Digital Nomad Trends: 2025 Sample

Digital Nomad programs continue to draw a lot of discussion, but it doesn't stop governments from creating visas for them. The economic impact is viewed positively, esp to those who work in tourism and short term rentals, while locals tend to absolutely detest the temporary influx of wealthy techies and consultants who drive up costs.

What's interesting is how much more tightly scoped the newer programs are. I think many governments are reading the room from earlier programs in Greece, Portugal, and Spain. Take Slovenia as an example, they're opening their DN program in November, but it's limited to 1 year, non-renewable.

That's a big contrast to Spain, Portugal, or Greece where workers can stay for more than a year and renew for multiple years after, with some even able to convert to permanent residency.

Taiwan opened their program earlier this year, valid for 6 months, and it's a global first as far as I can tell in terms of requiring different salary minimums based on age. If you're between the ages of 20-29, you need to prove annual income exceeding $20K, and if you're over the age of 30, that rises to $40K.

IMO this is the start of a general trend towards DN visas being closer to a "1 year trial" versus a "let's get as many wealthy remote workers in as we can" approach.