The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is a document that gives the right of residence in the country to those who work remotely and are tax residents of another state. In the early 2020s, in the context of the trend of promoting distance work, the European Union introduced a series of business initiatives for migrants from third countries who do not want or can not live where their employer is.
The first European country to decide to experiment with Digital Nomad Visa was Estonia. The first digital nomads received Estonian visas in August 2020. The results of the experiment showed that there is a demand for DNV, especially against the backdrop of the pandemic outbreak, which severely limited opportunities for tourist and large-scale travel with a complicated residence permit process.
In January 2022, Cyprus started issuing Digital Nomad Visa
In the spring of 2021, Nikos Anastasiadis spoke about the Digital Nomad Visa and other "digital" innovations in the context of the Recovery Plan for the losses from the almost complete closure of the tourism industry. It was then that the government considered and approved the possibility of importing DNV for those foreigners working remotely who have not yet planned or are not going to obtain a residence permit in general, but want to live in the Republic for some time, renting or buying their own property in Cyprus. At the same time, DNV recipients may expect a shorter naturalization period.
Digital Nomad Visa can be obtained remotely by employees of digital companies, self-employed in the fields of information and digital technology, startups, freelancers. The visas of the first Cypriot "digital nomads" are valid for one year with the possibility of extension. Visa documents are processed for up to three weeks - many times faster than for a guest residence permit. DNV covers the relocation of dependents and entitles them to work in the country during the visa period. The minimum income of a "digital nomad" who wants to get a visa must be from 2,500 euros per month, it is also necessary to have housing for the entire stay and full medical insurance.
Cyprus has every opportunity to become a technological hub of the Mediterranean
For 2022, Cyprus has an excellent digital infrastructure. But it also requires modernization so that democracy can really claim the title of the digital hub of the Mediterranean. To this end, the digitization of bureaucratic procedures, the expansion of the 5G network with cybersecurity guarantees, as well as the introduction of other reforms important for the digitization of the country are planned.