Initially an innovative idea for countries looking to boost their economies, digital nomad visas have become an extremely common way for nations to attract young and active individuals who will spend money locally, while not taking jobs from the local population.
On the worker side, such visas are a way to spend more time traveling through a country than permitted by a typical tourist visa while earning the funds to finance oneself, but also not going through the much more complex process of applying for a residence visa.
In the last year, countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Italy have all either launched or are preparing to launch such visas for foreign citizens. Countries such as Estonia and Bulgaria, meanwhile, were some of the earliest to offer such options back in 2020.
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At the start of the month, the African nation of Kenya became the latest country to announce the launch of a new visa for remote workers. Only a handful of countries on the continent — South Africa, Namibia, Cape Verde and Mauritius — currently have something similar.
‘Live and work while enjoying the country’s natural beauty and lifestyle’
The new visa will follow a format very similar to what has already been spearheaded by other nations. Applicants need to have a valid passport from a foreign country and proof of income of at least $55,000 USD a year in order to stay in the country for longer than the typical 90-day period allowed tourists from countries with powerful passports (as well as the right to do this work while on the country’s territory.)
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Details such as how long the visa will be valid or when it will become available have not yet been released.
“[The new visa] is specifically designed to welcome global digital professionals, allowing them to live and work in Kenya while enjoying the country’s natural beauty and high-quality lifestyle,’ Kenya President William Ruto announced at the Magical Kenya Travel Expo on Oct. 2 in Nairobi.
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Want to live and work in Kenya? Here is what you need to do
Kenya, which has been seeing some of the fastest-growing tourism numbers out of any other African nation, has been taking major steps to grow traveler interest even further by making it easier for visitors to come there.
At the end of 2023, the country has expanded the visa-free tourism policy it formerly tested on citizens of nearby African countries to everyone regardless of nationality. Instead, visitors with any passport will apply for an electronic travel authorization online that will either be approved or not automatically (while it is being presented as Kenya opening up to all, those with weaker passports are more likely to not be approved on the spot but have one’s online authorization application and details reviewed in more depth by a customs worker.)
"It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya," Ruto announced in a Dec. 12 speech celebrating the country's 60-year independence from Great Britain.
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