 exempts digital nomad visa holders from Romanian income tax and social contributions on foreign-earned income. It pairs oddly with the visa's own 24-month ceiling — the tax treatment is excellent, the runway is short. Standard residency rules (183 days) still frame everything, and your home country taxes you on its own terms regardless.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://evisa.mae.ro",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "serbia",
      "country_slug": "serbia",
      "country": "Serbia",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/serbia",
      "programme_name": "Temporary Residence Permit (Remote Work / Self-Employment)",
      "visa_name": "Temporary Residence Permit (Remote Work / Self-Employment)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Serbia has no branded digital nomad visa — and doesn't need one. Most nationalities get 90 days visa-free, and the real long-stay route is a temporary residence permit based on remote work for foreign clients or on registering as an entrepreneur (the popular flat-tax 'pausalac' setup). Permits can now be issued for up to three years, Belgrade and Novi Sad have genuine nomad scenes, and the cost of living stays well below Western Europe.",
      "min_income_usd": 3800,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Valid passport and legal entry to Serbia (most Western nationalities enter visa-free for 90 days)",
        "Proof of remote income — authorities have applied a threshold of roughly €3,500/month over the preceding six months for the remote-worker route",
        "Alternatively, registration as a Serbian entrepreneur (preduzetnik) — the flat-tax pausalac regime is the route most settling nomads actually use, with a much lower income bar",
        "Registered address in Serbia (rental contract, and the white-card address registration done on arrival)",
        "Health insurance valid in Serbia for the permit period",
        "Clean criminal record certificate may be requested, depending on the basis of application"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Enter Serbia (visa-free for most passports) and complete the white-card address registration within 24 hours of arrival",
        "Pick your basis: remote worker with foreign income, or register as a pausalac entrepreneur if you plan to settle — a local accountant makes this painless",
        "Gather documents: income proof or business registration, lease, insurance, passport copies",
        "Apply for the temporary residence permit online via the Welcome to Serbia portal (welcome.mup.gov.rs) or at the local MUP foreigners' office",
        "Receive the permit — now issuable for up to three years — and renew before expiry; long-term residence becomes possible after several years"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Does Serbia have a digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "Not a branded one. Serbia created the practical equivalent instead: temporary residence permits granted on the basis of remote work for foreign employers or self-employment, now issuable for up to three years. Combined with 90 days visa-free entry for most passports, nomads test the city first and file for residence only if they want to stay."
        },
        {
          "question": "How much income do I need for Serbian residence?",
          "answer": "For the remote-worker basis, authorities have applied a threshold of roughly €3,500 per month demonstrated over the preceding six months. The entrepreneur (pausalac) route has a far lower effective bar — you register a one-person business and pay a fixed monthly flat tax set by the municipality and activity code, which is why most nomads who settle in Serbia use it. Confirm current figures with MUP or a local advisor before filing."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Serbia?",
          "answer": "If you register as a pausalac entrepreneur, yes — a fixed monthly amount set by the tax administration regardless of actual earnings, which for many freelancers works out lower than Western European rates. Spending more than 183 days a year in Serbia generally makes you tax resident on worldwide income. Serbia has a wide treaty network; get local tax advice before committing."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is Belgrade good for digital nomads?",
          "answer": "Genuinely, yes — fast internet, a lively cafe and coworking scene, Western-European-adjacent time zone, and living costs well below the EU capitals. Novi Sad is the calmer second option. The trade-offs: Serbia is outside the EU and Schengen (no visa-free onward EU residence), and English is less universal in official settings — one more reason locals recommend an accountant for the paperwork."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 3,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 3,
      "renewal_note": "Renewable for up to three years at a time, and the timelines are unusually short — permanent residence after three years of temporary residence, with naturalisation possible on the same three-year clock and no language exam, just a written declaration that you consider Serbia home. The catch is severe: Serbia generally requires you to renounce your existing citizenship to naturalise. Renew no earlier than three months and no later than one month before expiry.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": null,
      "tax_note": "We could not find a published nomad-specific tax exemption here, and we are not going to assume one exists — nor assume it doesn't. What is solid: residents are taxed on worldwide income, and passing 183 days in a year normally makes you resident. Confirm the current position with the national tax authority before you plan around it.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://welcometoserbia.gov.rs/digital-nomads-in-serbia",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "seychelles",
      "country_slug": "seychelles",
      "country": "Seychelles",
      "region": "Africa",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/seychelles",
      "programme_name": "Workcation Retreat Program",
      "visa_name": "Workcation Retreat Program",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Seychelles is a bucket-list Indian Ocean archipelago — granite peaks, white-sand beaches, and turquoise water — that opened its Workcation program to remote workers. There's no fixed income minimum (just proof you can support yourself), the fee is a flat €45, foreign income isn't taxed locally, and you can stay up to a year. The catch is cost of living: paradise here isn't cheap.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 50,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "5–10 business days",
      "requirements": [
        "Proof of sufficient funds to support your stay (no fixed income minimum) — typically 3–6 months of bank statements",
        "Remote work as a freelancer, business owner, or employee for entities outside Seychelles",
        "Valid passport",
        "Valid medical and travel insurance",
        "Proof of employment or business ownership"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Gather documents: passport, bank statements, proof of remote work, medical/travel insurance",
        "Apply for the Visitors Workcation Permit (VWP) at the official portal (seychelles.govtas.com), at least 60 days before arrival",
        "Pay the one-time €45 fee",
        "Once the VWP is validated, complete the Health Travel Authorization (HTA) for entry",
        "Receive approval (usually 5–10 business days) and travel; the permit allows stays up to one year"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is there an income requirement?",
          "answer": "No fixed minimum. Instead of a salary threshold, you show proof of sufficient funds to support yourself — usually via bank statements. You must work for foreign entities, not take up local employment."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I be taxed in Seychelles?",
          "answer": "No local tax on foreign-sourced income — a standout benefit of the Workcation program. You may still have home-country obligations depending on your citizenship."
