Many countries now run digital-nomad or remote-work visas. Schemes with current official criteria include Portugal (D8), Spain, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Estonia, the UAE, Thailand (DTV) and Indonesia. Most require that you work for employers or clients abroad and earn a minimum income. German citizens do not need these visas for other EU countries.
It depends on
EU citizens can live and work in other EU countries under free movement, so EU digital-nomad visas mainly matter for non-EU nationals living in Germany.
Each scheme sets a minimum income and usually requires that it comes from an employer or clients outside the host country.
Long stays can make you tax resident, for example after more than 180 days in Thailand or 183 days in the UAE.
Who needs it
These visas suit people who earn their income remotely and want to live abroad for months or years without a local employer. For German citizens, the relevant schemes are outside the EU, such as the UAE remote work visa, Thailand's DTV or Indonesia's remote worker visa. Non-EU nationals living in Germany, for example on a Blue Card, need a visa for Portugal, Spain or other EU countries too. Anyone who keeps a home in Germany should check whether German tax liability continues, and should arrange health cover that meets the host country's rules.
How it works
- 1
Check whether you need a visa
German and other EU citizens can move to EU countries under free movement and register locally instead of applying for a digital-nomad visa.
- 2
Compare income thresholds
Thresholds range from Spain's 200% of the minimum wage to USD 60,000 a year in Indonesia; several are linked to minimum wages and change each year.
- 3
Prepare proof of remote income
Gather contracts and bank statements; Portugal and Estonia, for example, look at income over the three months before applying.
- 4
Arrange compliant health insurance
Spain rejects travel insurance and policies with co-payments, Malta requires cover for the EU and UK, and the UAE requires valid health insurance.
- 5
Apply through the official channel
Use the consulate, immigration portal or e-visa system named by the host government, then complete local registration after arrival.
- 6
Review your tax position
Ask a tax adviser how deregistering in Germany (Abmeldung) and your days abroad affect where you are taxed.
What it costs
Key facts
| Fact | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal D8 (remote work) residence visa: minimum income | €3,680 per month in 2026 (four times the €920 minimum monthly wage) | 12 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| International telework (digital nomad) visa: minimum income | €2,849 per month (€34,188 per year) | 202122 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Croatia temporary stay for digital nomads: minimum income | €3,622.50 per month | 5 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Greece digital nomad visa: minimum income | €3,500 per month | 6 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Malta Nomad Residence Permit: minimum income | €42,000 gross per year | 7 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Estonia digital nomad (D) visa: minimum income | €3,960 per month (€132 per day) | 8 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Indonesia remote worker visa (E33G): minimum income | USD 60,000 per year | 9 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Cyprus digital nomad visa: minimum income | [to verify] | 10 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| UAE remote work (virtual work) visa: minimum income | USD 3,500 per month | 1112 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| UAE remote work visa (Dubai): validity, insurance and base fee | 1 year, renewable; valid health insurance required; AED 200 plus 5% VAT | 11 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| UAE: tax residency tests for individuals (Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022) | Primary residence and centre of interests in the UAE; or 183+ days in 12 consecutive months; or 90+ days with a residence permit (or UAE/GCC nationality) plus a permanent place of residence or employment/business in the UAE | 1319 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| UAE: taxation of individuals' employment and investment income | Employment income, personal investment income and real-estate investment income of individuals are not subject to UAE Corporate Tax | 14 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): minimum financial evidence | THB 500,000 | 15 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| DTV: visa validity | 5 years, multiple entry | 1615 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| DTV: permitted stay per entry and extension | Up to 180 days per entry, extendable once in Thailand by up to 180 days | 16 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Thailand: tax residency threshold | More than 180 days in aggregate in a tax year | 17 | checked 15 October 2026 |
| Thailand: taxation of foreign income remitted by residents (Por. 161/2566) | Taxable in the year it is brought into Thailand, for remittances from 1 January 2024 | 1817 | checked 15 October 2026 |
Common mistakes
- Applying for an EU digital-nomad visa as a German citizen when free movement already allows you to live there.
