Most digital nomad visas are temporary by design, but a small group offer a structured pathway from an initial remote work permit to permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship.
This guide covers the latter, explaining all relevant operational details for planning a long-term move on a digital nomad visa: application mechanics, income requirements, family inclusion rules, tax treatment, and the specific timeline and steps from initial permit through permanent residence to naturalization.
The programs below are organized by region, starting with Europe's freelance and remote work categories, then moving through Latin America's lower-threshold, high-mobility options, Asia-Pacific's specialized tracks, and finally the fastest route in the Caucasus.
Europe
Germany Freelance Residence (Freiberufler)
Germany's freelance residence permit has existed for decades, but became a de facto route for digital nomads in the late 2010s as remote work normalized.
Unlike purpose-built nomad visas, it's a standard self-employment category that works well for location-independent professionals.
The permit renews indefinitely as long as you maintain qualifying freelance activity, making it one of Europe's most reliable paths to permanent settlement for remote workers.
- Application route: Apply at a German consulate or the local Ausländerbehörde. Provide client contracts or letters, health insurance, and proof of solvency.
- Validity/renewals: Initial permits are often 1 year. Renewals typically come in 1 to 3-year increments.
- Minimum income: No fixed legal floor. Many applicants succeed with around €2,340 per month, but case officers assess sufficiency based on contracts, invoices, and bank statements.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after about 5 years of continuous qualifying residence. Citizenship after 8 years, reduced to 6 with an approved integration course.
- Family policy: Spouses and minor children may join, subject to income and housing.
- Tax stance: Tax residency if presence exceeds roughly 183 days, or if the center of vital interests is in Germany. Standard progressive rates apply.
- Restrictions/notes: Some liberal professions require licensing. The process is documentation-heavy.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Germany Freelance Residence
Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa
Portugal launched its D8 digital nomad visa in October 2022, creating a formal remote work category within its residence framework.
The program targets employees with at least one-year contracts and self-employed professionals with ongoing client relationships.
It slots into Portugal's existing five-year residence-to-citizenship timeline, making it one of the more straightforward European settlement routes for remote workers.
- Application route: Apply at a Portuguese consulate or with AIMA in Portugal. Employees present a 1-year or more extended contract; contractors present service agreements and proof of ongoing activity and income.
- Validity/renewals: Typically 1 to 2 years initially, renewable for up to 5 years total.
- Minimum income: Commonly presented as a multiple of the Portuguese minimum wage; many applicants cite about €2,800 per month, but the exact figure updates annually.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after 5 years. Citizenship thereafter with A2 Portuguese. Parliament is revising aspects of the citizenship law; timelines may shift.
- Family policy: Spouses and dependent children can accompany or join.
- Tax stance: Standard resident taxation if tax resident; newcomer incentives and treaty relief may apply.
- Restrictions/notes: Maintain a foreign employer or foreign-sourced clients.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa
Greece Digital Nomad Visa
Greece introduced its digital nomad visa in 2021 to attract remote employees and self-employed professionals working for non-Greek clients.
The program requires relatively high income thresholds compared to other European options, but integrates cleanly into Greece's standard residence and naturalization framework.
It's positioned as a dedicated remote-work category rather than as an adaptation of existing permits.
- Application route: Apply through a Greek consulate with proof of remote work, sufficient income, and health coverage.
- Validity/renewals: One-year initial, renewable within the standard residence framework (often in 2-year blocks).
- Minimum income: €3,500 per month base, with increases for dependents.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after 5 years of continuous legal residence. Citizenship after about 7 years with language and integration requirements.
- Family policy: Spouses and minor children can be included; dependents generally cannot work.
- Tax stance: Tax residency and standard Greek taxation if presence thresholds are met; separate newcomer regimes may apply.
- Restrictions/notes: No Greek employer; income must be foreign-sourced.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Greece Digital Nomad Visa
Spain Digital Nomad Visa
Spain's digital nomad visa took effect in January 2023 as part of the broader Startup Law.
It covers both remote employees and self-employed professionals, with an optional special tax regime for qualifying applicants during their initial years.
