Digital Nomad Visa Guide for Freelancers: Income Rules in 9 Countries

At FreelanceAtlas, we help freelancers build a business that can run from anywhere. This guide covers why a tourist stay is not a work permit, the official income figures for nine countries, how to document income from several clients and the tax rules that follow you abroad, with two templates. Read it alongside How to Get Paid as an International Freelancer: Wise, Payoneer, and the Real Costs and Health Insurance for Freelancers: How to Choose a Plan in 2026.

This article is general information, not immigration or tax advice. Visa rules and income thresholds change often and can differ from one consulate to another, so check the official government page for your destination and the consulate that serves the place you live, and speak with an immigration lawyer, plus a CPA or enrolled agent for tax questions, before you apply or move.

What a Digital Nomad Visa Is, and Why a Tourist Stay Is Not Enough

A digital nomad visa gives you permission to stay in a country for months, sometimes years, while you keep working for people outside it. Spain calls it a visa for international teleworking. Croatia calls it temporary stay for digital nomads. Indonesia’s version is the E33G remote worker visa, and Thailand includes remote workers in its Destination Thailand Visa.

A tourist entry is a different thing. The EU’s Your Europe travel page says the common short-stay rules apply in 29 European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Estonia and Greece, for stays of “up to 90 days in any 180-day period.” The European Commission’s visa policy page adds that “Visas for stays exceeding 90 days are subject to national procedures,” which is where digital nomad visas sit. The Commission’s Schengen visa FAQ is direct about work: “A Schengen visa is not appropriate, if you wish to remain in a Schengen country for longer than 90 days, take up employment or establish a business, trade or profession.”

A digital nomad visa removes any doubt about remote work, because it names remote work for foreign clients as the permitted activity. Several programs also spell out what you may not do. Thailand’s embassy in Budapest says DTV holders are “prohibited from obtaining a Thai work permit and working for companies in Thailand or performing freelance work for Thai clients.”

The Requirements Most Digital Nomad Visas Share

The official pages cited in this guide repeat the same core items. Expect to show the following:

• Income from outside the country. A monthly or yearly minimum, usually shown with bank statements or contracts over a look-back period such as three or six months.
• Remote work for foreign clients or employers. Croatia requires that the applicant “does not perform work or provide services to employers in the Republic of Croatia.” Spain lets a self-employed applicant take some Spanish work, as long as it “does not exceed 20% of the total of his/her professional activity.”
• Health insurance. Spain’s consulate in Washington says “Travel insurance is not accepted,” and the policy must have no copayment or coverage limit. Costa Rica asks for at least $50,000 of medical cover.
• A clean criminal record. Spain’s Washington consulate wants an FBI background check issued “within the 6 months preceding the submission of the visa application,” with an apostille and a sworn Spanish translation.
• Proof of skills or work history. Spain asks for a university degree or “a minimum of 3 years of professional experience.”
• Citizenship limits. Spain’s and Croatia’s programs are not open to EU citizens.

Two more practical points apply almost everywhere. Foreign documents usually need an apostille and an official translation, and every program has a fee. Spain’s Washington consulate charges US citizens $190, Mexico’s Washington consulate charges $56 to process a temporary resident visa application, Estonia lists a 120 euro long-stay visa fee and Indonesia charges Rp7,000,000 for a one-year E33G stay.

Digital Nomad Visa Income Requirements by Country

The table shows the income test each government or embassy page states, in the currency it uses. Figures tied to a minimum wage or an average salary change when that base changes.

These are minimums for one person. Spain adds 75 percent of the minimum wage for the first family member and 25 percent for each additional one, which its Washington consulate shows as 916 euros and 306 euros a month. Croatia adds 10 percent of the average monthly net salary for each family member.

Digital Nomad Visas in Europe

Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Estonia publish their requirements in English on government sites. Croatia accepts a service contract with a foreign employer or work through your own company registered outside Croatia, and the other three name freelance or independent work directly.

Spain

Spain’s consulate in Washington sets its 2026 figures from a minimum wage of 1,221 euros: 200 percent of that, or 2,442 euros a month, for the applicant alone. A self-employed applicant must show a professional relationship with one or more companies outside Spain for “at least the last three months before the date of the application,” and that work must continue for at least one year while you are in Spain. Each company also needs at least one year of real, continuous activity, so a client company founded less than a year ago may not count. The consulate adds that the visa “does not allow work for individuals” or for public and nonprofit bodies, so only company clients count.

The consulate says “The visa is valid for a maximum of 1 year, unless the work period is shorter,” and people already legally in Spain can apply there for a residence permit that can last up to three years. Apply through the consulate for the place you live: the Washington office requires applicants to be “a legal resident or be enrolled in in-person studies” in its district. Spain’s official visa portal also lists a tax feature: “Payment of a fixed tax rate of 24% on work-related income up to €600,000.”