        },
        {
          "question": "How much does it cost?",
          "answer": "A flat one-time fee of €45 for the Workcation Permit application — cheap, though the islands' cost of living is high once you're there."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "From 30 days up to one year. You must apply for the permit at least 60 days before you plan to arrive."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Up to 12 months, with extensions possible while you still meet the conditions. Seychelles permanent residency is its own route requiring five or more years of continuous legal residence, and nothing published ties the Workcation Retreat to it — assume it doesn't count unless Immigration tells you otherwise.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Workcation Retreat holders are not subject to Seychelles tax on income earned from outside the country — the exemption is one of the programme's main selling points. As always it exempts you locally and does nothing about your home country's claim on the same income.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://seychelles.govtas.com/en/workcation",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "south-africa",
      "country_slug": "south-africa",
      "country": "South Africa",
      "region": "Africa",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/south-africa",
      "programme_name": "Remote Work Visa",
      "visa_name": "Remote Work Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "South Africa offers world-class scenery, Cape Town's strong nomad scene, and a Western lifestyle at a low cost of living, with the rand stretching foreign income far. The Remote Work Visa, introduced in 2024, lets you live here for up to three years on income earned abroad. The income bar is high and processing can be slow, but for a long, affordable base in an English-speaking country it's hard to beat.",
      "min_income_usd": 3000,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "4–8 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Foreign income of at least ZAR 650,976/year (about $3,000/month), from employers or clients outside South Africa",
        "A genuine remote-work arrangement — employed or contracted to a foreign company, with no South African employer",
        "Valid passport and two passport photos",
        "Proof of accommodation in South Africa",
        "Police clearance from every country lived in for 12+ months in the last five years",
        "Bank statements (3–6 months), employment or freelance contracts, and tax returns"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your foreign income meets the ZAR 650,976/year threshold",
        "Gather documents: passport, bank statements, contracts, tax returns, accommodation proof, police clearance",
        "Apply at a South African mission abroad or via the Department of Home Affairs eVisa/ePermit system",
        "Wait out processing — typically 4–8 weeks depending on the mission",
        "Receive the visa (issued from over 3 months up to 3 years); renew if you stay long-term"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I work for a South African company on this visa?",
          "answer": "No. The Remote Work Visa is strictly for income from foreign employers or clients — you're not entitled to take up local employment in South Africa under it."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay South African tax?",
          "answer": "If you stay more than 183 days in a 12-month period you generally become a tax resident and must register with SARS. A double-taxation agreement between South Africa and your home country can reduce or remove double tax — check whether yours applies."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "The visa can be issued for more than three months and up to three years, and renewed, for a stay of up to three years total — one of the longer nomad visas available."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the income requirement really that high?",
          "answer": "Yes — ZAR 650,976/year, though this was reduced from ZAR 1,000,000 in late 2024. It must be foreign income, shown via bank statements, contracts, and tax returns."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 3,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year initially, renewable to three years total. It is a visitor's visa with a remote-work endorsement, so it does not build toward permanent residence — that route runs through a Critical Skills or General Work visa followed by five years on it. Time on the remote-work visa doesn't carry over, so switching earlier rather than later matters if you intend to stay.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Treat this one carefully — South African advisers openly call it a tax trap for the unwary. There is NO blanket exemption for remote-work visa holders: tax residency is decided by South African law, not by which visa you hold, so a long stay can make you resident and bring worldwide income into scope. One narrow relief exists: where the visa is issued for six months or less within a 36-month window, you may apply to SARS for exemption. The R1.25 million foreign employment income exemption is a different thing — it is relief for South African residents working abroad, not for foreigners working here.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.dha.gov.za",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "south-korea",
      "country_slug": "south-korea",
      "country": "South Korea",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/south-korea",
      "programme_name": "Workation Visa (F-1-D)",
      "visa_name": "Workation Visa (F-1-D)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "South Korea's F-1-D 'workation' visa opens Seoul's hyper-connected, dynamic city life — the world's best mobile internet, safety, and food — to remote workers. The income bar is steep (about $66,000/year, twice Korea's GNI per capita) and it requires real insurance and work history, but for fans of Korea wanting up to two years, it's the legitimate route.",
      "min_income_usd": 5500,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "3–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Annual income of at least about ₩88.1 million (~$66,000) — roughly twice Korea's GNI per capita",
        "At least one year of work experience in the same industry",
        "Remote work for a foreign employer or your own overseas business; no Korean clients or employers",
        "Private medical insurance with coverage of at least ₩100 million (~$75,000)",
        "Clean criminal record (FBI check apostilled for US applicants)",
        "Valid passport"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income meets the ~$66,000/year bar and you have a year of relevant work experience",
        "Gather documents: passport, income proof, employment proof, apostilled criminal background check, insurance",
        "Apply at a Korean consulate or embassy in your home country",
        "Wait out processing — typically 3–4 weeks",
        "Receive the F-1-D visa, valid one year and renewable once for two years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How much income do I need?",
          "answer": "About ₩88.1 million/year (~$66,000), roughly twice Korea's GNI per capita — one of the highest nomad-visa thresholds in the world."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "One year on first issue, renewable once, for a maximum of two years."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work for Korean companies?",
          "answer": "No. The visa is strictly for remote work serving foreign employers or clients; you can't take up local Korean employment."
        },
        {
          "question": "What insurance do I need?",
          "answer": "Private medical insurance covering at least ₩100 million (~$75,000) for hospital treatment and medical repatriation — Korea requires substantial coverage."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 3,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Renewed annually up to three years total. Worth knowing how new this is: the F-1-D left pilot status and launched properly on 30 June 2026, which both raised the ceiling from two years to three and lowered the income thresholds (now scaled to age and region, roughly one to two times per-capita GNI). Anything written before mid-2026 describes the pilot. F-1 is not a settlement category, so treat permanent residency as a separate track and confirm current rules with Korea Immigration.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Korea uses the 183-day test, and here the visa and the threshold pull in opposite directions: use the F-1-D for its full year and you will cross 183 days and become a Korean tax resident. The saving grace is structural — the F-1-D forbids working for Korean companies, so your remote income is foreign-sourced and Korea does not tax it. Under 183 days you are plainly outside the system.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.hikorea.go.kr",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "spain",
      "country_slug": "spain",
      "country": "Spain",
      "region": "Europe",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/spain",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Ley de Startups)",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (Ley de Startups)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Spain's digital nomad visa, created by the 2023 Startup Law, is one of Europe's most generous: apply from inside Spain as a tourist and receive a three-year residence permit directly, with an optional flat-tax regime for new residents. Big-city energy in Madrid and Barcelona, islands and coast everywhere else, and full Schengen access included.",
      "min_income_usd": 3100,
      "income_original": "€2,849 per month",
      "cost_usd": 90,
      "max_stay_months": 36,
      "processing_time": "15–45 days",
      "requirements": [
        "Remote income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) per month — higher with family members",
        "Work for companies outside Spain — Spanish clients may account for at most 20% of your income",
        "Your employer or main client relationship must be at least three months old, and the company operating for at least one year",
        "A university degree or at least three years of relevant professional experience",
        "Social security coverage: a certificate of coverage from your home country, or registering as self-employed (autónomo) in Spain",
        "Clean criminal record certificate (apostilled) and full private health insurance, or public enrollment via autónomo"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Gather documents — income proof, contracts, degree or experience evidence, criminal record with apostille, insurance — with sworn Spanish translations where required",
        "Choose your route: apply at a Spanish consulate abroad (one-year visa), or enter Spain and apply to the UGE online for the three-year residence permit directly",
        "Get your NIE (foreigner ID number) — assigned during the process if you don't have one",
        "Wait for the UGE decision — the law sets short response windows, and silence counts as approval in many cases",
        "Once approved, book the fingerprint appointment and collect your TIE residence card"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "What is the Beckham Law and can nomads use it?",
          "answer": "Spain's special expat regime (the 'Beckham Law') lets qualifying new residents pay a flat 24% tax on Spanish-source employment income up to €600,000 for up to six years, instead of progressive rates. Employees on the nomad visa can often opt in; self-employed applicants usually can't. Apply within six months of registering — and confirm specifics with a Spanish tax advisor."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I apply for Spain's nomad visa while already in Spain?",
          "answer": "Yes — that's the unusual part. You can enter as a tourist and apply online to the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas) from inside Spain, receiving the full three-year residence permit directly rather than the one-year consulate visa."