The program allows an initial stay of up to three years and feeds into Spain's standard long-term residence and naturalization tracks, though citizenship timelines vary significantly by country of origin.
- Application route: Apply at a Spanish consulate or in-country. Evidence of remote employment or contracting, qualifications, and insurance is required.
- Validity/renewals: Up to 3 years initially, renewable for 2 more years to a total of 5 years.
- Minimum income: Often cited around €2,334 per month for singles, with increases for dependents; practitioners report higher bases in practice.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Long-term residence after 5 years. Citizenship after 10 years for most, 2 years for many Latin American nationals.
- Family policy: Spouses and dependents can join; required income rises per dependent.
- Tax stance: Optional special immigrant regime available to qualifying applicants for a limited period; otherwise standard taxation.
- Restrictions/notes: Local employment is restricted unless explicitly allowed by the permit.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Spain Digital Nomad Visa
Italy Digital Nomad or Self-Employment
Italy formalized its digital nomad framework in 2024, building on longstanding self-employment visa routes that remote workers had been using informally.
The program emphasizes professional qualifications and financial solvency, with relatively high documentation requirements even by European standards.
It integrates into Italy's ten-year naturalization timeline and the EU long-term residence framework.
- Application route: Apply at an Italian consulate with proof of professional qualifications, accommodation, comprehensive health insurance, and ongoing contracts.
- Validity/renewals: About 1 year initially; renewals often in 2-year increments.
- Minimum income: Solvency proofs often cited around €8,500 on deposit plus annual income floors tied to national thresholds; confirm current amounts.
- PR/citizenship pathway: EU long-term residence after 5 years of continuous legal stay. Citizenship after 10 years.
- Family policy: Spouses and dependent children can join if they have adequate income and housing.
- Tax stance: Tax residence based on presence and center of interests; standard taxation unless a newcomer regime applies.
- Restrictions/notes: Extensive documentation and possible professional licensing.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Italy Digital Nomad Visa
Latvia Digital Nomad Visa
Latvia launched its digital nomad visa in 2021, targeting remote workers employed by or contracting with entities in OECD countries.
The program is unusual in offering only two years of total validity with limited renewal, making it less straightforward as a settlement route than other European options.
Holders typically need to transition to a different residence category to continue accumulating time toward permanent residence.
- Application route: Apply through the Latvian migration authorities with proof of an OECD employer or OECD self-employment, insurance, and solvency.
- Validity/renewals: One year initially, commonly renewable once for a second year. Longer settlement requires a transition to other residence categories.
- Minimum income: Frequently cited at €2,857 per month; thresholds update periodically.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Achieved by transitioning and accumulating 5 years of residence. Citizenship after about 10 years with language and integration exams.
- Family policy: The DNV itself is typically a single holder; the family often requires different categories.
- Tax stance: Tax residency if presence or ties thresholds are met; standard taxation applies.
- Restrictions/notes: OECD linkage narrows eligibility; the no-dependents limitation complicates family moves on this route.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Latvia Digital Nomad Visa
Settlement Bloc Access: The EU/EEA
Citizenship in any of the European countries listed above grants automatic settlement rights across the entire EU/EEA bloc.
This means access to live, work, and establish businesses freely in all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway without permits or visa requirements.
The bloc represents over 450 million people across 31 countries, making it the world's largest supranational settlement zone by number of participating states.
Several of these countries also participate in overlapping settlement blocs. Portugal is a member of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), which offers preferential mobility and simplified residency procedures for citizens moving between Portuguese-speaking nations, including Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde.
Spain's citizenship provides additional strategic positioning within the broader Ibero-American sphere, though no formalized settlement bloc currently exists beyond bilateral agreements.
Explore IMI's comprehensive Supranational Settlement Blocs (SSB) Implementation Guide for detailed entry requirements, documentation processes, and settlement procedures across 14 settlement blocs and their member states worldwide.
Latin America
Ecuador Professional or Remote Work Residence
Ecuador adapted its existing professional and income-based visa categories to accommodate remote workers between 2019 and 2022, rather than creating a standalone digital nomad program.
