The honest answer is that it is usually not permitted, frequently not enforced, and the gap between those two things is where most remote workers live.
That gap has been narrowing.
What tourist visas actually say
Tourist visas and visa-free entries almost universally prohibit "gainful employment" or "work". The wording rarely distinguishes between working for a local employer and working for a foreign one — which is the distinction remote workers assume protects them.
The common defence is that you're not taking a local job or entering the labour market. That reasoning has real force, and some countries accept it. Others explicitly do not.
France closed the argument
In December 2025 France formally clarified that remote work is banned on visitor visas. Prefectures have since actively refused renewals where applicants disclosed any remote work activity — including for foreign employers.
This matters beyond France. It is the clearest formal statement any major destination has made, and it went the restrictive way. Anyone relying on "they only mean local work" should note that when a government was asked directly, that reading lost.
Where it's prohibited
Explicitly prohibited on tourist entry:
| Country | Note |
|---|---|
| France | Formally confirmed banned, Dec 2025; renewals refused |
| Germany | Any work activity prohibited on tourist entry |
| Spain | Prohibited — use the nomad visa instead |
| Italy | Prohibited |
| Netherlands | Prohibited |
| Australia | Unusually direct that visitor status does not permit work |
| Japan | Tourist stays not intended for remote work |
| China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea | Strict |
Note that Spain, Italy and Portugal all appear here and offer nomad visas. That is not a coincidence — creating the visa is how a country signals the tourist route was never it.
Where it's tolerated
Countries generally relaxed about remote work on tourist entry include Thailand, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, and Portugal for short stays.
"Relaxed" means enforcement is rare, not that it's authorised. The rule usually still says no. What differs is whether anyone acts on it.
Thailand is instructive: widely tolerant in practice, and it still built the DTV. If the tourist route were genuinely fine, the DTV would have no market.
What actually happens if you're caught
Realistic consequences, roughly in order of likelihood:
- Nothing. The overwhelmingly common outcome.
- Questions at the border. Laptop stickers, coworking receipts and a suspiciously long stay invite them.
- Refused entry. No appeal, and you've already flown.
- Renewal or extension refused — France's current pattern, and the most likely place to get caught, because you have to disclose.
- Visa cancellation or deportation. Rare, and usually alongside something else.
- Entry ban. Rarer again.
The realistic risk is not being arrested. It is being turned around at a border, or having an extension refused after you've built a life somewhere.
Why the risk profile changed
Two things shifted the calculus:
Automated border records. The EU's Entry/Exit System replaced passport stamps in April 2026. Patterns that were invisible when officers flipped through stamps — repeated long stays, near-continuous presence — are now legible instantly.
Disclosure at renewal. Enforcement rarely happens at entry. It happens when you apply to extend and have to explain what you've been doing. France is refusing at exactly this point.
The cleaner options
More than 60 countries now offer some form of dedicated remote work visa. If you're going somewhere for months rather than weeks, one of them almost certainly covers you:
- Spain — €2,849/month, up to 3 years
- Portugal — €3,680/month, 2 years
- Italy — €28,000/year
- Thailand DTV — savings-based, 5 years
- Costa Rica — $3,000/month, foreign income tax-exempt
An honest position
Answering email from a beach for two weeks is not what these rules were written for, and nobody is looking for you.
Living somewhere for eight months on rolling tourist entries while running a business is a different thing, and it is increasingly visible. The rule was always the same; what changed is that the records are now automatic and permanent.
If a country matters enough to spend months in, it's worth the visa that lets you.
What the process is actually like
[Author section — first-hand or sourced. Accounts of French prefecture refusals would be the highest-value addition.]
Frequently asked questions
Is working remotely on a tourist visa illegal? In most countries it is not permitted. Tourist visas prohibit work, and the wording usually doesn't distinguish local from foreign employers. Enforcement is inconsistent, but the rule generally isn't ambiguous.
Which countries explicitly ban it? France confirmed the ban in December 2025. Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and South Korea all prohibit work on tourist entry.
Which countries tolerate it? Thailand, Mexico, Colombia and Indonesia are generally relaxed in practice, as is Portugal for short stays. Tolerated is not the same as authorised.
What happens if I'm caught? Most likely nothing. Realistic risks are border questioning, refused entry, or — most commonly — a refused extension when you have to disclose what you've been doing.
Does it matter that my employer is foreign? Often not. That distinction is the assumption most remote workers rely on, and France explicitly rejected it in December 2025.
What's the alternative? Over 60 countries offer dedicated remote work visas. For stays of months rather than weeks, that is the clean route.
Official sources
Verified 29 July 2026. Rules and enforcement vary by country and change without notice. This is a reference, not legal advice.