That 'digital nomad visa' stat blew my mind

I was scrolling through some blog called Nomad List last night, and I found out that over 40 countries now offer some kind of digital nomad visa. I thought it was like maybe 10 or 15 max. I've been working from coffee shops in Chiang Mai for 2 years and never bothered to look into it. Now I'm sitting here realizing I could be in Spain or Portugal or even Uruguay with actual legal status instead of hopping on tourist visas every 3 months. It made me rethink my whole setup. Has anyone here actually applied for one of those visas and was it a hassle or pretty smooth?

3 comments

3 Comments

davidkim1mo agoMost Upvoted

That "legal status" part is the real kicker. People forget that a tourist visa doesn't let you open a local bank account or sign a proper lease. I got the Croatia one, and having that residency card meant I could finally get a cheap local phone plan and a year long apartment contract, which saved me a ton of money and stress.

jamie8041mo ago

Over 40 countries, sure, but half of them probably require a tax return showing you make six figures and a background check that takes six months. Spain's digital nomad visa sounds great until you realize you need to prove you've been freelancing for at least a year and have private health insurance that covers everything. I know a guy who applied for Portugal's version and it took them 8 months to get back to him. Might be easier to just keep doing the tourist visa shuffle.

jadej501mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, the "private health insurance that covers everything" part is a real trip. My buddy got his Spain visa denied because his policy had a small print clause about pre-existing conditions. Sometimes the shuffle feels like the only real option, like jamie804 said.