        },
        {
          "question": "How much Spanish client work is allowed?",
          "answer": "Up to 20% of your total income can come from Spanish companies. The core of your work must be remote for employers or clients outside Spain — cross that line and you're in regular work-permit territory."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does Spain's visa lead to permanent residency?",
          "answer": "Yes. The permit renews in two-year blocks, permanent residency is available after five years of continuous legal residence, and citizenship after ten (two years for citizens of Ibero-American countries). Time on the nomad visa counts."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 5,
      "pr_path": true,
      "pr_after_years": 5,
      "citizenship_path": true,
      "citizenship_after_years": 10,
      "renewal_note": "The in-country permit runs three years and extends by two. Renewal expects you to genuinely live in Spain — at least 183 days a year — so it doesn't suit a rotating base. Citizenship normally takes ten years, but nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal qualify after two.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "The Beckham Law caps tax at a flat 24% (on income up to €600,000) for six years instead of progressive rates reaching 47%, and DNV holders were explicitly made eligible by the Startups Act. The distinction that decides your bill: if you are EMPLOYED by a foreign company you can opt in — if you are a FREELANCER invoicing clients, you generally cannot, and you face progressive rates of 19–47% on worldwide income plus compulsory autónomos social security. Same visa, very different outcome. You also must not have been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "mixed",
      "logistics_note": "Where you apply changes what you get, which is unusual and worth planning around: from a Spanish consulate abroad you receive a one-year visa, whereas applying from inside Spain as a legal visitor yields a three-year residence authorisation. Same programme, three times the runway.",
      "official_url": "https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/londres/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/index.aspx?scco=Reino+Unido&scd=179&scca=Visados&scs=Visados+nacionales+-+Teletrabajo",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "sri-lanka",
      "country_slug": "sri-lanka",
      "country": "Sri Lanka",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/sri-lanka",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Sri Lanka launched its digital nomad visa in February 2026, opening the island's beaches, tea-country highlands, and wildlife to remote workers at a low cost of living. The bar is accessible — $2,000/month — and holders can open local bank accounts and enrol kids in school. A fresh, well-rounded base in South Asia for up to a year, renewable.",
      "min_income_usd": 2000,
      "income_original": "$2,000 per month",
      "cost_usd": 500,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Monthly income of at least $2,000 (plus $500/month per dependent), earned entirely from outside Sri Lanka",
        "Be 18 or older, working remotely for a foreign company, freelancing for international clients, or running a business not registered in Sri Lanka",
        "International health insurance covering treatment in Sri Lanka for the whole stay",
        "Valid passport",
        "Proof of foreign income remittance"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your foreign income meets the $2,000/month threshold",
        "Gather documents: passport, proof of foreign income, health insurance",
        "Submit your application to the Department of Immigration & Emigration (Residence Visa Division) and pay the ~$500 fee",
        "Wait for review and approval (typically about 2–4 weeks)",
        "Receive the visa endorsed in your passport; valid up to 12 months, renewable annually"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How much income do I need?",
          "answer": "At least $2,000/month, plus $500/month per dependent, all earned from foreign sources. You must show the income clearly originates outside Sri Lanka."
        },
        {
          "question": "What can I do on the visa?",
          "answer": "Beyond living and working remotely, holders can open Sri Lankan bank accounts, enrol dependent children in private or international schools, and use coworking spaces and government tourism events."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay?",
          "answer": "Up to 12 months initially, renewable annually as long as you keep meeting the requirements."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Sri Lanka?",
          "answer": "The visa is for foreign-source income and doesn't permit local earnings. Confirm your tax position with an adviser if you stay long-term."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 5,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "365 days, renewable annually — and the ceiling moved recently: 2026 updates extended the maximum from one year renewable once to as much as five years, alongside lower income thresholds. Renewals require the original document set again plus proof of tax registration with the Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department, which is worth planning for. Sri Lanka has published nothing linking the visa to permanent residency, so treat settlement as a separate question.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Foreign income is generally not taxed locally, but the visa explicitly does not exempt you from Sri Lankan tax and reporting obligations, and the position depends on your residency status. One practical requirement catches people: renewing beyond the initial year requires proof of tax registration with the Inland Revenue Department — mandatory even if every cent you earn comes from abroad. Register early rather than at renewal time.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.immigration.gov.lk",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "taiwan",
      "country_slug": "taiwan",
      "country": "Taiwan",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/taiwan",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Taiwan offers world-class food, safety, fast internet, and an affordable, well-connected base in Taipei. Its dedicated digital nomad visa — expanded in January 2026 from six months to a full two years — is a clean, purpose-built route for remote workers, with income tiers by age and a savings requirement. High earners can alternatively use the Employment Gold Card.",
      "min_income_usd": 3333,
      "income_original": "$20,000 per year in your twenties, $40,000 per year from age 30",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 24,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "For applicants 30+, annual income of at least $40,000 in one of the last two years; for ages 20–29, at least $20,000",
        "Alternatively, proof you already hold a digital nomad visa from another country",
        "Bank deposits averaging at least $10,000/month over the last six months",
        "Remote work via digital means, with no services provided to Taiwan-based businesses or employers",
        "International medical and hospitalization insurance covering your stay (nomads can't join Taiwan's NHI)",
        "Eligibility for visa-exempt entry to Taiwan"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm your income (≥$40,000/yr if 30+, ≥$20,000 if 20–29) and ~$10,000/month average savings",
        "Gather documents: passport, income proof, six months of bank statements, insurance",
        "Apply at a Taiwan overseas mission, which forwards your case to the National Development Council (NDC); or, if already in Taiwan visa-exempt, apply to BOCA before your stay expires",
        "Receive the multiple-entry digital nomad visa",
        "Enter on a 6-month stay, extendable three times (6 months each) up to two years total"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How long can I stay in Taiwan?",
          "answer": "Up to two years. Taiwan expanded the visa in January 2026 from a single six-month stay to a 6-month initial period plus three 6-month extensions — a maximum of two years."
        },
        {
          "question": "What are the income requirements?",
          "answer": "$40,000/year if you're 30 or older, or $20,000/year if you're 20–29 (in one of the last two years), plus average bank deposits of about $10,000/month over six months."
