Digital Nomad Visa: What Employers Need to Know

Digital nomad visa memo

With the rise of remote work and travel, it’s important to know the general rules for employees who work and travel internationally as “remote workers”.

Many countries allow remote work, as long as the employee does not perform any work for a local company.  This has given rise to a large number of individuals seeking to experience living in new places while maintaining their job in the country of origin.
Here are a few important points to consider as an employer permitting remote work abroad:

1. If your employees are traveling for personal reasons, it is not the responsibility of the employer to obtain their immigration/visa document. Employer sponsored work visas are not applicable for remote workers who are performing work for a company incorporated outside of their host country. As such, the employee will need to pursue the relevant visa for themselves based on their own merit (e.g. qualify for a digital nomad visa).
2. Setting expectations and policies as an organization around remote working is important. Policies can include the following: responsible party for costs, period of stay abroad permitted, time zone/working hours restrictions, etc. We usually recommend a formal global mobility policy be put in place with a section specifically dedicated to remote working abroad. 
3. Review the implications for your employee when it comes to health insurance and taxation. Some digital nomad visas will require local health insurance in the host country and will often subject the visa holder to local taxes and social security contributions, unless paying these contributions from the country of origin (reqs. will vary).

For a list of countries with a digital nomad visa category, see below.


If you have any more specific questions for a corporate relocation case and want to make sure your employees are traveling safely and legally, shoot me a DM! 

Countries with digital nomad visas: