Digital nomad: who they are and how to become one

A digital nomad is a person who works remotely over the internet and is not tied to one city or country: they live wherever suits them and move without changing jobs. Most often these are employees of foreign companies, freelancers and owners of online businesses. Below we look at what this status means in practice, where the term came from, the pros and cons of this lifestyle, which professions suit it and how to become a digital nomad legally in another country, including Spain.

What a digital nomad is, in simple terms

Being a digital nomad is not a profession but a lifestyle: the work is done on a laptop over the internet, and the person chooses where to live. In Russian the phenomenon has several names: tsifrovoy kochevnik (a literal translation), didzhital nomad (a borrowing from the English “digital nomad”) or simply nomad, and the lifestyle itself is called digital nomadism. The English term is literal: “digital” plus “nomad”.

“Digital nomad” becomes a legal status only where a country has introduced a dedicated visa or residence permit for such people. Without one, a remote worker abroad remains a tourist: in the Schengen Area that means no more than 90 days in any 180, and a tourist visa is issued for travel, not for work.

Where the term “digital nomad” came from

The term was popularised by the Japanese engineer Tsugio Makimoto and the British technology journalist David Manners, who published the book “Digital Nomad” in 1997. The authors predicted that portable computers, mobile communications and the internet would allow people to live and work on the move rather than in one office.

The first digital nomad, however, is usually said to be a man who lived this way long before the book. In 1983 the American journalist Steven Roberts set off to travel around the USA on a recumbent bicycle with a portable computer and a solar panel. He sent his articles over the CompuServe network, connecting from payphones, and in eight years covered about 17,000 miles, or roughly 27,000 km.

The advantages of a digital nomad’s life

• Freedom to choose where you live. You choose your city and country by climate, language, prices and time zone, not by the office address.
• A flexible schedule. You can work from home, a coworking space or a café. How flexible your hours are is up to your employer or client, but the commute disappears entirely.
• Differences in the cost of living. Earning in the currency of an expensive country while living in a cheaper one leaves more money for savings. What life in Spain specifically costs is worked out in our calculation of how much money you need to live in Spain.
• Language and a new environment. Living in another country teaches you the language and adaptability faster than any course, and children at a new school usually settle in within a year or two.
• New connections. Nomad communities, coworking spaces and local clients bring not only company but also work and partners.

The downsides and pitfalls of the nomadic life

• Taxes. Anyone who spends more than 183 days a year in a country usually becomes its tax resident and pays tax on all their income, not just local income. The most common mistake nomads make is assuming that with a foreign employer there are no taxes in the country where they live.
• Legal stay. Without a nomad visa you have to keep within tourist limits. With a visa you have to keep an eye on renewal and the conditions under which it may not be renewed.
• Time zones. Calls with a team or clients in another hemisphere can easily eat up your evening or morning.
• Adaptation and loneliness. Without the local language it is hard to make friends and deal with everyday matters, and not everyone gets used to the climate and the food.
• Self-discipline. Without an office and a boss nearby, work easily gives way to the beach and walks, and your income falls with it.
• Relocation fatigue. With children, frequent changes of country are hard: school, doctors and friends start from scratch each time. That is why many eventually choose one country and obtain a residence permit there.

Which professions suit a digital nomad

Any work that can be done on a laptop and delivered online is suitable:

• programmer, web developer, tester, system administrator;
• designer, including graphic and UX/UI designers, game developer;
• marketer, targeted advertising specialist, SEO specialist, copywriter, journalist, blogger;
• translator, online teacher, tutor;
• accountant, analyst, legal consultant;
• owner of an online business.

For a visa, what matters is not the profession but how the income is structured. Most programmes require the employer or clients to be outside the country issuing the visa and the contract to have been in place for some time.

