We were a long-term travelling family with kids for almost 7 years. During that period, digital nomad visas were just starting to exist, they were unheard of way back in 2012. The expression “digital nomad” was just coming into being. We travelled the world as tourists, on regular tourist visas, funded mostly by savings plus frugality, and without “a job” between us. These tourist visas are often 3 month visas, and in some countries, they can be renewed or extended. This is how most digital nomad families travel the world. Today, there are dozens of countries that offer digital nomad visas for longer periods of time. In this post, we’ll consider these visas, talk about income requirement, and how having a family can affect that.
The system is weighed against families in terms of finances. The requirements are honestly impractical and not feasible for families who plan to travel, and enjoy that travel, plus the family time that a freedom lifestyle should give us.
I think that these digital nomad visas assume high financial need, where a lot of us travel to reduce our expenses. I’ve said many times that travel is cheaper than staying home, and it can be. These visas assume a regular “job”. a 9-5 lifestyle and high costs of living. But we’ll talk about that.
Digital Nomad Visas With Kids
The whole process of applying for a digital nomad visa reminds me very much of my time applying for, and getting, my permanent resident visa for Australia. There is a lot of paperwork, a lot of evidence to present, and a burden of proof on the applicant.
I’ve done my own research on this and taken advice from a few people who know about these things. I don’t think that a digital nomad visa would ever be anything I would need or want in a worldschooling scenario. But maybe once the kids have flown the nest, I’ll think about it.
I’m very happy on a tourist visa and have no need to stay in one place for extended periods of time. In worldschooling, we take our kids to as many diverse places as possible, we don’t generally stay in one spot.
But it’s an interesting travel style and a new way of living, so here it is. Tell me in the comments if a digital nomad visa would be anything you’d ever want, and why.
It’s a very complex system with huge variations between countries. You need to find information on the specific country that interests you, for instance, the regulations for Spain are here.
Which Countries Offer Digital Nomad Visas?
There is a long list of countries that offer digital nomad visas today. Of course, these may change, visa requirements often do.
Over 50 countries, that I have found, are offering these visas. In Europe, Spain, Portugal and Croatia have popular visas for nomads. There are more countries in Asia, (including some in the Middle East), Africa and the Americas. Costa Rica is another popular digital nomad retreat. Indonesia (Bali) asks for $2000 per month in provable income.
The situation with tax varies, in some countries, you are tax exempt for the first 6 months on a digital nomad temporary residence visa, but look into this carefully.
How Much Income Do You Need For a Digital Nomad Visa?
The amount of income you will need to prove varies enormously. Colombia asks for around $1000 of income per month, per applicant, Costa Rica asks for $4000 per month for a family unit, Spain $3,300 approx. This page lists countries with visas and their pay threshold requirements.
These thresholds often land around 1.2 to 2 times the local minimum salary for somebody in full-time employment, presumably.
If you consider that in our days of budget travel, we spent $30000 in 2 years, that’s $1250 per month. We didn’t spend anywhere near these income thresholds for a family of 4 and didn’t need to. We took 2 trans-Atlantic cruises in that 2 year period so we weren’t scrimping or living hand to mouth.
These visa requirements are overestimating the cost of travel for most of us. We have a post here where we compare various costs of 1 year of travel, if you’re wondering what long-term travel, or even a gap year, really costs.
How to Prove Income for Digital Nomad Visas with Kids
Having kids makes it much harder to qualify for a digital nomad visa in most countries. Each country’s requirements are different, but most require proof of income. These income thresholds are for 1 person, so if you hope to apply for a digital nomad visa for you and your family, those thresholds will likely be raised.
The officials are looking for a stable, reliable, fairly high, income. Most of us who travel full-time with kids don’t have that. Family and travel are our first priorities, over and above having “a job.”
If an adult couple plus kids, plan on getting a digital nomad visa, they will both need the sort of income that comes from “a job.” Alternatively, one of them will need a very substantial income. That’s just not possible or practical for most worldschooling families.
It also doesn’t sound like fun!
You need to understand what each individual consulate or official will be looking for in your visa application.
You have to prove existing income or have an employment contract, so you can’t wing it. You must have an established income before you step into the digital nomad visa scene.
Income Thresholds for Families
Countries set income minimums to ensure families can adequately support themselves in that particular country. The baseline applies to the main applicant and increases for each child or dependent.
Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives full details on which family members qualify. They also ask for degrees and professional experience for what they call a “teleworker visa”
On top of a valid passport and adequate insurance, you may also need to provide proof of a place to stay plus the following financial documents. Some countries will check for criminal records.
- bank statements
- invoices
- pay stubs, contracts or employment documentation
- tax returns
You may need to prove income in multiple ways so that officials can cross check information.
How Employees, Contractors and the Self-Employed Can Show Income
No matter what form of remote work you’re engaged in, you should be able to provide some sort of adequate proof of meeting minimum income thresholds.
Employees
Employment contracts plus recent, clearly formatted pay stubs usually do the trick. You can create pay stubs online and use a pay stub generator if your employer doesn’t issue standardised versions. Your numbers need to match your bank deposits and tax filings for cross-checking.
Freelancers and Contractors
Show regular invoicing, deposits to your bank and/or, and long-term client agreements.
Self-Employed Workers
As a blogger, I am self-employed. I could show income from advertising with Mediavine, which is paid monthly, alongside regular payments for hotel and tour bookings. My business is registered and I have tax records. Those would help.
However, my income is highly seasonal with large fluctuations, it would have to be presented as an annual average to qualify.
Digital nomad visa staff look for clear evidence in paperwork. Make your application easy to comprehend.
Staying Organised While Traveling and Worldschooling
Kids, regular packing and unpacking, parenting, activities, and paperwork don’t mix well. Somebody in the family needs to be the organiser and keep clear digital records of income. In our family, it is my husband. I’m more likely to be busy with kids, travel planning, or laundry. He is our organiser.
If I were to apply for a digital nomad visa today, I know that we have records of income going back years that I could submit. There are backups, spreadsheets and tax records. So if you plan on taking this route, start getting organised as soon as possible.
Would I Consider a Digital Nomad Visa For Retirement?
Every country updates its rules often, but at the moment, there are several countries where I could qualify for a digital nomad visa. Bali appeals somewhat, maybe Sri Lanka. It would be quite hard to gather the correct proof of income, as my income as a travel blogger comes from dozens of sources in different countries. It also made getting a mortgage very hard, by the way. But we got there. Right now, I have no need of visas for nomadic travel, but who knows, life changes, and if a point came where we sold the farm, maybe it would be a good “retirement” option. I have no intention of stopping work, so retirement visas wouldn’t be for me. Life comes in phases. We did the normal, we did the travel, we did the homestead. What comes next? Who knows?
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