Digital nomad visas for US, Canadian and UK citizens
Which countries let you live there while you keep working for an employer or clients back home. The 2026 income tests, how long each visa lasts, and which ones are paused or changing.
A digital nomad visa lets you live in another country while you keep working for an employer or clients outside it. About 30 countries in our routes table have one, and US, Canadian and UK citizens can apply for almost all of them. They share a basic shape: an income test, proof that your work comes from abroad, and health insurance. They differ a lot on how much you must earn, how long you can stay, and whether the stay can lead to residence. This guide compares the main ones so you can shortlist.
How these visas work
Most digital nomad visas have the same core rules:
- Your work must come from outside the country. Employees need an employer based abroad. Freelancers need clients abroad. Spain is a partial exception: freelancers may earn up to 20% of their income from Spanish clients.
- You prove a minimum income. Usually with recent payslips, invoices or bank statements. Several countries tie the figure to their own wages, so it changes every year.
- You need health insurance that covers you in the country for the whole stay.
- Short visas and residence permits are different things. Some visas give you up to six months and then you must leave. Others become residence permits that you can renew, and that time may count toward permanent residence.
Before you apply, it often makes sense to visit. US, Canadian and UK citizens can spend up to 90 days in any 180 in Europe’s Schengen area without a visa. Our 90/180 rule guide explains the count.
Europe
| Country | Income test (2026) | How long | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | EUR 2,442 a month, as consulates calculate it | Visa up to 1 year; permit up to 3 years | Renew for 2 years at a time |
| Portugal (D8) | EUR 3,680 a month (4x the minimum wage) | Permit for 2 years | Renew for 3 years at a time |
| Italy | At least EUR 24,789 a year | 1-year permit | Renew while you still qualify |
| Croatia | EUR 3,622.50 a month, or EUR 43,470 in savings for 12 months | Up to 18 months | Extend up to 6 months if first granted less than 18 |
| Cyprus | EUR 3,500 a month, after tax | 1 year | Renew for 2 more years |
| Malta | EUR 42,000 a year, gross | 1 year | Renewable |
| Hungary | EUR 3,000 a month, after tax | Up to 1 year | Extend once for 1 year |
| Estonia | EUR 4,500 a month, gross | Up to 1 year | Not extendable |
| Latvia | EUR 4,213 a month, gross | 1 year | Renewal not stated officially |
| Slovenia | Twice Slovenia’s average net monthly pay | Up to 1 year | Not extendable |
A few notes on the table:
- Spain and Portugal lead to residence. Time on Spain’s teleworker permit and Portugal’s D8 permit can count toward long-term residence. Spain asks every applicant for a degree or three years’ experience, and your employer must have existed for at least a year. Portugal also has a temporary-stay version of the D8 for a single year.
- Italy asks for more than income. The New York consulate also wants a lease or deed covering your whole stay. Within eight working days of arrival you apply for your residence permit at the local police headquarters.
- Cyprus has a cap. The scheme allows 500 permits in total. Check that places remain before you apply.
- The Czech Republic is narrower. Its Digital Nomad Program covers US, Canadian and UK citizens, but only for highly qualified work in IT or marketing.
Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Montenegro also have digital nomad routes. Their country pages carry the current figures and how sure we are of them.
Latin America
| Country | Income test | How long | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | USD 3,000 a month; USD 4,000 with dependants | 1 year | Renew for 1 more year |
| Panama | USD 36,000 a year (B/. 3,000 a month) | 9 months | Extend once for 9 months |
| Colombia | 3 times Colombia’s monthly minimum wage, over the last 3 months | Up to 2 years | Reapply |
| Ecuador | 3 times Ecuador’s basic monthly wage, over the last 3 months | Temporary residence | See the country page |
| Argentina | Proof of income from abroad | 180 days | Extend once for 180 days |
Colombia and Argentina only accept applicants whose passport lets them visit without a visa. US, Canadian and UK passports all qualify. Brazil and Uruguay also have digital nomad routes; see their country pages for the details.
Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific
| Country | Income test | How long | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | USD 3,500 a month | 1 year | Extendable if you still qualify |
| Japan | JPY 10 million a year | 6 months | No extension; wait 6 months to reapply |
| South Korea | Twice Korea’s GNI per person (2025 figure: KRW 52,416,000) | Up to 1 year | See the country page |
| Thailand (DTV) | THB 500,000 in savings | 5-year visa, 180 days per entry | Extend each entry once, up to 180 days |
| Thailand (LTR) | USD 80,000 a year, averaged over 2 years | 10-year visa | Stay 5 years, then 5 more if you still qualify |
| Malaysia | USD 36,000 a year (tech) or USD 60,000 (other listed roles) | 3 to 12 months | Up to three 12-month renewals; 48 months in total |
| Indonesia | USD 60,000 a year, plus USD 2,000 in the bank | Up to 1 year | Not stated officially |
New Zealand takes a different approach. It has no separate visa. Instead, every visitor visa applied for on or after 27 January 2025 allows remote work for overseas employers or clients, within normal visitor stay limits.
Japan’s visa also needs private medical insurance with at least JPY 10 million of cover. Korea asks for insurance covering at least USD 75,000. Thailand’s Long-Term Resident visa accepts USD 40,000 to 80,000 a year if you also hold a master’s degree or higher and meet the other conditions.
Paused and changing
Rules here move fast. These are the changes we are tracking in November 2026:
- Philippines: not open. Our table lists a Philippine digital nomad visa as paused. On 1 November 2026 the official e-Visa policy page listed no digital nomad category, so treat it as unavailable.
- Malaysia: higher bar from 1 November 2026. The income test for tech roles rose from USD 24,000 to USD 36,000 a year.
- Thailand: more paperwork. The London embassy now asks DTV applicants for proof of permanent residence in the UK, Ireland or a British Overseas Territory, plus the THB 500,000 savings.
- Spain and Portugal: annual rises. Both tests follow the minimum wage, so the figures above apply to 2026 and will change in 2027.
- Belize: unclear. The tourism board still promotes its remote work programme, but we could not confirm it on an immigration site.
Tax and health care
A digital nomad visa does not settle where you pay tax. Many countries make you tax resident once you spend more than 183 days there in a tax year. Cyprus says so on its digital nomad page. Once you are tax resident, the country may tax your worldwide income, including the salary you earn from home. Some countries offer special regimes for new arrivals; check each one before you go.
US citizens stay liable for US tax on worldwide income wherever they live. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits can reduce double tax, but only if you file a US return. Canadians and Britons should check how their home country treats them after they leave.
Plan health cover early. Most of these visas need private insurance for the whole stay, and travel insurance often does not count.
What catches people out
- Short stays are not moves. Japan’s six months and Argentina’s 180 days do not lead to residence. Choose a residence-permit route if you want to settle.
- Local clients break the rules. Working for someone in the country usually needs a different permit.
- Old figures linger online. Many thresholds move with local wages each year. Check the date on anything you read, including this page.
- The visa follows your job. If you lose your remote job, you may no longer meet the conditions to stay or renew.
To compare every remote-work route side by side, filter the visa route finder by “Keep your job, work remotely”.
This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm the current rules with each country’s embassy or immigration office before you apply.