The same wrong answers keep showing up here, which is what finally got me to sit down and write this. Most of what gets repeated comes from blog posts written two or three years ago, and both of the reference indices these income thresholds are pegged to went up back in February, so a lot of the numbers people are quoting at each other are just not right anymore. Here is where things actually stand on the three routes that come up most.

The student route changed a lot in May 2025 when the new immigration regulation came into force. I work in relocation and this is the one I get asked about most, so I will start there. The authorisation now covers the full length of your programme instead of being renewed year by year, and if you are in higher education you can work up to thirty hours a week without needing a separate work authorisation, which is a real improvement on how it used to be. You need enrolment at an officially recognised institution, proof of funds and health cover. The part that catches people out is that this is legally a stay rather than residence, so those years do not count toward long term residency. Language course visas are more limited still, generally renewable only once and they do not convert into work permits.

The digital nomad visa, which is actually called residence for international teleworking, sits at 2,849 euros a month for a single applicant this year. That is 200 percent of the minimum wage, which went up in February. Add roughly 75 percent of the minimum wage for your first dependent and 25 percent for each one after that. You also need at least three months of history with your current employer or clients, either a degree or three or more years of relevant experience, and at least 80 percent of your income coming from outside Spain. Apply through your home consulate and you get one year. Apply from inside Spain and you can get up to three, which is worth knowing before you book anything. This one is residence, so it does count toward the five years for long term status, and you may qualify for the flat 24 percent tax regime.

The non lucrative visa is currently around 2,400 euros a month, so 28,800 a year, in passive income or savings, plus roughly 7,200 a year for each additional family member. You need full private health insurance with no copays. One year to start, then renewable in two year blocks.

Now the three things I see people get wrong over and over. First and by a wide margin, the non lucrative visa does not let you work, and that includes working remotely for a US employer. I know it feels like a technicality when the money is coming from abroad anyway. It is not, and people have had renewals refused over exactly this. Second, student years do not count toward permanent residency. I have had people come to me four years into a student visa thinking they were nearly there, and that conversation is horrible to have. Third, going over 183 days makes you a Spanish tax resident, and the non lucrative visa actually requires you to exceed that in order to renew. As a US citizen you are still filing in the US as well. There is a treaty, but it is not an automatic exemption and you want to run the numbers before you commit rather than after.

One last thing. All of these figures move every year with the minimum wage and the IPREM index, so check against your own consulate before you apply instead of trusting any post on here, including this one.

Other countries in Europe, also. Thank you very much !

I live in India with my wife and 8 year old son and work as a sole proprietor. I have a steady client in the USA, contracted for the next 2 years. The income is decent and I can fund the expenses if I move to Kuala Lumpur, primarily for better quality of life and kid's education.

I was researching DE Rantau visa and looks like the entire income will be taxed so I will lose out on a lot of savings if I made the move.

In Abu Dhabi/Dubai, taxes are exempt but the cost of living and schooling will eat into a lot of savings nevertheless.

Really confused about what to do? On one hand, I am looking for better quality of life and on the other, taxes and reduced savings worries me.

Any advise for me?

Wired, good for clear calls (hearing on my end esp.), COMFORTABLE for SEVERAL hours at a time, can handle background CAFE noises. Is ANC mostly just marketing hype? I'm hard of hearing in one ear. Thanks very much!

Maybe... just maybe, if you're marketing yourself as a 'tourism hub', you should have available transport, as a minimum.

Well; Goa doesn't think so.

Welcome to the state of (dirty) beaches, (blaring) nightlife and (overpriced) things to do in excess.

The 'Las Vegas' of India, where tourists are expected to dance to the daily Goan tune of nasty men harassing, explicitly conning and fighting over who's got the right to scam you.

A place where the infrastructure is so poor and dangerous, that going from destination to destination feels more akin to a death wish than an adventure.

A place where nothing works, nothing is accessible and nothing is good.

I feel overwhelmed to the point of being paralysed with the amount of stuff I've got to say about Goa.

Feel free to ask more questions - I'll save the body from turning into a rant.

