also called DNV · remote work visa
A residence permit letting remote workers live in a country while earning from foreign clients or employers.
A residence permit that lets remote workers live in a country legally while earning from clients or an employer based elsewhere. It gives a longer, clearer stay than tourist rules allow, built for exactly the situation tourist visas leave in a grey zone. The catch is that income requirements, how your income is taxed, and how long you can stay differ a lot from country to country.
Someone tired of doing remote work quietly on tourist stays applies for a country's dedicated nomad visa to put their stay on solid legal footing. They have to prove they earn above that country's income floor from foreign clients, and they weigh how the local tax treatment will hit them before committing.
It offers a legal, longer stay than tourist rules, but income thresholds, tax treatment and length vary a lot by country.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These let you live in a country while earning from outside it, and are the named programmes people search by name.
A digital nomad visa is the general category, and most countries have their own badge for it: South Korea's F-1-D, Malaysia's DE Rantau, Hungary's Feher Kartya, Brazil's VITEM XIV, the UAE's Virtual Working Programme, and Colombia's V, M and R families.
A freelance visa is for self-employed people working with clients, GoFreelance and Wathiqat Al-Amal Al-Hurr are the Dubai and Saudi freelance permits, the UAE Green Visa lets a skilled worker self-sponsor, and a working holiday visa lets young people travel and work for a capped period.
A new term lands on this site every day, and the email is how you get it the day it lands. No digest, no roundup, no pitch. One term, what it means, and what it costs you to get it wrong.
Unsubscribe in one click, any time. We do not sell or share your address.