        },
        {
          "question": "Gold Card or Digital Nomad Visa?",
          "answer": "The dedicated Digital Nomad Visa is purpose-built for remote workers. High earners and certain professionals may instead qualify for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card, which grants residency and open work rights for up to three years."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I use Taiwan's health system?",
          "answer": "Not on this visa — digital nomad visa holders can't enroll in National Health Insurance, so you must carry private international medical insurance for your whole stay."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 2,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "Six months initially, extendable through successive renewals to a maximum of two years. This programme is brand new — Taiwan's National Development Council only formalised it in July 2026 — so expect procedural detail to move and verify against the NDC before committing. Income thresholds are age-scaled: roughly $20,000 a year in your twenties, $40,000 from thirty.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Past 183 days you may be deemed tax resident, bringing worldwide income into scope at progressive rates. Taiwan does offer a first-time foreign professional incentive — a 50% exemption on salary above roughly US$102,000 for up to five years — but note the shape of it: it only helps above a high threshold, so it does nothing for most nomads. Taiwan extended the visa itself from six months to two years in January 2026, which makes crossing the residency line far more likely than it used to be.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://digitalnomad.ndc.gov.tw",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "thailand-education",
      "country_slug": "thailand",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/thailand-education",
      "programme_name": "Education Visa (ED)",
      "visa_name": "Non-Immigrant Visa ED (Education)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "The ED visa is how people stay in Thailand for a year or more by enrolling in a course — Thai language, Muay Thai at a registered gym, or a degree. It is the usual answer for someone under 50 with no Thai employer and no pension, which rules out the O-A and the Non-B. What almost every guide leaves out is that the route tightened sharply in 2025: the Immigration Bureau revoked nearly 10,000 student visas in a single announcement on 22 August 2025, and schools running short non-degree courses now report enrolment monthly into a database immigration cross-checks. Enrolling is no longer the same thing as staying.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "฿20,000 per person / ฿40,000 per family in accessible funds",
      "cost_usd": 80,
      "max_stay_months": 3,
      "processing_time": "2–10 working days; up to 3 months for some nationalities",
      "requirements": [
        "A letter of acceptance from a Thai school, university or training institution, signed, with a copy of the signer's Thai ID card or passport — and the signer's work permit too if they are foreign",
        "The institution's own certificate of registration",
        "For public or government schools below university level, an approval letter from the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Private Education Commission or the Office of the Basic Education Commission",
        "A police clearance certificate from your country of nationality or residence, valid no more than three months — routinely omitted from agency guides",
        "Evidence of funds: ฿20,000 per person or ฿40,000 per family is the figure Thai posts publish, but individual consulates set their own and the US posts ask for a bank balance of $1,000 for a language course and $4,000 for school or university",
        "Passport valid at least six months from arrival, plus a return ticket and proof of where you will stay",
        "You cannot work on this visa, and attendance is now checked — see the note on the 2025 crackdown below"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Pick a school that is licensed to enrol foreign students, and confirm in writing that it is currently authorised — a school that has lost its authorisation still sells courses, and the visa is what stops working, not the lessons",
        "Enrol and pay, then collect the acceptance letter, the school's registration certificate and, for public schools below university level, the Ministry of Education approval letter",
        "Order the police clearance certificate early: it expires in three months and it is the document that most often delays an application",
        "Apply from outside Thailand through the Thai e-Visa portal or a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General. Only single entry is granted, and the visa must be used within three months of issue",
        "On arrival, an immigration officer grants up to 90 days. That is the whole visa — everything past it is an extension",
        "Before day 90, file an extension of stay at a Thai immigration office with proof of continued enrolment from the school. The extension is granted at the officer's discretion and costs ฿1,900"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How long can I actually stay on an ED visa?",
          "answer": "The visa itself gives you up to 90 days. Everything beyond that is an extension of stay applied for inside Thailand, granted at an immigration officer's discretion and renewed on the strength of your continued enrolment. Guides that describe the ED as a one-year visa are describing the extension, not the visa."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work on an ED visa?",
          "answer": "No. Working requires a Non-Immigrant B and a work permit, which is a different route. Working illegally while holding a student visa is the specific behaviour the 2025 crackdown was aimed at."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I have to actually attend classes?",
          "answer": "Yes, and this changed in 2025. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation now requires institutions running short non-degree courses to report enrolment monthly, and the Immigration Bureau cross-checks those reports. Nearly 10,000 student visas and stay permits were cancelled in the August 2025 sweep, for people who had enrolled and never attended."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the ED visa cheaper than Thailand Privilege or the DTV?",
          "answer": "The visa fee is small — roughly $75 to $90 depending on where you apply — but it is not the real cost. School fees for a year of Thai language typically run several times the visa fee, and each extension adds ฿1,900. Compare the total against the DTV before assuming ED is the budget option."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "SOURCE: Royal Thai Embassy Warsaw's own category sheet, hosted on image.mfa.go.th, and the Royal Thai Embassy Oslo's ED page, both read 2026-08-27. Both state the extension is \"solely at the discretion of the immigration officer\" — that is the Ministry's wording, not ours, and it is the single most important sentence on this page. Nothing about holding an ED visa entitles you to the year that guides describe.\n\nThe visa is single-entry, valid for entry within three months of issue, and grants up to 90 days. Length of extension is not published as a national rule: university students are commonly extended a year at a time and short-course students in shorter blocks, but no government page states either as an entitlement, so this record does not.",
      "tax_residency_days": 180,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Same rule as every other Thai visa, and it catches ED holders who assume studying is not living: 180 days in a calendar year makes you a Thai tax resident — not the 183 most countries use — after which foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onward is taxable when you remit it into Thailand. A year-long course puts you over the line by definition.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Not published as a rule of the ED visa. Thai posts handle accompanying family case by case and no government page sets out a dependant provision, so this record makes no claim either way. Ask your own consulate before assuming a spouse can come on your enrolment.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "SOURCES, each read individually on 2026-08-27: the Royal Thai Embassy Warsaw category sheet at image.mfa.go.th (documents, validity, period of stay, extension wording); the Royal Thai Embassy Oslo ED page (fee, funds requirement, insurance); the Royal Thai Consulate-General Los Angeles ED page (US bank-balance minimums, and the official_url for this record because it is the US-facing post).\n\n⚠ THERE IS NO SINGLE NATIONAL FEE, and a guide quoting one has picked a post. The fee is set per mission in local currency: Oslo publishes 800 NOK, Vienna €70 and Warsaw 360 PLN for a single entry, all read on 2026-08-27. cost_usd records $80 as the middle of that verified range so the figure is comparable with other records — treat it as an order of magnitude and check your own consulate. The extension of stay inside Thailand is a separate ฿1,900.\n\n⚠ THE 2025 CRACKDOWN IS THE REASON THIS RECORD READS DIFFERENTLY FROM THE MARKETING. On 22 August 2025 Higher Education Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol announced that the Immigration Bureau, working with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, had revoked nearly 10,000 student visas and temporary stay permits from people who had enrolled and never attended. Institutions running short non-degree courses now submit monthly enrolment reports that immigration cross-checks. The agencies selling ED visas have the same structural reason not to mention this that relocation firms have for not mentioning dead nomad visas — it is the thing that would stop the sale. Reported by Bangkok Post and Khaosod English, 22–26 August 2025; we have not found a numbered ministerial regulation behind it and do not claim one, so this is recorded as an enforcement action with a date rather than as a rule with a citation.",
      "official_url": "https://thaiconsulatela.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-type-ed-to-study",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-27"
    },
    {
      "slug": "thailand-nomad",
      "country_slug": "thailand",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/thailand-nomad",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Visa (DTV)",
      "visa_name": "Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Thailand's DTV changed the game for Asia-based nomads: a five-year, multiple-entry visa with 180 days per stay, no monthly income requirement — just a savings threshold — and a fee that undercuts almost every Western nomad visa. If your life runs through Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or the islands, this is the one to get.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "฿500,000 in accessible funds",