Portugal

Portugal’s consular visa portal lists a residence visa “For the exercise of a professional activity done remotely: digital nomads.” Freelancers can use a “Contract of services provision” or a “Document attesting the services provided to one or more entities.” The income test is “Proof of average monthly income for the last three months with a minimum value equivalent to four monthly minimum guaranty remuneration.”

The portal does not print a euro amount, so our figure is a calculation. Portugal’s labor relations agency, DGERT, confirms the minimum monthly wage is 920 euros from January 1, 2026, and four times that is 3,680 euros a month. You also need a “Document attesting his fiscal residence,” and the portal warns that “The consular post may request additional documents, at their discretion.”

Croatia

Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior grants temporary stay to people who work “through communication technology” for a company, or their own company, not registered in Croatia. The income test is 2.5 average monthly net salaries from the previous year, currently 3,622.50 euros a month. Instead of income, you can show savings of 43,470 euros for a 12-month stay or 65,205 euros for 18 months.

The ministry says “Temporary stay is granted for up to a maximum of eighteen months (possibly even less).” You need health insurance that covers Croatia for the whole stay and a legalized criminal record certificate, and supporting documents must be in Croatian or English.

Estonia

Estonia shows two different figures on official sites. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ long-stay visa page lists teleworking at “132 euros per day (3,960 euros per month),” with income evidence for the three months before you apply. The government’s e-Residency program, in a March 2026 FAQ, says “Currently, the monthly income threshold is €4,500 (gross of tax),” with income shown for the six months before you apply.

Plan to clear the higher figure, or ask the embassy which one it applies. Freelancers qualify if they “offer freelance or consulting services mostly to clients, whose permanent establishments are in a foreign country.” The visa fee is 120 euros, and a long-stay D visa covers up to 365 days.

Greece also has a digital nomad visa, handled by its consulates. Ask the consulate that covers where you live for the current income figure.

Costa Rica and Mexico

Costa Rica’s government tourism board, the ICT, publishes the program’s digital nomad requirements, which ask for “a minimum amount of three thousand U.S. dollars ($3,000.00) per month originating from outside of Costa Rica,” or $4,000 a month if you include dependents. You prove it with bank statements showing income received “during the previous year from outside Costa Rica,” or with a certification from a public accountant or notary. The government fee is $100, and the program’s main page says it “extends a 90-day tourist visa to a full year, with the option to renew for an additional year,” and requires health cover of at least $50,000. That main page shows $5,000 for families, while the requirements page shows $4,000, so confirm the family figure with Costa Rica’s immigration office.

For stays of more than 180 days and less than four years, Mexico issues a temporary resident visa. The Mexican consulate in Washington’s 2026 checklist asks for one of two proofs of economic solvency:

• Savings. Investment or bank accounts with “a monthly balance of at least $1,394,000.00 MXN during the previous 12 months.”
• Income. A job or pension that yields “a monthly income of $83,640.00 MXN after taxes during the previous 6 months.”

The income route is worded around a job or pension, so a freelancer should ask the consulate how it treats client income, or use the savings route. After you enter Mexico, you must visit a National Migration Institute office to get your resident ID.

Digital Nomad Options in Asia and the Gulf

These three programs use different tests, and two are built around employment.

• Thailand: Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). The Thai consulate in Los Angeles lists “Workcation (Digital nomad/remote worker/foreign talent/freelancer)” as a purpose and asks for “a last 3 months of saving or checking bank statements with an ending balance of no less than 500,000 THB.” Workcation applicants show proof of remote work, such as an employment contract or a professional portfolio, and that consulate asks self-employed applicants who are not US citizens for a business license or registration. The Budapest embassy says the DTV “is valid for 5 years” and allows stays “for up to 180 days per entry.”
• Indonesia: E33G remote worker visa. Indonesia’s immigration directorate asks for a bank account proving salary or income of at least US$60,000 a year and a three-month bank statement showing at least US$2,000. It also asks for an employment agreement with a company established outside Indonesia, and the stay is one year. Because the page asks for an employment agreement, a freelancer with only client contracts should confirm eligibility before paying the fee.
• United Arab Emirates and Dubai: remote work visa. The UAE government portal’s remote work visa page describes a one-year “virtual work visa” under self-sponsorship. It asks for proof of work outside the UAE, a “salary certificate of a minimum of 3,500 (three thousand five hundred) US dollars or equivalent in foreign currency,” health insurance and a medical fitness test result. The page does not mention freelancers, so ask the issuing authority what replaces a salary certificate for client income.