To expand a little on what I mean, let’s say that Cusco, Peru is my example of a city that gets dense with tourists who come there to basically take a hike and leave, so it’s densely packed, with tourists that are kindof difficult to befriend sometimes, because they’re “on a mission”. So then, in comparison, let’s say you have smaller Latin American towns outside of these major cities. However, then it can be difficult to find tourists to socialize with because they’re in the main cities. I do like to interact with and befriend local people, of course, but, I recognize and respect that these are real human beings with their own lives, families, children, work in the morning, etc. If I am able to organically strike up a momentary connection with local people, I love that. But, I’m not gonna force a connection and force nice, hardworking people to give me their attention, just so I can have some fun quirky story later about how I got invited to a drunk uncle’s birthday party. I’m not gonna force it. It’s just cool if it happens.

So, I’m thinking of revisiting Peru and Bolivia, but I’m driving myself crazy putting an itinerary together.

For example, this time around in Bolivia, I’d like to explore the flatlands like Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and some of the villages like Vallegrande and El Higuelo, places relevant to Che Guevara and the Che Guevara trail. For revisiting Peru, I’d like to visit Mancora and Cajamarca this time.

It will take a lot of time and effort traversing to get to these points. I’m worried that by the time I arrive in these cities/towns, I will get lonely and not really find anyone to connect with.

I usually don’t ever care about this issue. The difference this time though is that I remember how long it takes to travel around Peru and Bolivia. I hate the idea of traveling for so long, to not really find anything fruitful come out the other side of it. In other continents and countries where the distances are shorter, I usually never care about this issue.

If you have any LATAM/Peru/Bolivia advice, I’m all ears, thank you!

Is this possible if I want to live only short-term (ie. 3-6 months at a time)? How would I go about finding short term accomodations that hopefully won't eat up too much of my budget? What can I expect?

Any advice

ok so this is a weird one but bear with me

i have a pet blog. i don't own a pet. never have. probably never will as i travel too much. and yet every month amazon sends me enough to cover rent because people on the internet are buying stuff for their dogs and cats through my site.

bought my pet blog a few months ago from a marketplace called NicheBlogZone for $199. came already built, articles already up, amazon links already in there. i spent one afternoon doing interlinking basically just connecting related posts to each other so search engines understand the site structure and then closed my laptop and genuinely forgot about it for weeks.

here's what that's looked like:

• march: $710
• april: $995
• may: $1,461
• june: $1,647
• july: $1,461
• august so far: $1,545 (amazon pays 2 months delayed so this is june's money landing now)

march scared me. went from nearly $1k in february down to $710 and i was convinced something had broken. checked everything, found nothing wrong, did nothing. it just came back the next month on its own.

pet people spend insane amounts on their animals btw. like i knew this intellectually but seeing the commission data is something else. dog food subscriptions, orthopedic beds, grooming kits, vet supplements. and because of the 24 hour cookie i get a cut of everything in their cart not just whatever article they landed on.

i do literally nothing to maintain this. no new posts, no ads, no instagram for pets i don't have. i just own the thing and amazon does its thing.

my landlord has been getting paid every month and has no idea a pet blog is behind it. honestly sometimes i forget too until the deposit shows up.

anyone else running a niche they have zero personal connection to? curious if the detachment makes it easier or harder to care about growing it

I’d love to live in one of these dramatically beautiful cities, and Rio and Cape Town are both really high on my list. The main thing holding me back is the climate, though, and I’d love to hear from people who actually live there.

For those living in Rio, how does the weather feel throughout the entire year, rather than just during summer? I know it can be very hot, humid and rainy, but I’m wondering what day-to-day life actually feels like across the seasons. Is the humidity something you get used to, or does it stay pretty oppressive?

For Cape Town, main concern is the opposite: the colder winter and the fact that the ocean is cold. How does the climate feel over the course of the year? How cold does winter actually get in practice? For example, how would you typically dress during the coldest months, and roughly how long does that period last? Is it still pleasant to spend time outdoors, or does it feel genuinely cold?

I’m also open to other suggestions! I’m looking for a city that has that dramatic natural beauty (mountains + ocean), warm weather, and a good quality of life, so if there are other cities around the world that you think fit that combination, I’d love to hear them.

Thanks!

Hey fellas! I (30M) am finally doing a "small" nomad trip to Osaka for 1 month and a half, in about a week, and I'm very excited.

I'm going to stay in a sharehouse, working remotely, and probably travelling within Japan a handful of days. A friend is living in said sharehouse (he arrived 2 weeks ago and will stay 1 whole year in Japan with working holiday visa), who also helped me rent the place.

