A digital nomad visa lets you live in a country legally while working remotely for employers or clients abroad. As of November 2026, 14 of the 27 EU countries run one, and the income bars range from about €2,100 to €5,200 a month. Here is the full landscape, cheapest threshold first, and the realistic alternatives in the countries that do not have one.
One thing first: if you hold an EU or EEA passport, you do not need any of these visas, you already have the right to live and work remotely anywhere in the bloc.
*Approximate minimum monthly income, verified against public sources in November 2026. Thresholds track local wages and change often; always confirm with the official source before applying. Most programs add 15-75% per accompanying family member.
🇮🇹Italy
Launched 2024; requires higher-education or proven professional experience. The legal floor is about €25,000 a year; some consulates ask more.
🇧🇬Bulgaria
In law since mid-2025; the bar is 50 monthly minimum wages a year (EUR 31,010 in 2026). Your employer or company must be based outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and you may not serve clients in Bulgaria.
🇪🇸Spain
Income bar is twice the Spanish minimum wage; counts toward long-term residence; special 24% tax regime possible.
🇭🇺Hungary
Straightforward program; time on the White Card does not count toward permanent residence.
🇨🇿Czechia
Narrow program (selected professions and nationalities); the zivno freelance route is the broader alternative.
🇸🇮Slovenia
New since November 2025; income bar is twice the latest Slovenian average net salary, so it moves month to month.
🇬🇷Greece
Plus 20% per partner and 15% per child on the income bar. The law sets a consular visa first, then the 2-year permit, applied for in Greece before the visa expires.
🇨🇾Cyprus
Income must be at least EUR 3,500 a month after tax; the number of permits is capped.
🇲🇹Malta
English-speaking admin; income from the remote work is tax-free in Malta for the first 12 months of the permit, then taxed at a flat 10%.
🇭🇷Croatia
Income bar is 2.5 times the Croatian average net salary; income tax exemption on foreign remote income.
🇵🇹Portugal
The residence path counts toward the citizenship clock, 10 years for most non-EU nationals since May 2026.
🇪🇪Estonia
The original EU nomad visa (2020); pairs well with e-Residency for company owners. Since 2026 the bar is 0.6 times Estonia's monthly subsistence level (EUR 220) for each day of stay, so EUR 132 a day, about EUR 3,960 a month; the EUR 4,500 in older guides is the pre-2026 rate.
🇱🇻Latvia
Income bar is 2.5 times Latvia's average gross wage of the previous year (EUR 4,213 in 2026). Your employer or own business must be registered in another OECD country, and Russian citizens cannot apply.
🇷🇴Romania
Income bar is three times Romania's average gross monthly salary. Using the 2026 budget-law figure of RON 9,192 that is about EUR 5,200; the euro amount moves with wages and the exchange rate.
🇩🇪Germany
No nomad visa, but the Freiberufler (freelance) residence permit is a well-trodden route for self-employed remote workers.
🇦🇹Austria
No nomad visa; self-employment permits demand a proven economic benefit, such as investment or local jobs.
🇫🇷France
No nomad visa; the profession liberale route or a long-stay visitor visa (no local work) are the usual paths.
🇳🇱Netherlands
No nomad visa; self-employed permit exists, and US citizens have the favourable DAFT route.
🇧🇪Belgium
No nomad visa; self-employed professional card is the main route.
🇮🇪Ireland
No nomad visa; remote work for a foreign employer generally is not a residence ground.
🇩🇰Denmark
No nomad visa; work-based permits target local employment.
🇸🇪Sweden
No nomad visa; a self-employment permit exists with real business requirements.
🇫🇮Finland
No nomad visa; the entrepreneur permit suits freelancers with Finnish clients.
🇵🇱Poland
No nomad visa; freelancers use work visas or business activity registration.
🇱🇹Lithuania
No nomad visa; e-resident tools exist but residence needs a standard permit.
🇸🇰Slovakia
No nomad visa; trade-licence (zivnost) residence is the closest route, now applied for only at embassies, under a yearly quota.
🇱🇺Luxembourg
No nomad visa; standard work or self-employment permits apply.
Five things the visa brochures skip
- Ninety days is the default ceiling. Without a permit, non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180 across the whole Schengen area. Count yours with the Schengen 90/180 calculator.
- Taxes are separate from visas. Spend 183+ days in a country and you usually become tax resident there, whatever your visa says. A few programs (Croatia, Malta) add explicit tax breaks; most do not. See our EU tax overview for freelancers and companies.
- Renewal is the real question. Estonia and Slovenia cap you at a year; Spain and Portugal can roll into long-term residence. If you might want to stay, pick a program that counts toward permanent residence.
- Income must usually come from abroad. Most programs require 80-100% of your income from non-local employers or clients.
- Family raises the bar. Expect roughly 15-75% extra income required per dependent, depending on the country.
For the bigger picture beyond visas, cost, safety, healthcare and the path to citizenship, see our guide to the best EU countries for remote workers or compare any countries side by side.
Sources and verification
Checked November 2026Figures are compiled from the sources above and public national summaries, then cross-checked against public net-salary calculators. Where 2026 rules were still in flux at the time of writing, the text says so rather than picking a number. Everything is a labelled estimate for orientation, not a substitute for advice on your own case.
Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.