RUN YOUR BUSINESS REMOTELY WITH DIGITAL NOMAD VISAS

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In this blog, I’m going to share my favorite countries offering digital nomad and long-term visas.

If you have been running a remote business as I have for the last 8 years, you will understand how frustrating it was to complete visa runs every 2 months. Thankfully those days seem like they are far behind us now

There is an impressive 46 countries now offering some kind of long-term visa, I won’t list them all because that will take too long. I am just going to list my favorites. You can live, work remotely and play in all of these countries.

Let’s jump right in!

I will start with SE Asia because it is close to my heart, by far my favorite part of the world to be based and run my business from.

I am currently based in Thailand, although Thailand has not yet quite nailed the long-term visa they are offering. But this isn’t about me so let’s move on.

Sri Lanka

• Sadly there is only one country in SE Asia that is now offering the digital nomad visa and that is Sri Lanka it’s not even a digital nomad visa per se.
• You can now stay in Sri Lanka for 270 days a year, which isn’t bad at all, especially if you are moving around every few months. 

Indonesia

• Indonesia is in talks of creating a 5-year visa.
• Bali is another part of the world that is close to mine and many digital nomads' hearts and has been for several years.
• So I am actually quite surprised that they haven’t yet launched this visa.

Bali has great coworking spaces, packed with adventure, and great food, and the locals are amazing and it is very affordable to live in. In my first 3 months in Bali I spent £140 per month on rent, I mean can you even imagine? 

Thailand

• Thailand has recently launched a 10-year long-term visa.
• The requirements are crazy, you either need to be working for a public company, so the company needs to be listed on the stock exchange.
• Or you need to have over a number of millions of dollars in personal assets.

I feel personally feel Thailand needs to create a more flexible long-term visa option, especially because of how popular Thailand is amongst digital nomads and has been for years. 

Let’s fly over to Europe.....

Georgia

Georgia is a beautiful country that you may not be familiar with but it has a massive digital nomad scene due to cheap living and the internet.

Georgia Requirements:

• They allow you to stay for an entire year as a digital nomad.
• You have to prove that you make $2,000 a month.
• Or have a bank statement showing $24,000 for the year duration you will remain in the country. 

Georgia has an excellent Individual Entrepreneur scheme, which taxes only 1% on your business turnover up to about $155,000. I think this scheme works perfectly for Digital Nomads, business owners, and freelancers.

Croatia

• Croatia is one of my absolute favorite countries to visit.
• The people are warm and friendly, the food is authentic and so delicious.
• There are some spectacular islands full of beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters.
• Croatia is very open to tourists from all over the world. 

Croatia Requirments:

• You can apply for a 12-month-long tourist visa that will allow you to stay in Croatia for up to 6 months at a time before renewing for another 12 months.
• You must be earning €2,232 per month or €26,790 in your bank account for the 12-month duration you will be there. 

Portugal

• Up next and also one of my favorite countries out there is Portugal.
• They now have an independent workers and entrepreneurs visa which is for 1 year but you can renew this for up to 5 years.
• After 5 years you have the option to go for permanent residency which is crazy, especially for a European country. 
• Lisbon is another great city for digital nomads and has been for years.
• Portugal is also very forward-thinking where they have decriminalized drugs.
• Any country that is so forward-thinking is always on my list of places to spend my time.
• The great thing about their visa requirements is that it is super cheap to apply, only 83 euros and you only need to be earning 300 euros a month to qualify. 

Portugal Requirments: 

• 1-year visa, renew up to 5 years, thereafter gain residency. 
• Only need to earn 300 euros a month. 
• Visa only costs 83 Euros. 

Malta

• Next is magical Malta.
• Malta is another country that has been known to digital nomads for some time now and that was mostly because of a coworking space called Cocohub Malta.
• I personally spent a few weeks there and went to Malta specifically for this cowork space.
• A fun fact that you are probably not aware of but Malta is also known for their fireworks, they are the world champions at creating fireworks.
• The reason I refer to Malta as magical is that every night they test their beautiful creations.
• You are walking on the romantic streets, along the pier with the beautiful yachts and old Romain style architecture, and next thing the sky is lit with beautiful fireworks.
• Literally every single night. It is really out of this world. 

Malta Requirements: 

• They now offer a year nomad visa with the option to renew.
• It costs 300 euros.
• You must be earning 2700 euros a month. 

Greece

• Greece is another one of my favorite countries.
• The food, the wine, the beautiful islands, the beaches, and the architecture are just truly breathtaking.  

Greece Requirements:

• They now offer a visa for 1 year and it can be renewed for up to 3 years.
• You must be earning 3500 per month.
• The visa costs 75 euros. 

Barbados

• Let’s move over to the Tropical Caribbean.
• If you have ever wanted to live on a tropical island in Caribbean Barbados now has a digital stamp.
• This isn’t one of the cheapest, it will cost you $2000 for yourself or $3000 for a family and you must be earning over $50000 per year. 

South Africa

• The last on my list for today's video is none other than my country South Africa.
• They have not yet launched the visa but they are currently working on launching it soon.
• You will be able to stay for a year and must be earning $3000 per month.
• South Africa is truly one of the most gorgeous countries in the world, it is a little dangerous but truly worth the visit.
• From the oceans and beaches to the game farms, wild animals, and mountains. It is truly breathtaking and also rich with culture and art. 

That is my awesome list, I am so excited to be writing this blog because I have been waiting for this change in the world for 8 years now and it is finally here! 

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Until next time I am wishing you peace, happiness, freedom, and success. 

Shannon Teague, 

CEO Of Scaling Up Simplified.