Cheapest Digital Nomad Visas 2026: Lowest Income Thresholds Compared

"Cheapest" means two different things and most comparisons blur them: the income you must prove, and the fee you must pay. A visa can be free to apply for and still require $3,000 a month.

Lowest income thresholds

Mauritius is the clear answer on both measures — the lowest income requirement of any active programme, and genuinely no application or processing fee. Approval can come in about a week. Add $500/month per unmarried dependent child under 24.

The catch is duration: six months to a year, and the tax position changes at 183 days, after which you become resident and money remitted to Mauritius becomes taxable.

Italy is the cheapest European option at €28,000/year — well below Spain and Portugal. Its difficulty is elsewhere: you must produce a signed lease in your own name before applying, and passive income doesn't count toward the threshold.

Georgia: the free option that no longer exists

This one needs correcting because it is still repeated everywhere.

"Remotely from Georgia" was genuinely free, required $2,000/month or $24,000 in savings, and processed in about ten days. It was the standard answer to "cheapest nomad visa."

It is discontinued. Amendments passed in June 2025 introduced mandatory work permits for foreign nationals from 1 March 2026, splitting visa-free entry from the right to work.

What remains: citizens of 90+ countries — including the US, UK, EU states, Canada and Australia — can still enter Georgia visa-free for up to 365 days. That is exceptional and unchanged. But visa-free entry now no longer carries an automatic right to work remotely; that requires a permit.

Any list still showing Georgia at $0 was written before March 2026 and hasn't been checked since. It's a useful test of whether a source maintains its pages.

"Free" usually isn't

A zero application fee rarely means a zero-cost application. Recurring real costs:

• Health insurance — mandatory almost everywhere. Italy requires €30,000 coverage; Spain requires full cover with no co-pays or waiting periods.
• Apostilles — criminal record certificates and similar. US federal apostilles run weeks and cost per document.
• Sworn translations — Italy and Spain both require them, by recognised translators.
• Criminal record certificates — fees plus processing time.
• Second-stage fees — Spain's TIE card, Portugal's AIMA appointment, Italy's permesso di soggiorno.

Realistically, budget several hundred dollars even for a free visa, and more if you use a lawyer.

Cheapest by what you actually have

Low income, savings instead: Thailand's DTV tests savings, not monthly income — 500,000 THB (~$16,000) held three months. The only major visa that works this way, and the right answer for irregular earners with capital.

Low income, want Europe: Italy at €2,333/month, provided you can solve the lease requirement.

Low income, want tax certainty: Costa Rica at $3,000/month exempts foreign income by law rather than by treaty interpretation — the most solid exemption of any programme here.

Absolute lowest bar: Mauritius, if six months to a year suits you.

Compare every option side by side →

What cheap costs you

The low-threshold options are generally the short ones. Mauritius gives up to a year with no renewal path; Georgia's programme was one year and non-renewable before it ended; Estonia is a year with no renewal.

The visas that lead somewhere — Spain at three years, Portugal at two plus three — ask for more income precisely because they're the start of a residency track rather than a long holiday.

Pick for what you're actually doing. If you want a year somewhere warm, optimise for the threshold. If you're building toward residency, the cheap options are a detour.

What the process is actually like

[Author section — first-hand or sourced. An itemised all-in cost for one completed application would be genuinely original.]

Frequently asked questions

Which digital nomad visa has the lowest income requirement? Mauritius, at $1,500 per month, with no application fee.

Is there a free digital nomad visa? Mauritius charges no application or processing fee. You will still pay for insurance, apostilles and translations.

Is Georgia's digital nomad visa still free? The "Remotely from Georgia" programme is discontinued. Mandatory work permits for foreign nationals took effect on 1 March 2026. Visa-free entry for up to 365 days remains, but no longer carries an automatic right to work remotely.

What's the cheapest European nomad visa? Italy, at €28,000 per year (€2,333/month), with a €116 application fee.

What if my income is irregular? Thailand's DTV tests savings rather than monthly income — 500,000 THB held for at least three months.

Do cheap visas have downsides? Generally shorter duration and no renewal path. Higher-threshold visas like Spain's and Portugal's are structured as residency tracks.

Official sources

• Economic Development Board Mauritius — Premium Visa
• Ministero degli Affari Esteri — Italy visa portal

Verified 29 July 2026. Income thresholds are frequently indexed to local minimum wages and change annually. Confirm current figures before applying.