Top Digital Nomad Visas For Easy Access To Europe
What a digital nomad visa actually does
A digital nomad visa lets you live in a country while working for an employer or clients based somewhere else. It sits between a tourist visa, which usually caps you at 90 days and bans any kind of work, and a full work visa, which ties you to a local employer. You keep your foreign income, you don’t touch the local job market, and in exchange you get to stay for a year or more.
Almost every country on this list asks for the same core things: proof of remote income above a set threshold, health insurance that covers you locally, a clean criminal record, and evidence that your work or clients are outside the country you’re applying to. What varies is the income figure, how long the permit lasts, whether it leads anywhere permanent, and how the country taxes you while you’re there.
This page compares 15 European programs. Each country has its own dedicated page with full requirements, application steps, and sourcing. Use this page to work out which one fits you, then click through for the details.
The 15 programs compared
Income thresholds below are monthly, verified this week directly against each country’s own source. Currency conversions and exact figures can shift, so treat the linked country page as the current word on any given program.
| Country | Income threshold (monthly) | What makes it distinctive | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | €2,584 | EU member, one of the lower thresholds on this list, new program running since early 2026 | Full page |
| Croatia | €3,622.50 | EU member and Schengen, no local income tax on your foreign earnings while you hold the permit | Full page |
| Cyprus | €3,500 | EU member but outside Schengen, popular with a low corporate and personal tax regime | Full page |
| Estonia | €4,500 net | One of the first digital nomad visas in Europe, straightforward online-first application process | Full page |
| Germany (freiberufler permit) | No fixed figure, assessed case by case | Not actually a digital nomad visa, built for freelancers who plan to find clients inside Germany | Full page |
| Greece | €3,500 | EU member and Schengen, 50% income tax break available for qualifying arrivals | Full page |
| Hungary (White Card) | €3,000 | EU member, no path to permanent residency through this permit alone | Full page |
| Iceland | ISK 1,000,000 (about €7,033) | The highest threshold on this list, non-EU but Schengen-associated | Full page |
| Italy | About €2,066 | The lowest threshold on this list, exact figure varies slightly by consulate | Full page |
| Latvia | €4,213 gross | EU member and Schengen, threshold set well above most neighboring programs | Full page |
| Malta | €3,500 | EU member and Schengen, English-speaking, established Nomad Residence Permit program | Full page |
| Portugal (D8) | €3,680 | EU member and Schengen, can lead to permanent residency and citizenship over time | Full page |
| Romania | About €5,661 | Threshold recalculated against average wages, so it moves year to year | Full page |
| Slovenia | About €3,200 | Technically a temporary residence permit, not a visa in name, threshold also moves with wage data | Full page |
| Spain | €2,849 | EU member and Schengen, comes with its own reduced tax rate for qualifying nomads | Full page |
Germany’s entry is included because people searching for a German digital nomad visa land on it, but it isn’t one. There’s no fixed income figure and no route to keep living somewhere else while using it. If you want to actually live in Germany and build a client base there, it’s worth reading. If you want to keep your existing clients and just relocate, look at the other 14.
EU and Schengen access: what it changes
Most of these programs sit inside the EU, and most EU members are also in the Schengen area, which matters for how far you can travel without a new visa.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain are EU members. Hold a residence permit from any of them and you can move across the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period on top of your host country stay, the same rule that already applies to tourists but now backed by a permit that lets you actually live somewhere.
Cyprus is an EU member but sits outside Schengen, so your Cypriot permit doesn’t extend Schengen travel rights the way a Croatian or Portuguese one does. Iceland is outside the EU but inside Schengen, the reverse situation. Both still give you a legal base to live and work from, just with different travel implications.
If free movement across the rest of the EU matters to you, an EU member country will serve you better than Iceland or Cyprus, even where the income threshold is similar.
How to choose between them
Start with your income
Your income has to clear the threshold, so it’s the first filter. If you’re closer to €2,000 to €2,600 a month, Italy and Bulgaria are within reach where several others aren’t. If you’re earning €5,000 or more, Romania and Iceland stop being a stretch and the choice comes down to other factors. Everyone in between has most of the list open to them.
Decide if EU and Schengen access matters to you
If you want to travel freely across other European countries while based in one, pick an EU member. If you’re set on one specific country for other reasons, EU membership matters less.
Check the tax treatment
Croatia exempts your foreign income from local tax while you hold the digital nomad permit. Greece and Spain both offer reduced tax rates for qualifying new arrivals, on top of the visa itself. Not every country on this list offers a tax break tied to the visa, so check the country page before assuming one exists.
Think about where the visa leads
Portugal’s D8 can lead to permanent residency and eventually citizenship if you stay on that track. Hungary’s White Card has no such path, it’s built to be temporary. If you’re testing out a country before committing longer term, that difference matters less. If you already know you want to settle, it matters a lot.
Factor in family
Most of these programs let you bring a spouse and dependent children, usually with an added income requirement per family member. The exact add-on differs by country, so check the specific page for anyone you’re bringing with you rather than assuming it works the same way everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a digital nomad visa and a tourist visa? A tourist visa doesn’t allow work and usually caps your stay at 90 days. A digital nomad visa is built for people who work while they’re there, just for an employer or clients outside the country, and it typically runs for a year or more.
Which country on this list has the lowest income threshold? Italy, at roughly €2,066 a month, based on three times the country’s healthcare exemption threshold. The exact figure can vary slightly by consulate, so check Italy’s page before relying on it.
Which has the highest? Iceland, at ISK 1,000,000 a month, around €7,033.
Can I apply for more than one of these at once? No. You apply to the country you intend to live in, and most require you to show you’re not already holding a competing residence permit elsewhere in the EU or Schengen area.
Does a digital nomad visa let me work for a local employer in that country? No. These are built around income from outside the country. Taking on local clients or a local job usually breaks the terms of the permit. Germany’s freiberufler permit is the exception on this list, and it’s a different kind of permit for that reason.
Do I need to pay tax in the country where I hold the visa? Usually yes, once you pass the local tax residency threshold, which is often around 183 days a year. Some countries, including Croatia, Greece, and Spain, offer specific tax treatment for digital nomads that differs from their normal resident tax rules. Check the relevant country page for how that works before you commit.
Is Slovenia’s digital nomad program actually called a visa? No. It’s a temporary residence permit for digital nomads, introduced under Slovenia’s Foreigners Act. People search for it as a visa, so it’s included here under that term, but the legal document itself is a permit.
How often do these income thresholds change? It depends on the country. Some, like Bulgaria and Croatia, are fixed until the law changes. Others, including Romania and Slovenia, are pegged to average wage data and move whenever new figures are published. Always check the individual country page for the current number before applying.
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