      "cost_usd": 280,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Savings of at least 500,000 THB (roughly $14,000–15,000) held for the last three months, shown via bank statements",
        "Proof of remote work for an employer or clients outside Thailand (the 'workcation' track), or enrollment in a Thai soft-power activity (Muay Thai, cooking school, medical treatment)",
        "Passport valid for at least six months at application",
        "Application submitted from outside Thailand via the official e-visa portal",
        "Working for Thai employers or serving Thai customers is not permitted on this visa"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Prepare documents: three months of bank statements showing the 500k THB balance, employment or client contracts, passport scan, photo",
        "Apply online at the official Thai e-visa portal from your country of residence or any country where you hold residency",
        "Pay the 10,000 THB fee and wait for the embassy's review (typically days to a few weeks)",
        "Receive the e-visa by email and enter Thailand — each entry grants 180 days",
        "Extend once per entry for another 180 days at immigration, or reset with a border run; repeat for five years"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How does the 180-day stay actually work on the DTV?",
          "answer": "Each time you enter Thailand you get 180 days. You can extend that once at a local immigration office for roughly another 180 days (extension fee applies), or leave and re-enter for a fresh 180. The visa itself stays valid for five years of unlimited entries."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I become a Thai tax resident on the DTV?",
          "answer": "If you spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year, yes — and Thailand has been tightening rules on taxing foreign income remitted into the country. If you plan near-full-time Thailand living, talk to a tax advisor about what you remit and when."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can my spouse and kids come too?",
          "answer": "Yes. Spouses and dependent children under 20 can apply for DTVs as dependents, with their own applications and the same fee. The 500k THB financial proof generally needs to cover the family."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I work for a Thai company on the DTV?",
          "answer": "No. The DTV covers remote work for foreign employers and clients only. Working for Thai businesses or serving Thai customers requires a proper work permit under a different visa category."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 5,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "The DTV is a five-year multiple-entry visa, which is not the same as five years of residence. Each entry grants 180 days, extendable once by another 180 at an immigration office, so 360 consecutive days is the practical maximum before you must leave and re-enter — and entries are unlimited across the five years. On permanent residency, be careful with confident answers either way: Thai PR requires three consecutive years holding a Non-Immigrant visa, and the LTR visa is explicitly excluded. The DTV is its own category rather than a Non-Immigrant extension, so it is very unlikely to qualify — but Thai Immigration has published nothing specific about the DTV, so we're flagging the mechanism rather than asserting a rule.",
      "tax_residency_days": 180,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Note the threshold: Thailand uses 180 days in a calendar year, not the 183 most countries use, and people miscount it. Cross it and you are a Thai tax resident — at which point foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onward is taxable when you REMIT it into Thailand. The old 'bring it in the following year and it's untaxed' route was closed in 2024. Stay under 180 days and foreign income is outside the net entirely, which is why the DTV's 180-day entries and the tax line sit so close together — that is not a coincidence, and it is worth planning around deliberately.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "A spouse and unmarried children under 20 can be included as dependants, and they may also apply separately rather than only alongside you.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Note what Thailand actually tests: not a monthly income figure but ฿500,000 of accessible funds. Applied for at a Thai embassy or consulate; the 180-day extension per entry is then handled at an immigration office inside Thailand.",
      "official_url": "https://www.thaievisa.go.th",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "thailand-retirement",
      "country_slug": "thailand",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/thailand-retirement",
      "programme_name": "Retirement Visa (O-A)",
      "visa_name": "Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Thailand's O-A is the mainstream route for retiring here: one year of stay, renewable indefinitely, open to anyone 50 or over who can show ฿800,000 in the bank or ฿65,000 a month coming in. It is not the DTV and the two are constantly confused — the DTV is a five-year visa for remote workers with no age floor, the O-A is a one-year visa for over-50s who are explicitly forbidden from working. The requirement most applicants get wrong is the health insurance, where Thailand's own consulates publish two different minimums; the section below sets out both and which one binds.",
      "min_income_usd": 1800,
      "income_original": "฿800,000 in accessible funds, or ฿65,000/month income",
      "cost_usd": null,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Aged 50 or over on the day the application is submitted",
        "฿800,000 in a bank account, or income of ฿65,000 per month, or a combination of deposit and annual income totalling ฿800,000 a year",
        "Health insurance — see the note below, because Thai consulates publish two different minimums for this visa and only one of them is current",
        "A police clearance certificate from your country of nationality or residence, valid no more than three months",
        "A medical certificate showing freedom from the prohibited diseases, valid no more than three months",
        "Passport with at least 18 months' validity remaining",
        "Employment of any kind in Thailand is strictly prohibited on this visa"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Confirm you are 50 or over on your intended submission date — this is checked against the application date, not your arrival date",
        "Get the money in place: ฿800,000 in an account in your own name, or documentation of ฿65,000/month income, and be prepared for your consulate to ask how long it has been there",
        "Buy health insurance that meets the O-A minimum and will issue the certificate the consulate requires — confirm with the insurer in writing before paying, because a policy with enough cover is still refused if the insurer will not complete Thailand's form",
        "Obtain the police clearance and the medical certificate; both expire in three months, so start them after the money is settled, not before",
        "Apply from outside Thailand through the Thai e-Visa portal or your local Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General",
        "On arrival you receive one year. To stay beyond it, file an extension of stay at a Thai immigration office inside the country — a different process, with its own financial rules"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "How much health insurance does the O-A actually require?",
          "answer": "Thailand publishes two figures for this visa and both are live on official consulate pages, which is why so many guides contradict each other. The original 2019 rule set a minimum of ฿400,000 inpatient and ฿40,000 outpatient. From 1 October 2021 an amendment required cover for general illness including COVID-19 with a total sum insured of no less than USD 100,000 (about ฿3,000,000), and that is the figure Royal Thai Embassies now ask for on new O-A applications. The Consulate-General in Chicago currently lists both on the same page. Treat USD 100,000 / ฿3,000,000 as the number to meet, and do not buy a ฿400,000 policy on the strength of a blog post — the lower figure is the older rule and still appears in extension-of-stay contexts, which is a different process."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the O-A the same as the DTV?",
          "answer": "No, and mixing them up is the most common mistake we see. The DTV is a five-year multiple-entry visa for remote workers, has no minimum age, tests ฿500,000 in accessible funds, and permits remote work for employers outside Thailand. The O-A is a one-year renewable visa for people aged 50 and over, tests ฿800,000 or ฿65,000 a month, and prohibits employment of any kind. If you are over 50 and still working remotely, the DTV is very likely the visa you want."
        },
        {
          "question": "What is the difference between the O-A and the O-X?",
          "answer": "Both are long-stay visas for the over-50s, but the O-X is a ten-year visa restricted to nationals of a specific list of countries and its financial bar is far higher — ฿3 million held in Thailand, or ฿1.8 million plus ฿1.2 million of annual income, with the deposit maintained for the first year. The O-A is the one-year, ฿800,000 route that most retirees use. Insurance figures get swapped between the two constantly; check which visa a source is describing before you trust a number."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the O-A make me a Thai tax resident?",
          "answer": "It is the days that decide, not the visa. Spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year and you are tax resident — note that Thailand uses 180 days, not the 183 most countries use, and people miscount it. Once resident, foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onward is taxable when you remit it into Thailand; the old route of bringing money in the following year to avoid tax was closed in 2024. Pensions are treated under the relevant double-tax treaty, which varies by country, so take advice on your own before you move money."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can my spouse come with me on my O-A?",
          "answer": "Not on your visa. The O-A is issued to an individual and each applicant has to meet the age and financial tests in their own right. A spouse who is also 50 or over can apply for their own O-A; a spouse under 50 generally applies for a Non-Immigrant O as the dependant of an O-A holder, which is a separate application with its own conditions. We have not been able to verify the current dependant rules against a Thai government source, so treat this as the mechanism to ask your consulate about rather than a rule we are asserting."
