1. How do you earn your money?
This decides the category before anything else. Remote employees and freelancers with foreign clients need a remote-work route: Germany Freelancer Visa (Freiberufler), Spain Digital Nomad Visa, Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa, United Arab Emirates Virtual Work Residence Visa, Italy Digital Nomad Visa, Thailand Destination Thailand Visa, Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (Work-from-Thailand Professional). People living on pensions, rents or investments need a passive-income route instead: Spain Non-Lucrative Visa, Portugal D7 Passive Income Visa, France Long-Stay Visitor Visa, Thailand Thailand Privilege (Membership Visa). Applying for a passive-income visa while you keep working is the classic way to end up on the wrong permit.
2. How much do you earn, and can you prove it?
The income ladder below shows where each remote-work route opens. Consulates read the floor against documented income, usually several months of it, so use your steady figure, not your best month.
| Income floor | Route | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| EUR 24,789/yr (≈ $28,408/yr) | Italy Digital Nomad Visa | Bachelor's |
| EUR 34,188/yr (≈ $37,504/yr) | Spain Digital Nomad Visa | Bachelor's |
| USD 3,500/mo (≈ $42,000/yr) | United Arab Emirates Virtual Work Residence Visa | Not required |
| EUR 3,680/mo (≈ $50,607/yr) | Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa | Not required |
| USD 80,000/yr (≈ $80,000/yr) | Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (Work-from-Thailand Professional) | Not required |
3. Do you have a degree?
Without a bachelor's degree or equivalent, the remote-work routes left are Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa, United Arab Emirates Virtual Work Residence Visa, Thailand Destination Thailand Visa, Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (Work-from-Thailand Professional). Spain and Italy both require one, which surprises people who clear their income floors with room to spare.
4. Do you want to stay for good?
If yes, only routes with a path to permanent residence make sense, and the table below shows the clock for each. If you want flexibility for a few years with no plan to settle, the non-PR routes such as the UAE remote work visa are fine, as long as you know the years will not count.
| Route | First grant | Permanent residence | Citizenship clock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Freelancer Visa (Freiberufler) | 3 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 8 years |
| Spain Digital Nomad Visa | 3 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 10 years |
| Spain Non-Lucrative Visa | 1 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 10 years |
| Portugal D7 Passive Income Visa | 2 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 5 years |
| Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa | 2 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 5 years |
| United Arab Emirates Virtual Work Residence Visa | 1 yr | No | Not via this route |
| France Long-Stay Visitor Visa | 1 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 5 years |
| Italy Digital Nomad Visa | 1 yr | Yes, about 5 years | About 10 years |
| Thailand Destination Thailand Visa | 5 yr | No | Not via this route |
| Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (Work-from-Thailand Professional) | 10 yr | No | Not via this route |
| Thailand Thailand Privilege (Membership Visa) | 5 yr | No | Not via this route |
A quick rule of thumb
5. What will it cost you, including tax?
Fees are small next to living costs and tax. Once the list is down to two or three routes, compare them on the cost of living and the tax residency rules of each country. For a side-by-side of the two most common EU choices, see Spain DNV vs Portugal D8.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the best digital nomad visa for me?
Start with how you earn (employed remotely, freelancing, or passive income), then check the income floor and degree rule, then decide whether you want the years to count toward permanent residence. Those three answers rule out most routes before you compare countries.
What income do I need for a digital nomad visa?
Stated income floors among the routes Transita tracks run from about $28,408 a year (Italy Digital Nomad Visa) to about $80,000 (Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (Work-from-Thailand Professional)). Some routes test savings or funds instead of income.
Which digital nomad visa is best if I want to settle permanently?
Pick one that leads to permanent residence. The shortest citizenship clocks in this set are about 5 years, through Portugal D7 Passive Income Visa, Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa, France Long-Stay Visitor Visa.
Can freelancers get a digital nomad visa?
Yes. Spain, Portugal and Thailand's DTV accept freelancers with foreign clients. Germany's Freelancer Visa is different: it is a self-employment permit for freelancers operating in Germany, with a funds requirement of about $20,000.
Should I choose a country for tax or for the visa?
Choose the visa you qualify for first, then compare the tax position of the countries left. A low-tax country whose visa you cannot get, or that never leads to residence, is not a real option for a long stay.
Related guides
Answer these questions once and see every route ranked
Transita turns your answers into a ranked list of remote-work and residence routes, with the reasons each one fits or fails. Answer 8 questions and your routes, documents and dates are set up for you. Free.
Build my workspaceofficial sources: §21 AufenthG · make-it-in-germany.com·Ley de Startups (Art. 74-78) · exteriores.gob.es·NLV · exteriores.gob.es·D7 · vistos.mne.gov.pt·Remote Work Residence · gdrfad.gov.ae·VLS-TS visiteur · france-visas.gouv.fr·DM 29.02.2024 · consnewyork.esteri.it·DTV · thaievisa.go.th·LTR (WFTP) · ltr.boi.go.th·Privilege Entry Visa · thailandprivilege.co.th