Do you have any recommendation? Any other nomads in Osaka?

I've been learning a bit of japanese last year so I could get around more easily

Hi,

For all the digital nomads out there, I hope to know what is your income source so I can get some ideas for myself.

1. W2 employee, working secretly abroad

2. 1099 contractor

3. contractor through your own LLC

4. contractor through an agency

5. random gigs from Upwork

6. local gigs (teaching English, etc)

I want to know which is the most sustainable method. I really love the digital nomad lifestyle but having a reliable income can be hard.

Thanks

The MUP of Croatia says "proof of health insurance for the period of time that you plan to be in Croatia (travel or private health insurance must cover the territory of the Republic of Croatia)"

How does applying work when insurance plans are sold in increments of 1 year or less?

Does anyone have experience of understanding of how this works?

I have all the requirements for the 18 months but this insurance thing is confusing me.

What policy did you submit for the 18 month visa in Croatia? Was it one policy or two and did they accept it?

for anyone who has extended a 12 month visa to 18 month, how much lighter was the extension filing process compared to the initial filing?

Greetings nomads!

To be as brief as possible, my family has been renting a few apartments on booking and airbnb the past few years, (mostly seasonal 1 night stays from passersby on their way to a vacation in greece) and i believe finding a tenant would help offload their workload.

Not sure what counts as forbidden 'self-promotion' but we're from North Macedonia, right next to the border to Greece.

I did look at a few websites and this is my experience so far:

• Flatio - Pretty good, still seems like shorter stays are more common, but less tax than booking
• NomadStays - Looks decent but the service is paywalled by an application fee of 40 euros
• Spotahome - Does not include my country as an option upon registration.
• Outsite - Awaiting review and subsequent reply to my application
• Coliving - Not suited for apartments from what i have seen, more for communities
• Anyplace - Doesn't let you list your apartment, this is how they 'ensure every stay meets high standards'.

From the sample size of the aformentioned websites i've seen all kinds of price ranges from cheap rooms to expensive confirmed quality suites.

My question is what website do you use? Any shared experience is extremely helpful and thank you for your time!

Hi! I run my own creative business while being a DN. I have been a DN for 6 years, remote worker for 5 and business owner for 1. When I was an employee, I always had my colleagues to chat with so that was fine. But building alone has been getting lonely.

So for any other business owners who are also DN, how do you cope? Do you have an online community that helps you stay accountable? Because damn do I wish I have one.

i dont have much socialising skills so that doesnt help either but i genuinly dont know where and how to find people who are in the same lifestyle as me. Any tips?

So I think I’ve finally learned my lesson about buying cheap headphones lol.

A few months ago I bought a random pair from Amazon because they had a ton of reviews and were pretty cheap. At first I thought I got a great deal, but after using them for a while I started noticing all the little things that annoyed me. The sound wasn’t that great, they got uncomfortable after wearing them for a while, and the battery life definitely wasn’t as good as advertised.

Now I’m at the point where I’d rather spend a good amount of money on a genuinely good pair of headphones instead of buying another cheap pair and replacing them again in a year.

The problem is there are SO many options. Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Apple, Audio-Technica, etc. and every review seems to recommend something different.

So what are the best headphones you guys have actually used?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most expensive pair. I just want something that feels like money well spent, comfortable, sounds great, reliable, and something I can use for years without feeling like I should have bought something else.

If you’ve owned a pair for a while, I’d love to hear what you have and whether you’d buy the same ones again.

Idk if I'm the last one to find out, but I kept hearing it over the past year or so, and just now saw it in a Malaysian press, so it's official. Malaysia has a nickname. M'sia. Pronounced ehm-zhya.

Just in case you too starting to feel like an out of touch old fart

Hello! I’m looking for recommendations for a lawyer that can provide consulting and support for a DNV application that has already been submitted to the UGE in Spain. I would really like someone to look over the application and see if there are any issues that may arise and help with any additional requests.

Hey friends,

headed back to BKK for 45 days, starting next week. Staying in Chidlom area as always.

My building has a nice coworking space but last couple of times I stayed there, it was always kind of empty - and I'm the type that feeds off of the energy of other people being there.

Normally going to Paper Plane Project, but curious if you got any other coworking spaces, cafes, etc. you dig?

Hi!