        },
        {
          "question": "How long can I keep renewing it?",
          "answer": "There is no published cap. The O-A grants one year, and beyond that you file an extension of stay at a Thai immigration office inside the country, annually. That extension is a different process from the visa with its own financial requirements — the ฿800,000 has to sit in a Thai bank account and be seasoned for a period before you file. On permanent residency we are flagging a mechanism rather than asserting a rule: Thai PR is granted under specific categories and retirement is not one of them, so an O-A is very unlikely to lead there, but Thai Immigration publishes nothing that says so directly and we will not invent a citation for it."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "The visa grants one year. Staying longer means an extension of stay filed at a Thai immigration office inside the country, renewed annually, with no published limit on how many times. Do not read the extension's rules off this page: it is a separate process, the ฿800,000 must be held in a Thai bank rather than your home one, and it has a seasoning period before filing. On permanent residency, we are deliberately recording nothing rather than guessing — Thai PR runs through defined categories and retirement is not among them, which makes a PR route very unlikely, but Thai Immigration has published no statement we can cite and an unpublished rule is not the same answer as 'no'.",
      "tax_residency_days": 180,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Thailand's threshold is 180 days in a calendar year, not the 183 most countries use, and that difference catches people out. Cross it and you are a Thai tax resident, at which point foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onward is taxable when you remit it into Thailand — the old 'bring it in the following year and it is untaxed' route closed in 2024. For a retiree this bites differently than it does for a nomad, because pension income is usually remitted rather than left offshore. How your pension is actually treated depends on the double-tax treaty between Thailand and your home country, and those differ enough that a general answer would be worthless.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "The O-A is issued individually — each applicant meets the age and financial tests on their own. A spouse aged 50 or over can hold their own O-A. A spouse under 50 generally applies for a Non-Immigrant O as a dependant, separately. We could not verify the current dependant conditions against a Thai government page, so this is recorded as the mechanism to ask about, not as a rule we are stating.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "Applied for from outside Thailand, through the Thai e-Visa portal or a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General. Two things vary by post and are worth checking against your own consulate rather than any guide: the fee, which is set in local currency (the Royal Thai Embassy in Singapore charges SGD 250 for the multiple-entry O-A, so there is no single USD figure to quote), and how long your ฿800,000 must have been in the account before you apply. The seasoning period that circulates online — two months — belongs to the extension of stay filed inside Thailand, which is a different process from this visa.",
      "official_url": "https://singapore.thaiembassy.org/en/page/non-immigrant-visa-o-a-long-stay",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "slug": "thailand-work",
      "country_slug": "thailand",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/thailand-work",
      "programme_name": "Work Visa (Non-B)",
      "visa_name": "Non-Immigrant Visa B (Business and Work)",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "The Non-B is the only route on this page that lets you legally earn money inside Thailand — and it is the one where the hard requirements are not yours. Before a consulate will issue it you need a letter of approval from the Thai Ministry of Labour, which your employer obtains; after you land you apply separately for the work permit that actually authorises the work. The visa is permission to enter, not permission to work, and people conflate the two constantly. Practitioners publish an employer test of ฿2 million registered capital and four Thai employees per foreigner, which is what rules out most small companies — we could not verify that figure on a government page and say so below rather than dressing it up.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "฿20,000 per person / ฿40,000 per family in accessible funds",
      "cost_usd": 61,
      "max_stay_months": 3,
      "processing_time": "Varies by post; the Ministry of Labour approval it depends on takes longer than the visa",
      "requirements": [
        "A letter of approval from the Thai Ministry of Labour, obtained by your employer before you apply — without it the consulate will not issue the visa",
        "Corporate documents of the hiring company: business registration and licence, list of shareholders, company profile, details of business operation, list of foreign workers with names, nationalities and positions, a map to the office, balance sheet and tax filings",
        "Evidence of adequate finance: ฿20,000 per person or ฿40,000 per family",
        "Passport valid at least six months, application form, and a 4×6 cm photograph taken within six months",
        "Alien income tax documentation if you have worked in Thailand before",
        "A separate work permit, applied for at the Department of Employment after you arrive — the visa alone does not let you work"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Get hired first. Nothing in this process can start without a Thai employer, because the paperwork is theirs — if you are trying to work for yourself, this route means incorporating a Thai company and meeting its conditions, not applying as an individual",
        "Your employer applies to the Ministry of Labour for the approval letter and assembles the corporate document pack",
        "Apply at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General from outside Thailand: ฿2,000 for single entry valid three months, or ฿5,000 for multiple entry valid one year",
        "Enter Thailand. An immigration officer grants a maximum of 90 days — that is the visa's whole entitlement",
        "Apply for the work permit at the Department of Employment. Do not work before it is issued",
        "Before day 90, file an extension of stay at the Immigration Bureau. The MFA states this may be granted for one year from the date of first entry"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Can I get a Non-B without a job offer?",
          "answer": "No. The application is built on your employer's documents — the Ministry of Labour approval letter, the corporate registration, the shareholder list, the balance sheet. There is no individual route. Working for yourself means incorporating a Thai company and satisfying the same employer conditions."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the Non-B let me work?",
          "answer": "Not on its own. The MFA is explicit that on arrival you must apply for a work permit at the Department of Employment. The visa permits entry and stay; the work permit permits the work. Working before the permit is issued is illegal even with a valid Non-B."
        },
        {
          "question": "Why do so many small companies fail to sponsor one?",
          "answer": "Thai law firms consistently publish an employer test of ฿2 million in fully paid-up registered capital and four Thai employees for each foreigner, halved on the capital side if you are married to a Thai national. That test is about the company, not you, and it is what a qualified applicant most often gets blocked by. We could not confirm the figures on a government page we could reach, so treat them as the practitioner consensus rather than a cited rule."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is the Non-B better than the DTV for remote workers?",
          "answer": "For most remote workers, no. The DTV covers income earned outside Thailand, needs no employer and runs five years. The Non-B exists for work performed inside Thailand for a Thai entity, and it is a heavier process with an annual renewal cycle. Choose it because you have a Thai employer, not because it sounds more permanent."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": null,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": null,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "SOURCE: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' own Non-Immigrant B page, read 2026-08-27. Its words: entry gives \"a maximum period of 90 days\", and an extension of stay may be granted at the Office of the Immigration Bureau \"for a period of one year from the date of first entry\". Renewal runs on an annual cycle tied to continued employment — lose the job and the basis for the extension goes with it.\n\n⚠ PR IS RECORDED AS NOT PUBLISHED, NOT AS ABSENT. Thailand does run a permanent residence route that long-term Non-B holders are the main users of, but the MFA's Non-B page says nothing about it and we have not yet verified the Immigration Bureau's criteria. Leaving the field null renders \"None published\", which is the honest state; writing \"No\" would be a positive claim we cannot support, and writing \"Yes\" would be worse. This is a research gap with a name, and it is the next thing to close on this record.",
