In a bid to attract a larger number of remote workers, Estonia could lower salary requirements for digital nomads.
Such plans have been unfolded by Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Information Technology, Tiit Riisalo, calling on the Ministry of the Interior to apply new changes to requirements for remote workers, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
At present, employees are eligible to apply for a Digital Nomad visa, which requires a daily salary of €150 or an average monthly income of €4,500.
It remains unclear what the rationale is for setting high-income requirements for digital nomads who come to Estonia to help stimulate the economy and bring in tax revenue without creating long-term liabilities for the state.
The Minister emphasised that digital nomads help boost the economy of the country by spending money on things such as accommodation, food, transportation, and entertainment.
Riisalo said that digital nomads bring more benefits to the country’s economy after staying longer than tourists; therefore, they spend more.
Typically, digital nomads are highly educated and entrepreneurial people with a wide network of contacts, which gives them the potential to stimulate the local business environment and innovation. In addition, they act effectively as ambassadors of the destination, strengthening Estonia’s image as a successful digital country.
He added that by sharing their experience, digital nomads attract new international tourists, thus increasing the revenues of local tourism businesses.
Estonia Demands Higher Income Threshold than Several European Counterparts
Estonia’s Digital Nomad Visa allows remote workers to work for an employer or businesses registered outside the country.
A report from ERR notes that since its introduction in 2020, Estonia has issued 535 digital nomad visas.
The country offers type C and D digital nomad visas. While type C is a short-stay visa that permits remote workers to stay up to 90 days, type D is a long-term visa allowing them to stay in Estonia for a period of one year.
The monthly income requirement for Estonia’s Digital Nomad Visa increased from €3,500 to €4,500. Presenting the new changes, Minister Riisalo said that even the previous limit of €3,500 was high compared to other countries.
Up to this point, several European countries have offered digital nomad visas, a large number of which have smaller monthly income requirements, or more specifically, Spain €2,160, Croatia €2,232, Malta €2,700, Latvia €2,857, Portugal €3,040, Greece €3,500 and Romania, €3,700.
Estonia Has Only World’s 20th Best Digital Nomad Visa
Based on the Digital Nomad Index of VisaGuide.World, which ranks countries based on their suitability for digital nomads, Estonia is in the 20th position.
On this index, Spain is placed in the first position, while several other European countries consist of the top ten list, including Romania, which is placed in the third position, Croatia in the fifth, Portugal in the sixth, Malta in the eighth, and Norway in the ninth.
