Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, introduced a “Destination Thailand Visa” on July 22nd, allowing digital nomads to stay for up to 180 days, with a five-year validity period.
The visa application fee is 10,000 baht (US$283) and applicants are required to have financial resources of at least 500,000 baht.
Earlier this year, Indonesia introduced the Bali Remote Worker Visa (also known as E33G), which allows digital nomads to stay on the island for up to a year and requires them to earn at least $60,000 a year.
In June, the Indonesian government vowed to improve the quality of the country's internet service in an effort to turn the island of Bali into a global hub for digital nomads.
Last month it also introduced a new “golden visa” that allows people to stay for up to 10 years.
For the five-year visa, individual investors will need to set up a company worth $2.5 million, while the 10-year option will require an investment of $5 million.
In April, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a visa exclusively for remote workers earning more than 10 million yen a year.
Applicants must be nationals or residents of a country or region that has a visa waiver agreement with Japan. This visa allows individuals to work in Japan for up to six months and is non-renewable.
Taiwan announced in July that it would soon launch a six-month visa program for digital nomads.
South Korea began this on January 1st, allowing stays of one year, renewable for another year.
To qualify, applicants must prove they have an income at least twice the per capita income of South Korea in the previous year, so in 2024, the minimum income required for a digital nomad will be $64,000.
Additionally, applicants must have worked in their current industry for at least one year and provide proof of health insurance and a clean criminal record.
According to Citizen Remote, a website run by a group of digital nomads from around the world, Vietnam is a perfect destination for digital nomads because of its low cost of living, safety and free Wi-Fi.
However, as Vietnam still does not have a special visa policy for them, they have to make do with tourist visas.
Vietnam offers three-month tourist visas to citizens of all countries and territories.