      "tax_residency_days": 180,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "Two layers, and Non-B holders are the group most likely to owe on both. Income earned in Thailand for a Thai employer is Thai-source and taxable from the first baht regardless of how many days you spend here. Separately, more than 180 days in a calendar year — not the 183 most countries use — makes you a Thai tax resident, after which foreign income earned since 1 January 2024 is taxable when you remit it into Thailand.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Not published on the MFA's Non-B page. Spouses and children of Non-B holders are in practice handled through a separate Non-Immigrant O application rather than as dependants on this visa, but that is a different record and we have not verified its rules, so this one makes no claim. Ask your consulate before assuming family can travel on your approval.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "consulate",
      "logistics_note": "SOURCE: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page for Non-Immigrant Visa B (Business and Work), read 2026-08-27, which is also official_url. Unlike the ED visa, the fee here IS published nationally in baht rather than set per post: ฿2,000 single entry valid three months, ฿5,000 multiple entry valid one year. cost_usd converts the single-entry fee at ฿32.74 to USD 1, the rate on 26 August 2026 — the baht figure is the real one.\n\n⚠ THE EMPLOYER TEST IS THE REQUIREMENT THAT DECIDES THIS APPLICATION, AND WE COULD NOT VERIFY IT OFFICIALLY. Thai law firms publish it consistently as a 2:1:4 rule — ฿2 million of fully paid-up registered capital and four Thai employees per foreign hire, with the capital halved for a foreigner married to a Thai national. We checked the Board of Investment's own One Start One Stop page for non-BOI businesses on 2026-08-27 and it sets out documents and restricted occupations but states no capital threshold and no employee ratio. So this record carries the figures as practitioner consensus with that caveat attached, the same way the Thailand ED record handles the 2025 crackdown having no numbered regulation behind it. Naming what we could not confirm is the point — the competing pages state it as settled law without a citation, and a reader planning around it deserves to know which it is.\n\n⚠ THE VISA IS NOT THE WORK PERMIT. The MFA requires a Ministry of Labour approval letter BEFORE the visa is issued and a separate work permit from the Department of Employment AFTER arrival. Guides that describe the Non-B as \"the Thailand work visa\" are describing half a process, and the half they omit is the one that makes the work legal.",
      "official_url": "https://www.mfa.go.th/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-b-for-business-and-work",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-27"
    },
    {
      "slug": "uae",
      "country_slug": "uae",
      "country": "United Arab Emirates",
      "region": "Middle East",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/uae",
      "programme_name": "Virtual Work Residence Visa",
      "visa_name": "Virtual Work Residence Visa",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Dubai's remote work visa is the zero-income-tax play: a one-year renewable residence for remote workers earning $3,500/month, with an Emirates ID, local banking, and the best flight connectivity on the planet. Summer is brutal; October to April is why people stay.",
      "min_income_usd": 3500,
      "income_original": "$3,500 per month",
      "cost_usd": 350,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "2–4 weeks",
      "requirements": [
        "Proof of remote work for an employer or company outside the UAE (contract of 1+ year) or ownership of a foreign company",
        "Monthly income of at least $3,500, with 3 months of bank statements and payslips",
        "Passport valid 6+ months and health insurance valid in the UAE",
        "Application online (federal portal) or through Dubai's virtual working programme",
        "Renewable annually while you still meet the criteria"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Gather employment/company proof, income statements, insurance",
        "Apply online via the UAE federal channels or Dubai's dedicated programme",
        "Pay fees, complete medical testing and biometrics on arrival",
        "Receive the residence visa and Emirates ID — unlocks local banking, leases, and schooling"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is the UAE really tax-free for nomads?",
          "answer": "There's no personal income tax on salaries or freelance income, including foreign remote income. The 9% corporate tax targets business profits, not employment income. Your home country's rules (especially for US citizens) still follow you."
        },
        {
          "question": "Dubai is expensive — does $3,500/month actually work?",
          "answer": "That's the visa floor, not a comfortable Dubai budget. Realistic comfortable living starts around $4,500–5,500/month with rent. Sharjah, Ajman, or older Dubai neighborhoods stretch it further."
        },
        {
          "question": "Does the remote work visa lead to long-term UAE residency?",
          "answer": "It renews annually but doesn't accrue toward permanent status. Long-term plays in the UAE run through Golden Visas (10-year, investment or talent-based) — some nomads graduate to those later."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "One year, renewable annually by fresh application for as long as you keep meeting the income and insurance bar — there's no published ceiling on renewals. It is not a route to settlement: the UAE has no general permanent residency or naturalisation for expatriates, and long-term stay runs through separate schemes such as the Golden Visa. Practically, though, it behaves like residency: you get an Emirates ID, banking, telecoms and schooling without a local sponsor.",
      "tax_residency_days": null,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "The UAE levies no personal income tax on individuals — confirmed by the Federal Tax Authority and PwC's 2026 tax summaries. If you have seen a claim that the UAE introduced a 5% personal income tax on 1 January 2026, it is wrong: the 5% is VAT, in force since 2018, and at least one widely-shared article conflated the two. There is a 9% corporate tax on business profits above a threshold, which can matter if you invoice through a UAE company rather than being employed.",
      "dependents_allowed": true,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Virtual work visa holders can sponsor a spouse and children for the same duration as their own residency, which is confirmed by the GDRFA rather than inferred. Dependants need their own UAE-valid health insurance, and the $3,500/month income bar applies to you as sponsor.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "Filed online through the Virtual Working Programme. You will need UAE-valid health insurance in place, and the income evidence is checked against bank statements rather than a contract alone.",
      "official_url": "https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/residence-visas",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "uruguay",
      "country_slug": "uruguay",
      "country": "Uruguay",
      "region": "Americas",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/uruguay",
      "programme_name": "Digital Nomad Permit",
      "visa_name": "Digital Nomad Permit",
      "program_status": "open",
      "summary": "Uruguay is the quiet, stable choice in South America — safe, democratic, and relaxed, with beach towns like Punta del Este and a livable capital in Montevideo. The Digital Nomad Permit has no minimum income and costs almost nothing: you enter as a tourist, file a short online form with a sworn declaration of means, and you're set for six months. A territorial tax system means foreign income generally isn't taxed.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 15,
      "max_stay_months": 12,
      "processing_time": "",
      "requirements": [
        "Self-employment or remote work for companies or clients outside Uruguay",
        "A sworn declaration confirming you have sufficient means to support yourself (no fixed income minimum; nomads typically show $1,500–$2,000/month)",
        "Valid passport (most nationalities enter visa-free as tourists to begin the process)",
        "Be physically in Uruguay to apply",
        "For renewal: a clean criminal record from each country you've legally resided in for 6+ months over the last five years, plus a vaccination certificate issued in Uruguay"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Enter Uruguay as a regular tourist — most nationalities can do this visa-free",
        "Go to the national migration portal and select 'Residencia Provisoria – Nómadas Digitales'",
        "Fill out the short online form and upload your passport plus a sworn declaration of financial means",
        "Pay the small administrative fee (around $10–$15) when prompted later in the process",
        "Receive a six-month permit, renewable once for another six months — or convert to temporary/permanent residency if you decide to stay"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Is there an income requirement for Uruguay's nomad permit?",
          "answer": "No fixed minimum. Instead of a salary threshold, you sign a sworn declaration that you can financially support yourself during your stay. Most nomads demonstrate around $1,500–$2,000/month in practice, but Uruguay doesn't set a hard number."
        },
        {
          "question": "Do I have to be in Uruguay to apply?",
          "answer": "Yes. You enter as a tourist first — most nationalities can do this visa-free — and then start the digital nomad permit application online from inside the country through the National Migration Office."