The route offers notably low income thresholds and a faster timeline to permanent residence than most European options, about three years, with citizenship possible after additional residence and basic Spanish proficiency.
- Application route: Apply via Ecuadorian consulates or in-country with proof of foreign-sourced income and health insurance.
- Validity/renewals: Two years initially; renewable.
- Minimum income: Commonly cited at US$400 per month.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after about 3 years of temporary residence. Citizenship after further residence with basic Spanish proficiency.
- Family policy: Spouses and dependents may be included with proportionally higher income proofs.
- Tax stance: Some categories offer relief on foreign-sourced income; treatment varies by route.
- Restrictions/notes: Maintain qualifying foreign income and complete local registrations.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Ecuador Digital Nomad Visa
El Salvador Digital Nomad Residence
El Salvador introduced a dedicated digital nomad residence program in 2021, featuring a three-year initial validity and a government bond requirement rather than traditional income verification.
The program is administratively lighter than most European routes but feeds into El Salvador's standard ten-year naturalization timeline, making it a slower path to citizenship despite the extended initial permit.
- Application route: Apply through Salvadoran authorities. Post a US$1,000 government bond and pay a US$300 processing fee.
- Validity/renewals: Three years initially; renewable.
- Minimum income: No formal minimum income verification described in program summaries; confirm current practice.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after 5 years. Citizenship after 10 years.
- Family policy: Dependents may be considered with additional documentation and financial documentation.
- Tax stance: Standard resident taxation once tax resident.
- Restrictions/notes: Bond requirement and fees apply.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the El Salvador Digital Nomad Residence
Settlement Bloc Access: MERCOSUR-RA and CAN
Citizenship in Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, or Peru provides access to South America's two overlapping settlement frameworks.
The MERCOSUR Residence Agreement covers nine countries and spans 16.4 million square kilometers, granting citizens the right to obtain residence in any member state, with only a clean criminal record required.
These frameworks remain underutilized by foreign nationals precisely because enforcement is inconsistent and documentation requirements vary between countries and regional offices. Nonetheless, the legal rights exist and function reliably for those who navigate the bureaucratic variance.
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan Employment Gold Card
Taiwan launched the Employment Gold Card in 2018 to attract high-skilled professionals in technology, finance, engineering, and other priority fields.
Unlike most digital nomad programs, eligibility is based on professional achievement, credentials, or salary history rather than simply proving remote work.
The card grants immediate work authorization and feeds into Taiwan's dual five-year timeline: five years to permanent residence, then an additional five years to citizenship.
- Application route: Online application. Eligibility through salary history, credentials, or notable achievements in approved fields.
- Validity/renewals: One to three years initially; includes immediate work authorization.
- Minimum income: No single universal floor; criteria vary by field and track.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after 5 years. Citizenship after an additional 5 years.
- Family policy: Spouses and children can accompany as dependents.
- Tax stance: Preferential tax treatment may apply for high earners; otherwise, standard resident taxation.
- Restrictions/notes: Eligibility tied to recognized fields and achievement or salary thresholds.
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Indonesia B211A Visit Visa to Residence
Indonesia's B211A is a 60-day visit visa, introduced as a more flexible entry option, that remote workers often use as a bridge into longer-term Indonesian residence categories.
The visa itself is valid for 180 days but doesn't directly lead to settlement; holders must transition to a separate residence permit category to begin accumulating time toward permanent residence.
Indonesia's restrictive stance on dual citizenship and limited naturalization pathways make this one of the more complex routes on this list.
- Application route: Apply for a 60-day B211A, extendable to 180 days. Transition in-country to a residence permit category if eligible.
- Validity/renewals: B211A up to 180 days. Residence permits are renewable for up to 5 years, depending on the category.
- Minimum income: No fixed B211A income floor; residence categories may impose thresholds.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Long-term residence eligibility depends on the chosen category and time in status. Naturalization is restrictive and often requires extended residence.
- Family policy: Dependents are possible under residence categories, subject to rules and additional proof.