How Freelancers Prove Income From Several Clients

An employee shows one contract and payslips. A freelancer has to show the same income with invoices and bank deposits. The official pages show what consulates look for: Portugal accepts a document “attesting the services provided to one or more entities,” Spain wants each client relationship to have lasted three months and to continue for a year, Estonia wants contracts with clients based abroad, and Costa Rica accepts an accountant’s certification in place of bank statements.

Build one income file before you book an appointment:

• Contracts. A signed contract or statement of work for each active client, showing the start date and expected length. Our guide to freelance contracts covers the terms to include.
• Invoices. Numbered invoices for the whole look-back period that match the deposits on your statements. The invoice generator produces consistent, numbered invoices.
• Bank statements. Official statements in your name that show the money arriving, ideally in a separate business bank account.
• An income summary. One page listing income by month and by client, converted into the visa’s currency, with the exchange rate and date you used.
• Client letters. A short letter from your main clients confirming the relationship and its expected length (template below).

Read the income test closely, because averages and monthly minimums work differently. Say you invoiced 2,900 euros, 4,600 euros and 3,700 euros over the last three months. Your average is 3,733 euros, which clears Portugal’s three-month average of 3,680 euros even though one month fell short. A consulate that checks each month separately could treat the 2,900 euro month as a gap. If your income is uneven, a savings route, where one exists, may be the safer test.

A Client Confirmation Letter You Can Adapt

Ask each main client to sign this on company letterhead. Never ask a client to confirm anything that is not true.

[Company letterhead]
[Date]

To the Consulate of [Country] in [City]

Re: Professional relationship with [Your full name], passport number [number]

[Company legal name], registered in [country] at [address], confirms that [Your full name] has provided [type of services] to our company as an independent contractor since [start date].

The relationship is ongoing. Our current agreement runs until [end date or “is open-ended with 30 days’ notice”], and we expect to continue working with [Your first name] for at least [period].

Over the last [number] months we have paid an average of [amount and currency] per month for these services. [Your first name] performs this work remotely, and we have no objection to it being performed from [Country].

Contact for verification: [Name], [Title], [email], [phone]

Signed,
[Name]
[Title]
[Company legal name]

An Email to Ask the Consulate Before You Apply

A short question in writing can save a refused application and a lost fee.

Subject: Digital nomad visa: documents for self-employed income

Dear Visa Section,

I plan to apply for the [visa name]. I am a self-employed [profession] living in [state], and my income comes from [number] clients based in [countries].

Could you confirm two points before I book an appointment?
1. Do you accept signed client contracts, invoices and bank statements in place of an employment contract and payslips?
2. Is the income requirement checked month by month, or as an average over the look-back period?

Thank you for your help.

[Your full name]
[Phone number]

Tax Residency: The 183-Day Count Is Common, Not Universal

A visa decides whether you may stay in a country. Tax residency decides where you owe income tax. Many countries count days, and 183 days is a common line, but the tests differ:

• Spain counts a calendar year and also looks beyond days. Spain’s tax agency, the Agencia Tributaria, treats you as resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain during the calendar year, or if the main base of your activities or economic interests is in Spain. Sporadic absences count toward the 183 days unless you prove tax residence in another country.
• Estonia counts any 12-month period. The e-Residency FAQ says a digital nomad visa holder who stays more than 183 days in a 12-month period is treated as an Estonian tax resident.
• Some programs set their own tax treatment. Costa Rica’s program page says digital nomads are exempt from income tax, and Spain’s visa portal lists the 24 percent fixed rate on work income up to 600,000 euros.

A calendar-year count and a rolling 12-month count can give different answers for the same trip. Before you pass 183 days anywhere, ask a tax adviser in that country how its rules apply to you.

US Citizens Still File US Taxes Abroad

The IRS page for US citizens and resident aliens abroad says: “You are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources.” Three points matter most to a freelancer abroad:

• Filing deadline. Citizens living abroad get an automatic 2-month extension, so “the automatic extended due date would be June 15” for calendar-year filers. Interest still runs on tax not paid by the regular due date.
• Foreign bank accounts. Taxpayers with foreign accounts above the reporting threshold “must report those accounts to the U.S. Treasury Department, even if the accounts don’t generate any taxable income,” on FinCEN Form 114.
• The foreign earned income exclusion. The IRS exclusion page says “For tax year 2026, the maximum exclusion is $132,900 per person.” To claim it, your tax home must be in a foreign country and you must pass a residence test or be physically present abroad “for at least 330 full days during any period of 12 consecutive months.”

The exclusion has a limit that matters to freelancers. The IRS foreign earned income exclusion overview says the exclusion “will not reduce your self-employment tax,” and the IRS puts the self-employment tax rate at 15.3 percent. If the exclusion removes a $60,000 net profit from income tax, you still owe self-employment tax on it. See Self-Employment Tax Explained, and keep making quarterly estimated tax payments while you are abroad.

