digital nomad visa cost
Digital nomad visa cost comparison: fees and income tests
Digital nomad visas are marketed on lifestyle and sold on paperwork. The real filter is the income test, and the gap between programmes is wide: Spain sits lowest of the major European routes, Portugal highest, and Greece in between while charging a government fee more than ten times Spain's. Thailand ignores income entirely and tests savings instead. Figures below were checked against published guidance and change without notice.
The income test is the real filter
Almost every applicant who fails a digital nomad visa fails on income, not on paperwork. So the useful comparison is not which country is nicest but which threshold you clear, and the spread across the main European routes is larger than the marketing suggests.
Spain sets the lowest bar of the three major European programmes, pegged to a multiple of its minimum wage and landing near 2,849 euros a month for a single applicant, with defined uplifts for family members. Greece expects roughly 3,500 euros a month net, with an uplift of about 20 percent for a spouse and 15 percent for each dependent child. Portugal's D8 sits highest, at roughly 3,680 euros a month, calculated as four times the national minimum wage, and additionally expects savings of about 11,040 euros.
Read those together and the ranking is not what most readers expect. The country with the cheapest income test is also the one with the cheapest government fee.
Fees diverge more sharply than income
Spain's government application fee is a single modest charge of about 73 euros per applicant. Portugal splits its cost between a consular visa fee of roughly 90 to 120 euros and a residence permit fee of about 170 euros, with most applicants reporting 300 to 600 euros in total official costs. Greece charges substantially more, with an initial residence permit fee in the region of 1,016 euros.
So on official fees alone, Greece can cost more than ten times Spain for the same category of permit. That difference is invisible in most lifestyle comparisons and is larger than the difference in income thresholds.
None of these figures include the costs that actually dominate a real budget: document translation, apostilles, criminal record certificates, private health insurance, and legal help if you use it. Those routinely exceed the government fee by a multiple.
Thailand tests savings, not income
Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa is structurally different and worth understanding as a separate category. It sets no monthly income requirement. Instead it asks for liquid funds of 500,000 Thai baht or equivalent, held for roughly three months and evidenced by a bank statement covering three to six months, with a government fee of 10,000 baht.
That suits a different applicant entirely. A freelancer with lumpy earnings and healthy savings clears Thailand comfortably while potentially failing Portugal's monthly test, and a salaried remote employee with a high income but little saved has the opposite problem.
The trade-off is duration and status. The Thai route is a long-validity visa permitting extended stays rather than a European residence permit with a path toward permanence, and using it as designed brings its own tax residency question.
The costs that are not on the fee schedule
Three recurring items belong in any honest comparison. Private health insurance is required on the European routes and is charged per person with a steep age curve. Processing time is a cost when it is long: Portugal's D8 has been reported taking many months end to end, while Spain's is measured in weeks. And in-country application, where it was once possible, is being closed off — Greece moved to requiring consular applications from February 2026, which adds travel to the budget.
Tax treatment belongs here too, because it can dwarf every fee on this page. Spain offers a flat-rate regime to qualifying applicants for a limited period, which for a higher earner is worth more than the entire cost of the application. Thailand's tax residency threshold sits at the same 180-day mark the visa is built around.
Compare total first-year outlay including insurance and documents, then compare the tax position, then compare the fee. Most published comparisons do it in exactly the reverse order.
Health cover is a required line item on the European routes and a practical necessity on the Thai one. SafetyWing sells travel medical cover useful for the application window and for travel before a permit exists. It is not a domestic health policy in any of these countries and may not be accepted as proof of cover for a residence application — confirm acceptance with the consulate handling your file first.
Common questions
Which digital nomad visa has the lowest income requirement?
Of the major European routes, Spain sets the lowest bar, pegged to a multiple of its minimum wage and landing near 2,849 euros a month for a single applicant in 2026. Greece expects roughly 3,500 euros net a month and Portugal's D8 roughly 3,680 euros. Thailand sets no monthly income test at all, asking instead for liquid savings of 500,000 baht or equivalent. Thresholds are set by the authorities and change with minimum wage revisions, so confirm the current figure before applying.
How much does a digital nomad visa cost in government fees?
Government fees vary far more than income thresholds. Spain charges roughly 73 euros per applicant. Portugal splits its cost across a consular visa fee of about 90 to 120 euros and a residence permit fee of about 170 euros. Greece charges considerably more, around 1,016 euros for the initial permit. Thailand's fee is 10,000 baht. None of these include translation, apostilles, criminal record certificates, insurance or legal fees, which usually exceed the official fee several times over.
Do digital nomad visas require health insurance?
The European routes generally do, and the detail matters. Greece expects cover from a provider authorised to operate in Greece, and Spain requires qualifying private health insurance. Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa does not impose a mandatory insurance condition, though travelling there uninsured is unwise given there is no reciprocal healthcare arrangement. Confirm the specific requirement and whether your insurer is acceptable with the consulate handling your application.
Can you apply for a digital nomad visa from inside the country?
Increasingly not. Greece moved to requiring applications through a Greek consulate before travelling, under legislation effective from February 2026, ending the in-country route. Thailand requires application from outside the country through its official e-Visa system. Spain has permitted certain in-country applications. Because this is exactly the sort of rule that changes, confirm the current position with the relevant authority rather than relying on any guide.
Which digital nomad visa is cheapest overall?
On official fees Spain is clearly the cheapest of the European options and Greece the most expensive, by a factor of more than ten. But total first-year outlay is dominated by insurance, document preparation and legal help rather than the fee, and the tax regime can matter more than all of it. Compare total outlay including insurance, then the tax position, then the fee.
Official sources to verify
- Spain — international mobility and residence authorisationsMinisterio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
- Portuguese visa portal — residence visasMinistério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Portugal
- Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum — residence permitsHellenic Republic Ministry of Migration and Asylum
- Thailand e-Visa official application systemMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand
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