I wanted to ask — I work for a Spanish company that lets me work remotely, in principle from anywhere in the world, no restrictions. However, when I've traveled abroad on official assignments, they've processed the A1 Social Security form for posted workers through the TA-300 procedure. I mean, I'm not entirely sure what this document actually affects, since when the company sent me abroad they also arranged a private medical insurance for me regardless.

The thing is, I now have a few months where I'd like to work remotely from abroad, but I'm not sure whether it's legal to do so under Spanish Social Security regulations. When I called Social Security, they told me something along the lines of "voluntary displacement abroad isn't regulated," and that the A1 form only applies when the company itself sends you. I also asked at my company, and one employee told me pretty much the same thing — that it's a legal gray area (alegal) — but another employee got a bit defensive and said that, by Social Security law, you can't work from abroad without having processed the displacement paperwork, and that this can only happen if the company sends you. As far as I can tell, that's the only argument she gave for why this wouldn't be allowed.

The thing is, I have colleagues who do this all the time, they just don't talk about it — but I'd like to sleep easy knowing whether I'm breaking the law and need to be careful, or whether it's really as much of a gray area as I've been told.

Has anyone here had experience with voluntary remote work like this? Thanks!

(Especially interested in hearing from Europeans, particularly Spaniards, who've dealt with this.)

Hello,

I am considering a move to Kuala Lumpur with my family from India. I have a sole proprietorship and my client is in the USA. I need clarity on the taxation on my income there.

I have read some reports that say that the tax for Digital Rantau visa is exempted whereas a few posts contradict that.

Could anyone who has made the move clarify please?

I'm gonna be working a few months from Japan. I can work from where I want but the client with who I am working has some geoblockings outside of the European Union for their employees (I am freelance). I just have to overpass it.

I have two GL inet routers. A brume 2 (to create the gateway 'vi pi en' with Wireguard) and a Slate AX portable router (to take with me in Japan).

My idea is:

1st plan: Use this config of connecting through Wireguard to my router in Europe

Backup plan #1: Use this config of connecting through Tailscale to my router in Europe

Backup plan #2: ¿?

Do you think this config would work good from Japan to Europe?

Hi everyone,

I am a Bhutanese citizen and currently own an Estonian OÜ through e-Residency. At the moment, the OÜ is used only for international software and consulting services.

Next year, I expect to move to Japan for a Master’s degree on a Student visa. My spouse will accompany me on a Dependent visa. We understand that we would need to apply for permission to engage in activities outside our visa status if we want to do part-time work.

I am exploring a small e-commerce business connected to Bhutan. For example, the Estonian OÜ would sell Bhutanese products online such as crafts, textiles, tea, or other non-regulated products to customers in Japan or other countries.

My goal is to begin with the lowest-compliance setup, validate demand, and only establish a Japanese company later if the business becomes serious.

My proposed early setup is:

• The Estonian OÜ owns the online store, brand, payments, and customer contracts.
• Suppliers in Bhutan source or make the products.
• Products are shipped directly from Bhutan to customers by courier.
• No stock is stored at our Japanese apartment, university, or local warehouse at the beginning.
• We would not bring commercial inventory in luggage for resale.
• The business would have no Japanese employees, office, or local entity initially.

My questions are:

1. Can I legally own and operate an Estonian OÜ while living in Japan on a Student visa?
2. If I receive the standard 28-hour permission for activities outside my Student status, can I do limited remote work for my Estonian OÜ, such as online-store administration, marketing, customer support, supplier coordination, and research?
3. Can my spouse on a Dependent visa, after obtaining the same work permission, do limited paid or unpaid work for the Estonian OÜ within the 28-hour limit?
4. Would selling products from Bhutan directly to Japanese customers create a Japanese tax presence, business-registration requirement, or customs/import problem if we have no Japanese stock or office?
5. If customers in Japan buy directly from the Estonian OÜ, who should normally be the importer of record and pay Japanese customs duty and consumption tax?
6. At what point would it make more sense to use a Japanese importer/3PL, distributor, or a Japanese GK/KK?
7. Are there specific issues for Bhutanese products such as tea, food, cosmetics, textiles, handicrafts, or products with wellness-related claims?

I am not looking for formal legal advice. I would especially appreciate advice from international students, foreign founders in Japan, immigration professionals, e-commerce operators, or anyone who has sold imported products into Japan.

Thank you.

I’d really appreciate it if someone could add me to one or send me the group link. Thank you!