How to Apply for a Digital Nomad Visa: A Step-by-Step Plan

Documents expire and checklists change, so work through the steps in this order:

1. Shortlist two countries. Compare your income, and your family’s, against the table above. Check whether the program accepts freelance income or requires an employment agreement.
2. Find the right office. Most programs are filed at the consulate that covers where you legally live, and some, like Spain, also accept applications from people already in the country.
3. Download the current checklist. Save the official page as a PDF on the day you start, because figures can change each year.
4. Order your background check early, but not too early. Spain wants it issued within 6 months of the application and Thailand’s Los Angeles consulate within 3 months. Leave time for the apostille and translation.
5. Build the income file. Cover the full look-back period with contracts, invoices, statements, an income summary and client letters.
6. Buy compliant health insurance. Match the exact rule: Spain wants no copayments and does not accept travel insurance, and Costa Rica wants at least $50,000 of cover.
7. Plan your taxes before you leave. Track your days abroad from your departure date, and ask a tax professional how the exclusion and the destination’s own rules apply to you.

Visa fees and health insurance come out of your rate, so rerun your numbers in the income goal planner before you commit.

Conclusion

A digital nomad visa gives you clear permission to live in one country while you work for clients elsewhere. Official income tests differ widely: Spain’s Washington consulate lists 2,442 euros a month, while Indonesia asks for US$60,000 a year, and several figures are tied to a minimum wage or average salary that changes. For a freelancer, proving income from several clients in the format a consulate expects is often harder than meeting the figure itself.

Do this next: pick two countries from the table and download their current checklists. Email each consulate to confirm how it treats self-employed income, then build your income file and order your background check on a timeline that keeps it valid. Before you go, plan your US filing and foreign bank account reporting, and budget for self-employment tax, because the IRS still expects a return from you every year.

Key Takeaways

• EU short-stay rules allow up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and the European Commission says a Schengen visa is not appropriate for taking up employment or staying longer than 90 days.
• Spain’s consulate in Washington lists 2,442 euros a month for a single teleworker in 2026, and self-employed applicants may take Spanish work only up to 20 percent of their total activity.
• Portugal requires average monthly income of four times the minimum wage over the last three months, which is 3,680 euros with the 920 euro minimum wage set for 2026.
• Croatia asks for 3,622.50 euros a month or savings of 43,470 euros for a 12-month stay, and grants temporary stay for up to 18 months.
• Indonesia’s E33G requires US$60,000 a year in income and an employment agreement with a company outside Indonesia, which can rule out freelancers who only hold client contracts.
• US citizens abroad are taxed on worldwide income, and the foreign earned income exclusion of up to $132,900 for 2026 does not reduce the 15.3 percent self-employment tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for a digital nomad visa?

Eligibility is set by each country, but most programs want remote workers whose income comes from clients or employers outside the country. You usually need to meet a minimum income and hold health insurance, and a clean criminal record is standard. Some programs add extra conditions: Spain asks for a degree or 3 years of professional experience, and Spain’s and Croatia’s programs are only for people from outside the EU. Indonesia’s E33G asks for an employment agreement with a foreign company.

How much income do you need for a digital nomad visa?

It depends on the country and changes often. On official pages, Spain’s Washington consulate lists 2,442 euros a month for one applicant. Portugal requires four times its minimum wage, or 3,680 euros a month in 2026. Croatia asks for 3,622.50 euros a month, Costa Rica for US$3,000 a month, the UAE for a US$3,500 salary certificate and Indonesia for US$60,000 a year. Bringing family members raises the figure in several countries, including Spain and Croatia.

How hard is it to get a digital nomad visa as a freelancer?

The rules are usually clear, but the paperwork takes time. The hard parts for freelancers are proving steady income from several clients and getting documents in the right form, such as an FBI background check with an apostille and a sworn translation. Some programs, like Indonesia’s E33G and the UAE remote work visa, are written around employment and salary certificates, so ask the consulate how it treats self-employed income before you apply.

Can I work for local clients on a digital nomad visa?

Usually not, or only in a limited way. Croatia requires that you do not provide services to employers in Croatia, and Thailand’s embassy in Budapest says DTV holders may not perform freelance work for Thai clients. Spain is more flexible for the self-employed: Spanish clients are allowed as long as that work does not exceed 20 percent of your total professional activity. Check the rule for your country before you accept a local project.

Do I still pay US taxes if I live abroad on a digital nomad visa?

Yes, if you are a US citizen or resident. The IRS says you are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources, and you file under the same rules as at home, with an automatic extension to June 15. You may qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion, up to $132,900 for 2026, but it does not reduce self-employment tax. You may also need to report foreign bank accounts on FinCEN Form 114.