During the COVID-19 period, several governments introduced or considered longer-stay routes for people working remotely for employers or clients abroad. In a July 2022 snapshot, the OECD counted specific digital-nomad visas or permits in six OECD countries—Costa Rica, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland and Latvia—and at least 22 non-OECD countries. That is a dated count, not a current visa list, and permission to enter a country did not automatically mean permission to live there long-term or work remotely from there.
What “countries for remote work” meant during COVID-19
COVID-era office closures and travel restrictions coincided with a rapid expansion in teleworking. Governments, particularly those looking to replace lost tourism revenue or attract foreign talent, began creating or considering residence routes for people whose income came from work performed for employers or clients abroad.
The OECD summarized the trend in its July 2022 report, Should OECD countries develop new Digital Nomad Visas?: “Most DNVs and similar visas for remote workers with foreign income sources have been launched since 2020 in response to COVID-19-related worldwide travel restrictions which severely reduced tourism revenue.” This describes the policy context; it is not a measured estimate that the restrictions alone caused the programs or that the visas delivered the promised economic benefits.
For any country and date, three separate questions matter:
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- Could you enter? This depended on nationality, visa-free access or an entry visa, and pandemic-era border controls.
- Could you stay longer? A visitor admission and a longer-term residence status were different legal routes.
- Could you work remotely while there? That depended on the destination’s law and the terms of the person’s status. Entry permission by itself did not settle the question.
OECD countries with documented schemes and launch dates
The OECD’s July 2022 review identified six OECD countries with specific digital-nomad visas or permits. It provides launch dates for five examples in the summary; it does not state a launch date for Iceland there.
| Country | Timing stated by the OECD | What the timing establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Estonia | August 2020 | The OECD identifies it as the first OECD country to introduce a digital-nomad visa scheme. |
| Costa Rica | End of 2021 | The OECD says it introduced a remote-worker visa scheme. |
| Greece | End of 2021 | The OECD says it introduced a remote-worker visa scheme. |
| Hungary | February 2022 | The OECD says it launched the White Card. |
| Latvia | June 2022 | The OECD says it introduced a digital-nomad visa. |
| Iceland | Not stated in the OECD summary | Iceland is included among the six OECD countries with a specific visa or permit in the July 2022 snapshot. |
The same OECD snapshot counted at least 22 non-OECD countries with specific digital-nomad visas or permits. It does not provide a complete month-by-month worldwide list in the material summarized here, so the count should not be read as a full chronology of every pandemic-era program.
How the programs differed
“Digital-nomad visa” was not one standardized legal category. Some governments created a purpose-built remote-worker route; others used an existing residence category. The OECD reported broad patterns, not identical terms across countries:
- Stays were generally longer than ordinary tourist visas.
- Programs often excluded or restricted access to the local labor market, focusing instead on foreign employers or clients.
- Applicants generally had to show minimum earnings or adequate financial means, though the required amount and evidence varied.
- Rules for spouses and dependants differed.
- Tax treatment varied by country and scheme. Becoming a tax resident could depend on time spent in-country, among other rules, so a remote-work visa should not be treated as a blanket tax exemption.
These are general features, not a substitute for the rules of a named program on a specific date. Eligibility could turn on nationality, income source, documentation, visa status and local law. Employers and workers could also face tax or administrative questions that the visa itself did not resolve. The OECD cautioned in 2022 that the programs’ expected economic benefits were not yet proven and that legal, tax, administrative and enforcement issues remained.
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South Africa shows why entry and work permission are different
On 4 October 2020, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs announced the restoration of visa-free status for citizens of South Korea, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Iran. The announcement said that restoring visa-free status did not change the COVID-19 regulations. It separately described testing requirements and a high-risk list that was to be updated fortnightly. The announcement therefore documented entry-policy changes and public-health controls—not a general authorization to work remotely.
On 19 May 2021, Western Cape officials called on the national government to introduce a remote-working visa as a way to support tourism recovery. The province’s statement quoted Premier Alan Winde: “Given the severe impact that Covid-19 has had on the tourism sector in South Africa, this innovative visa would be a great contribution to our recovery.” That was advocacy for a proposed national route, not evidence that South Africa already had such a visa in force.
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How to interpret pandemic-era country lists
A historical list can identify where governments had established specific routes by a stated date; it cannot, on its own, tell an individual whether they could lawfully work during a particular trip. A reliable answer requires the destination, traveler’s nationality, intended dates, type of work and applicable immigration status. It also requires checking whether a program was merely proposed, had launched, or had changed since the date of the source.
In particular, a country reopening its border or restoring visa-free travel did not necessarily authorize remote work on visitor status. Conversely, the existence of a purpose-built remote-worker route did not mean every visitor qualified or could take local employment. The OECD’s July 2022 count is useful as a snapshot of policy development during the pandemic, not as current travel or visa advice.
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