- Assuming a digital-nomad visa means no tax; Thailand, for example, taxes residents on foreign income brought into the country.
- Taking on local clients or employers, which schemes such as Croatia's do not allow.
- Submitting travel insurance where full health insurance without co-payments is required, as in Spain.
- Using last year's income threshold, although figures tied to minimum wages, as in Portugal and Spain, change annually.
FAQ
What are the current income thresholds?
Portugal: €3,680 a month in 2026. Spain: 200% of the minimum wage, or €34,188 a year. Croatia: €3,622.50 a month. Greece: €3,500 a month. Malta: €42,000 gross a year. Estonia: €3,960 a month. UAE: USD 3,500 a month. Indonesia: USD 60,000 a year. Thailand's DTV asks for THB 500,000 in funds instead of income.
Does a German citizen need a digital-nomad visa for Spain or Portugal?
No. As an EU citizen you can live and work in another EU country under free movement. You register with the local authorities as an EU citizen and, if you leave Germany, deregister there (Abmeldung). The national digital-nomad visas of Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Malta and Estonia are aimed at people from outside the EU.
How long can I stay?
It differs. Croatia allows up to 18 months, Greece issues a national visa for up to 12 months, and the UAE remote work visa runs for one year and is renewable. Thailand's DTV is valid for five years, with stays of up to 180 days per entry that can be extended once. Indonesia's remote worker visa allows up to one year.
Will I pay tax in the host country?
Possibly. Thailand treats people present for more than 180 days in a tax year as residents and taxes foreign income brought into the country. The UAE does not tax employment income. Germany may continue to tax you if you keep a home there. Because the rules interact, have a tax adviser review your situation before you move.
Sources
- VFS Global for the Portuguese consular network, Residency visa for remote work (digital nomads) – document checklist (opens in a new tab)Official guidance · checked 15 October 2026
- Direção-Geral do Emprego e das Relações de Trabalho (DGERT), Retribuição mínima mensal garantida para 2026 (Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025) (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Embassy of Spain in Budapest), Telework visa (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública (INAP), Salario mínimo interprofesional para 2026 (Real Decreto 126/2026) (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, Temporary stay of digital nomads (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece (Embassy in London), Greece welcomes digital nomads (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Residency Malta Agency, Nomad Residence Permit – eligibility (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Application for a long-stay (D) visa (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Directorate General of Immigration, Republic of Indonesia, Official eVisa website – remote worker visa (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (Cyprus), Digital nomads and family members (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA), Visa Issuance (Virtual Work) (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- The UAE Government portal (u.ae), Residence visa for working outside the UAE (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Federal Tax Authority (UAE), Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022 on the Determination of Tax Residency (opens in a new tab)Law · checked 15 October 2026
- Federal Tax Authority (UAE), Taxation of Natural Persons under the Corporate Tax Law (guide) (opens in a new tab)Official guidance · checked 15 October 2026
- Royal Thai Embassy Budapest (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand), Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Royal Thai Embassy Berlin, Visaarten und die erforderlichen Unterlagen (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- The Revenue Department of Thailand, Personal Income Tax – Taxable person (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- KPMG, Thailand: New interpretation of foreign-sourced income brought into Thailand by Thai tax residents (Departmental Instruction Por. 161/2566) (opens in a new tab)Official guidance · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministry of Finance (UAE), Following Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022 (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones – Unidad de Grandes Empresas, Nómadas digitales: preguntas frecuentes (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Consulado General de España en Santiago de Chile (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores), Requisitos visado de teletrabajo de carácter internacional (opens in a new tab)Authority · checked 15 October 2026
- Boletín Oficial del Estado, Real Decreto 126/2026, de 18 de febrero, por el que se fija el salario mínimo interprofesional para 2026 (opens in a new tab)Law · checked 15 October 2026
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