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It’s no secret that over 50 countries around the world are contributing to the rise of digital nomadism by offering specialized visas to remote workers.
These visas offer unique terms such as tax rates, visa lengths, and minimum income requirements that differentiate one country’s visa from another. Recently, the visa factors were analyzed in a report called the “Digital Nomad Visa Index” published by Visa Guide.
The index ranked countries based on their suitability for digital nomads looking for opportunities to work and live abroad. The rankings go beyond the visa terms and include other factors such as internet speed, living costs, and an overall health score.
Among the vast list of countries that tailor their policies to attract digital nomads, Spain, was ranked as leading the world. Visa Guide cites Spain’s attractive visa incentives, including a six-month tax-free period and a relatively low minimum income requirement as reasons why the country topped its rankings.
The top 10 countries according to Visa Guide’s rankings were:
- Spain
- Argentina
- Romania
- UAE
- Croatia
- Portugal
- Uruguay
- Malta
- Norway
- Andorra
Notably, Romania was found to offer the most attractive internet speeds, with the country boasting the highest internet speeds among all the countries on the list. Among the countries in the European Union, Cyprus was revealed as the lowest ranking destination for digital nomads, landing at 37 overall on the list — due to its higher tax rates, minimum income requirements, and slower internet speeds.
The ability to work from anywhere in the world is not just a perk for individuals; it’s becoming a strategic consideration for countries looking to attract global talent and stimulate their local economies. However, this also brings challenges. High minimum income requirements in some countries, like Iceland, might be counterproductive to reaping the potential economic benefit of embracing digital nomads. Additionally, the differences in internet infrastructure, as seen in Cyprus, is highly counterproductive to remote workers, who rely on fast internet to perform their jobs productively. There are likely many other factors, but the ones analyzed in Visa Guide’s report will definitely play a major role in determining the success of these programs.
