Until recently, being a digital nomad meant living an alternative work life to the boring 9 to 5 office routine. The digital nomads’ lifestyle smelled of adventure and freedom. Nowadays however, the digital nomad visa route is almost the only way to legalize living in a non-native country for many people. If you are looking to become a migrant in 2022, this article may be helpful. Let’s look at some European options suitable for living and working.
When and Why Do I Need a Digital Nomad Visa?
Working remotely under a tourist visa is illegal, but the digital nomad visa could be an option. It allows you to work for an employer outside of your host country or to have a business you can manage from anywhere in the world.
You have to file a tax return in your country of residence while on a digital nomad visa. In some countries, you are considered a taxable resident if you stay there for more than 183 days a year.
Check the criteria for a digital nomad visa:
- You must be over 18 years of age.
- You must have a specific monthly income (the amount varies from country to country).
- You must have a job you can do from anywhere in the world.
A digital nomad visa is valid for one to two years. Some countries may allow you to extend your digital nomad visa for up to five years.
A digital nomad visa can cost between $200 to $2,000. However, some countries, like Georgia, offer digital nomad visas free of charge to attract more applicants.
And some good news for families! Yes, you can apply for digital nomad visas with your family members.
So let’s see the list of the countries that currently offer this type of visa and then talk about the most interesting European ones.
Portugal
Portugal is one of the most attractive countries for digital nomads. Why? Let’s have a look!
The Portugal Passive Income Visa (or D7 Visa) and the Non-Habitual Residence Tax are good government tools for luring digital nomads and remote workers to the country.
Essential perks
- Tax-free overseas income
- Tax-free cryptocurrency
- Income requirements are much lower than most other European countries
After five years in Portugal with a D7 Passive Income visa, you can apply for a residency permit, under the condition of passing an exam on Portuguese language knowledge.
Portugal is safe, beautiful, and the food is very tasty! What else do you need in life?
Check the Holmgard Games’ vacancies with the remote working format.
Greece
Greece is another destination for digital nomads. Its policy offers a 50 percent reduction in income tax and social security payments. For example, the maximum tax rate for someone earning $40,000 will be reduced from 44 percent to only 22% under this scheme.
Malta
Malta launched its Nomad Residence Permit, which enables digital nomads to work remotely from this stunning island for a year (renewable for up to 3 years).
Essential perks
– Non-Malta residents pay taxes on their local income and some of their profits, but they are exempt from paying taxes on their worldwide income that hasn’t been sent to Malta.
– They are not taxed on capital gains, even if this money is sent back to Malta.
– The tax rate may be reduced to 5% after applying for all subsidies and tax relief programs available if you register your firm in Malta as a digital nomad.
– Malta offers the lowest cost of an EU-wide transferable company license (EU).
Cyprus
The “Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa” Scheme is open to nationals from non-EU and non-EEA countries, who can perform their work remotely. You should prove that you have a stable and sufficient monthly net income of at least €3500 to apply for this visa. Unfortunately, there is a limit of only 500 residence permits for the country.
Check the tinyBuild’ vacancies with the remote working format!
The Czech Republic
The Czech Republic offers a Freelance Visa for $217. You will need to prove you have an income of $5,600 per month in order to get the visa.
You should choose this country if you want to live in a safe city with a very rich history, beautiful architecture, and high-speed internet.
Hungary
Budapest is an affordable way to experience European life. To be a digital nomad in Hungary, you need to prove a minimum income of €2,000 (Euros) per month.
Check the Kevuru Games’ vacancies with the remote working format.
Estonia
If your employer or clients are outside of Estonia and your monthly income is at least €3,500 Euros you can apply for the Estonian Digital Nomad visa. It costs only €60.
Essential perks
- You are able to visit other Schengen countries.
- Free access to the internet everywhere in Estonia.
There is one very important thing: you cannot extend a digital nomad visa. Even if you decide to re-apply for a digital nomad visa, you cannot stay in Estonia for more than six additional months. After staying for a year and a half with a digital nomad visa, you will be required to leave Estonia.
Croatia
You need to have a stable monthly income of at least €2,300. If you would like to take your family members with you, the bank statement must showcase an additional 676,30 kuna/month (around €90/month).
Essential perk
- The best and most important benefit is the fact that it enables you to start the path to Croatian citizenship. If you reside in Croatia for five years, you will be eligible for permanent residency which then makes you eligible for Croatian citizenship.
Check the Hypercell Games’ vacancies with the remote working format!
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