- Tax stance: Tax residency rules based on presence apply; Indonesia generally taxes residents on worldwide income.
- Restrictions/notes: Indonesia generally prohibits dual citizenship. Pathways and categories vary by case.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Indonesia B211A Visit Visa
Settlement Bloc Access: Limited Regional Integration
Neither Malaysia nor Taiwan participates in any formal supranational settlement bloc that offers automatic residence rights to its citizens.
Taiwan's unique political status prevents it from joining regional frameworks, though it maintains visa-free access agreements with over 140 countries.
Malaysian citizenship confers membership in ASEAN, which offers visa-free short-stay access to other Southeast Asian countries but does not guarantee settlement rights.
ASEAN's mobility framework remains primarily economic rather than residential, with freedom of movement limited to specific skilled professional categories and tied to employment rather than citizenship alone.
Caucasus
Armenia IT Residence Permit
Armenia introduced a dedicated IT residence permit in 2019 to build its technology sector, targeting remote workers and freelancers in IT fields.
The program offers one of the fastest timelines to both permanent residence and citizenship on this list, about three years to permanent residence and roughly six to seven years total to naturalization, though it requires learning Armenian and passing a constitutional knowledge exam.
- Application route: Apply with proof of IT activity, income, and health insurance.
- Validity/renewals: One year initially; renewable, with temporary residence possible for up to 10 years.
- Minimum income: Frequently cited at about €1,500 per month.
- PR/citizenship pathway: Permanent residence after about 3 years of continuous residence. Citizenship after about 3 additional years with Armenian language and constitutional knowledge.
- Family policy: Spouses and dependent children can be included if there is sufficient income and housing.
- Tax stance: Standard resident taxation if resident; favorable regimes exist for some IT activities.
- Restrictions/notes: Maintain standards for IT-related activities and documentation.
IMI Pros Who Can Help You with the Armenia IT Residence Permit
Settlement Bloc Access: The EAEU
Armenian citizenship grants settlement rights within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. Citizens can move visa-free between member states using only national ID cards and reside without work permits or formal visas, though registration requirements for more extended stays vary by country.
The bloc spans a significant geographic territory but is a politically and economically heterogeneous group, with uneven implementation of mobility provisions.
Armenia's fast-track naturalization timeline makes it one of the quickest pathways to any supranational settlement bloc, though the strategic value of EAEU access depends heavily on individual professional circumstances and risk tolerance for operating in the region.
Important Considerations
Renewal in most of these programs depends heavily on meeting physical presence thresholds. European countries typically expect at least 183 days per year for residence maintenance, with some scrutinizing travel patterns closely during renewal reviews.
Latin American enforcement tends to be more flexible, though practices vary widely between countries and even between regional offices within the same country.
Citizenship timelines ultimately hinge on language proficiency and integration exams, which represent the most significant barrier for many applicants.
German, Spanish, Italian, and Latvian requirements demand substantial study, often hundreds of classroom hours plus self-directed practice.
Greek language certification is notably demanding, even for applicants with Romance language backgrounds.
Spanish in Ecuador is comparatively accessible for English speakers, both in terms of the language itself and the relatively modest proficiency levels required for naturalization.
Several routes require obtaining business registration or professional licensing before or shortly after arrival.
Aligning the business structure and documentation with local expectations before applying significantly reduces friction and can mean the difference between approval and rejection.
Settlement-track digital nomad programs sit at the center of ongoing policy debates. Critics argue these routes sidestep traditional immigration channels, allowing well-resourced applicants to bypass labor market tests and integration requirements that apply to other migrants.
Proponents counter that remote workers bring verifiable income from outside the local economy, pay taxes once resident, and integrate over time through the same language and naturalization requirements as any other long-term resident.
They note that higher financial thresholds effectively screen for economic sustainability, reducing the risk of public charge.
The debate continues, but for now these pathways remain open and operationally viable for those who meet the criteria.
Want more options? Explore IMI's complete Digital Nomad Visa Database with interactive filters to compare income requirements, validity periods, renewal options, tax treatment, and family inclusion policies across 50+ programs worldwide.
