If you’re a true digital nomad, not looking to settle in any particular country for the foreseeable future, you know visa rules can be hard to navigate, especially when they vary drastically between destinations, and some are far more stringent than others.
With a majority of countries limiting entry to three months at a time, and some going as far as restricting visits to 30 days only, nomads don’t really have but to resort to the infamous ‘visa runs’ to avoid breaking immigration rules in overly strict territories.
Unless, of course, they hold some sort of Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) allowing for extended stays, which isn’t the case for most. However, not all countries require visas for longer stays of six months and even up to a year.
These are 4 countries with the easiest digital nomad entry requirements in 2024:
Colombia
With its vibrant city breaks, thriving nature, rich biodiversity, and lower cost of living, tropical Colombia is one of the top nomad hotspots in South America, headed by a cosmopolitan Medellin, a year-round warm Cartagena, and a culture-loaded Bogota.
Though you shouldn’t let your guard down when walking around the capital’s cobbled Candelaria district or verge too far off the tourist route in Medellin due to safety risks, Colombia is a steal of a deal, costing between $681 and $1,579 to live per month.
Lucky for the budget-conscious nomad, the country’s visa rules are not as rigorous, allowing Americans and Europeans to remain in the national territory for half a year without applying for any kind of residence permit, with one slight caveat.
Entering Colombia as a tourist, you’ll be granted an initial leave to enter for three months only, but you can renew it once for an additional three months. Ahead of the visa expiry date, which can be verified on your entry stamp, all you have to do is apply for an extension.
The process is quite straightforward, and typically requires presenting your passport and paying a fee of 120,000 Colombian pesos, the equivalent to roughly $30. If you plan on staying longer in Colombia, it is advised to apply for their Digital Nomad Visa.
Argentina
The safest country in South America, home to the European-inspired Buenos Aires, and a food mecca of the first order, Argentina is not in a rush to send digital nomads on their way: stays of up to six months are authorized provided an extension is granted.
Upon landing in Argentina, foreigners are usually granted a 90-day entry stamp, but similarly to Colombia, they may apply for a 90-day extension 10 days before your visa expiring.
You will be expected to submit the relevant documentation and pay an extension fee.
For more information about the extension fee, you should contact a local immigration office, as varying sources online cite values between 600 pesos and 4,000 pesos, the latter of which would be around $4.77 at the official exchange rate.
Then there’s the question of whether or not you should just ‘overstay’, seeing that immigration officers can be quite lenient when it comes to visa rules, and will, in a worst-case scenario, simply issue them a fixed $17 fine, with no further action to be taken.
Everybody knows nomads who have been living in Argentina for years without applying for a regular resident visa, often choosing to pay the negligible fine when leaving instead.
However, we only encourage you to adhere to the laws in place, as the visa policy is already pretty generous.
Albania
Europe is not particularly known for its visa-friendly policies, with most countries signing up for the infamous Schengen Treaty and severely restricting movement around the continent for longer than 90 days out of any 180-day period.
If you’re in for three months, you have to spend three months out.
That’s not the case in Albania, a non-member of the European Union where visitors are not subject to Schengen controls. Everyone gets an independent 90 days in this sunny Adriatic country irrespective of time spent elsewhere in Europe, but if you’re a U.S. passport holder, listen up:
You get an automatic one-year stay visa-free in Albania on the basis of being an American citizen alone, provided that your passport has at least three months of validity left.
You don’t need to apply for visa renewals, nor hold a Digital Nomad Visa. How actually amazing is that?
Additionally, staying longer than a year in Albania couldn’t be easier as an American, as prior to the first year expiring, you’re permitted to apply for a residency permit from inside the country.
This privilege is not extended to Canadians, Australians, nor fellow Europeans.
Albania’s strength lies in its unique contrast of Ancient World charm and rapidly developing coast. It has Greece’s turquoise waters, but none of the Instagrammer hordes; it has ancient towns as gorgeous as Italy’s, but no overtourism, and it is as warm as Croatia, but almost 50% less expensive.
Georgia
Nestled between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, in the ambiguous intercontinental Caucasus region, Georgia is a mysterious country most Americans would know nothing of, except it shares a name with the U.S. state.
Unlike that Georgia, this one isn’t famous for peaches: it is an incredibly ancient nation with a documented history spanning at least three millennia and a cultural melting pot heavily influenced by the Greeks, Persians, and most recently, Soviet Russia.
Tbilisi is one of the most unique capitals in Eurasia, with its eclectic architecture combining Byzantine, Islamic, and Modernist elements, and cafe-lined streets teeming with young nomads, who are drawn to Georgia not only for the safety and affordable prices, but also its open-visa agreements.
Americans and Europeans can reside for an entire year in Georgia visa-free. This means you can spend a whole 365 days working remotely from quirky Tbilisi, or the up-and-coming coastal resort of Batumi, or the hot-spring-filled mountain town of Bojormi without worrying about in-country visa extensions.
If you choose to prolong your stay – and trust us, you might feel inclined to – all it takes is a short visa run or a day trip to neighboring Armenia or Turkiye to gain a brand new 365-day period.
To the best of our knowledge, Georgia has the easiest digital nomad requirements in the world.
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