        },
        {
          "question": "How does Uruguay tax my income?",
          "answer": "Uruguay uses a territorial tax system, so income earned from foreign employers or clients is generally not subject to Uruguayan income tax. There are also multi-year tax incentives for new residents — worth confirming with a local accountant if you settle long-term."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can the permit lead to longer-term residency?",
          "answer": "Yes. The permit runs six months and is renewable once for another six. If you decide to stay, Uruguay offers a relatively accessible path to temporary and then permanent legal residency, which many nomads transition into."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": true,
      "max_total_years": 1,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "180 days, extendable once by another 180 — twelve months and it expires. The extension needs a criminal record certificate. The permit itself establishes no residency and none of the time counts toward it, but Uruguay is unusual in that the separate legal-residency route is genuinely accessible, and citizenship from there is among the more attainable in the region. Treat the nomad permit as a look-around, then switch deliberately.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": false,
      "special_tax_regime": true,
      "tax_note": "Uruguay taxes territorially: foreign-earned income is not taxed here, and that has held despite OECD pressure to move to worldwide taxation. New tax residents also get an 11-year holiday on foreign dividends and interest, after which those are taxed at a flat 12% — note that is passive income, not your remote salary, which is a distinction several guides get wrong. Holding the nomad permit does not by itself make you tax resident, but passing 183 days in a calendar year can. The DGI has been scrutinising foreign-source claims harder lately, so keep contracts, client records and bank statements.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "",
      "apply_from_abroad": null,
      "apply_method": "",
      "logistics_note": "",
      "official_url": "https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-interior/direccion-nacional-migracion",
      "verified_at": "2026-07-26"
    },
    {
      "slug": "vietnam",
      "country_slug": "vietnam",
      "country": "Vietnam",
      "region": "Asia",
      "page_url": "https://globenomad.com/visa/vietnam",
      "programme_name": "No nomad or retirement visa",
      "visa_name": "No nomad or retirement visa",
      "program_status": "none",
      "summary": "Vietnam has no digital nomad visa and no retirement visa, and as of 2026 neither is close to existing — a ten-year 'golden visa' was proposed in April 2025 and has not been enacted. That matters because a lot of people are looking for one: searches for a Vietnamese retirement visa run into the hundreds every month and every result is either an agency selling something else or a guide describing a visa that was never created. What people actually do is live here on repeated 90-day e-visas, which is legal and cheap and is not residence — you accrue no status, no path to permanence, and no protection if the rules change. Anyone offering you a Vietnamese retirement visa is selling you a different product under that name.",
      "min_income_usd": null,
      "income_original": "",
      "cost_usd": 50,
      "max_stay_months": 3,
      "processing_time": "3–5 working days for the e-visa",
      "requirements": [
        "Status check (verified August 2026): Vietnam operates no digital nomad visa and no retirement visa. There is no application to make and no income threshold to meet, because neither category exists",
        "What does exist: a 90-day e-visa, single or multiple entry, applied for online at the government portal — roughly USD 25 single-entry and USD 50 multiple-entry",
        "Passport valid at least six months beyond entry, a passport photo and a scan of the photo page",
        "A Temporary Residence Card is the only route to actual residence, and it is granted on a separate basis — employment with a work permit, investment, or marriage to a Vietnamese citizen. Remote work for foreign clients is not one of the bases",
        "Working remotely for foreign employers while on an e-visa sits in a grey area Vietnam has not formally addressed. It is widely done and not obviously permitted; we are not going to tell you it is fine when the government has not said so"
      ],
      "steps": [
        "Apply for the 90-day e-visa at the official portal before travelling — it is the only route most remote workers will use, and it is issued in about 3–5 working days",
        "Choose multiple entry if you intend to leave and return; single entry ends the moment you cross the border out",
        "Plan for the reset: at 90 days you leave and re-enter on a fresh e-visa. Budget the flights and accept that entry is always at an officer's discretion",
        "If you want real residence rather than repeated visits, work backwards from the Temporary Residence Card bases — a work permit through a Vietnamese employer, an investment, or marriage. There is no remote-work route to a TRC",
        "Track your days. Tax residency starts at 183 days in a 12-month period, and repeated e-visas make it easy to cross without noticing"
      ],
      "faqs": [
        {
          "question": "Does Vietnam have a retirement visa?",
          "answer": "No. Vietnam has never operated a retirement visa, and there is no announced plan to create one. If a site is walking you through 'Vietnam retirement visa requirements', it is describing something that does not exist — usually to sell you an agency service for a 90-day e-visa or a Temporary Residence Card you probably don't qualify for. Retirees who live in Vietnam do it on repeated e-visas, or on a TRC obtained through marriage or investment."
        },
        {
          "question": "Is there a Vietnam digital nomad visa?",
          "answer": "No. Unlike Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia, Vietnam has no visa category built for remote workers. A ten-year golden visa was proposed in April 2025; as of 2026 it has not been enacted, and a proposal is not a visa. The practical route is the 90-day e-visa, repeated."
        },
        {
          "question": "Can I just keep renewing the 90-day e-visa?",
          "answer": "In practice many people do, by leaving and re-entering. Understand what you are choosing: each entry is discretionary, you accumulate no residence status, there is no path to permanence, and a rule change can end the arrangement with no notice and no grandfathering. It is a way to be in Vietnam. It is not a way to move to Vietnam."
        },
        {
          "question": "Will I pay tax in Vietnam?",
          "answer": "If you are present 183 days or more in a 12-month period you are generally a Vietnamese tax resident, and residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates. Repeated 90-day entries make it easy to cross that line without noticing. Your home country may tax you regardless — US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live. Take advice against your own treaty position before you cross 183 days, not after."
        },
        {
          "question": "Where should I look instead?",
          "answer": "If a formal long-stay route is what you need, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Sri Lanka all operate one, and we hold verified records for each. Thailand in particular has both a five-year remote-work visa and a one-year retirement route, so it answers both of the questions Vietnam cannot."
        }
      ],
      "renewable": false,
      "max_total_years": null,
      "pr_path": false,
      "pr_after_years": null,
      "citizenship_path": false,
      "citizenship_after_years": null,
      "renewal_note": "There is nothing to renew, because there is no long-stay permission to hold. The 90-day e-visa is not extended from inside the country in the ordinary case — you leave and apply again. Time spent on repeated e-visas counts toward nothing: not residence, not permanent residence, not naturalisation. That is the honest difference between Vietnam and every other country in this dataset with an open route.",
      "tax_residency_days": 183,
      "foreign_income_taxed": true,
      "special_tax_regime": false,
      "tax_note": "183 days in a 12-month period, and note that it is a rolling 12 months rather than a calendar year — which is stricter than Thailand's 180-day calendar-year test and catches people who assume the clock resets in January. Vietnamese tax residents are taxable on worldwide income at progressive rates. The trap specific to this country is structural: the only realistic way to stay long-term is repeated 90-day entries, and repeated 90-day entries are an efficient way to accumulate 183 days without ever making a decision about it.",
      "dependents_allowed": null,
      "spouse_income_add_usd": null,
      "child_income_add_usd": null,
      "family_note": "Not applicable in the usual sense — there is no long-stay visa to add dependants to. Each person travels on their own e-visa. Marriage to a Vietnamese citizen is one of the bases for a Temporary Residence Card, which is a different application with its own conditions.",
      "apply_from_abroad": true,
      "apply_method": "online",
      "logistics_note": "The e-visa is applied for online at the government portal and issued in about 3–5 working days; roughly USD 25 single-entry, USD 50 multiple-entry. Use the official site — this is one of the most impersonated visa applications in the region, and the agency copies charge several times the government fee for the same form.",
      "official_url": "https://evisa.gov.vn",
      "verified_at": "2026-08-13"
    }
  ]
}