How to become a digital nomad

1. Move your work to a remote format. Agree remote work with your current employer, find a remote job with a foreign company, build up foreign freelance clients or run your own online business.
2. Document your income. An employment contract or contracts with clients, bank statements, tax returns. Visa programmes look not at a one-off large payment but at stable income over recent months.
3. Choose a country. The income threshold, permit duration and taxes vary greatly between countries; see the comparison in our overview of which countries issue digital nomad visas.
4. Gather the documents. Usually a passport, health insurance, a degree or proof of experience, and a criminal record certificate. Where to order it and how to apostille it is explained in a separate guide: criminal record certificate.
5. Apply for the visa. Through the consulate in your country of residence or, if the programme allows it, from within the country.
6. Sort out your taxes before you move. Work out where you will become tax resident and whether there is a double taxation agreement.

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Which countries issue digital nomad visas

More than thirty countries have already introduced a dedicated visa or residence permit for remote workers, from Portugal, Spain and Greece to Thailand and Costa Rica. Income thresholds differ several-fold, and permits last from a few months to five years. A country-by-country table with income thresholds and durations is in our overview of which countries issue digital nomad visas.

Nomads choose a country not only by the income threshold. Taxes for new residents, internet speed, rents, climate and whether you can bring your family and eventually get permanent residence all matter. A special case is moving not from your country of citizenship but from your latest base: how people move from Dubai on this visa.

The digital nomad visa in Spain

Spain has issued the digital nomad residence permit since 2023, when the Start-ups Act came into force. In official documents it is called a residence permit for international teleworking, teletrabajador de carácter internacional. The conditions in 2026:

• Who can apply. A non-EU citizen who works remotely for a foreign employer, freelances or runs a sole proprietorship with foreign clients, or earns income from their own company abroad. Freelancers and sole proprietors may receive no more than 20% of their income from Spanish clients; employees may not work for a Spanish company.
• Length of the relationship. The employment contract or cooperation with clients must be at least three months old, and the company at least a year old.
• Qualifications. A university or vocational degree, or at least three years of experience in the field.
• Income. At least €2,849 a month for the applicant. For a second family member add €1,069, and for each additional one €356.
• Timescale. When applying from Spain, a decision is given within 20 working days, and the residence permit is issued straight away for up to three years, followed by a two-year renewal. Through a consulate, a one-year national visa is issued first.
• Family. A spouse or registered partner and children apply together with the main applicant.
• Next steps. Permanent residence after five years of residence, citizenship after ten.

The Spanish programme is explained step by step, from the income threshold and social security to the tax rate in the first years, in our guide to the digital nomad visa in Spain. Current requirements, the document list, timescales and cost are on the page for our digital nomad residence permit service.

Frequently asked questions

What does “digital nomad” mean?

It is a person who works remotely over the internet and lives wherever they want, including in another country. In Russian it is also rendered as “didzhital nomad” or simply “nomad”.

Is a digital nomad the same as a freelancer?

No. Freelancing is a form of employment, while being a digital nomad is a lifestyle. A nomad can be a remote employee or a business owner, and a freelancer may work from their home town all their life.

Can you work remotely on a tourist visa?

A tourist visa is issued for travel, not for work, and it limits your stay: in the Schengen Area that means 90 days in any 180. To live in a country longer and legally work from there for clients abroad, you need a digital nomad visa or residence permit.

Which countries issue digital nomad visas?

More than thirty, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, the UAE, Thailand and Costa Rica. Conditions and income thresholds vary.

How much do you need to earn for a digital nomad visa in Spain?

At least €2,849 a month for the main applicant. For a second family member add €1,069, and for each additional one €356.

Does a digital nomad pay taxes?

Yes. Taxes depend not on the visa but on tax residence: in Spain you become resident if you spend more than 183 days in the country in a calendar year or if your main centre of economic interests is there. Tax is then paid on all income, including foreign income.

Sources

• Tsugio Makimoto, David Manners. Digital Nomad. Wiley, 1997. Wiley.
• Steven K. Roberts: Winnebiko, Nomadic Research Labs.
• Ley 14/2013, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización, artículos 74 bis y 74 ter. BOE-A-2013-10074.
• Ley 35/2006 del IRPF, artículo 9: criteria for tax residence. BOE-A-2006-20764.