PRAGUE – Authorities in the Czech Republic have approved a new digital nomad visa for highly skilled workers to work remotely, away from their countries.
“The government approved two new economic migration programs. One is aimed at a group of highly qualified and top IT workers – so-called digital nomads, who will thus get the opportunity to apply for a residence permit in the Czech Republic,” the statement of the Ministry reads.
Commenting on the visa, Minister of Industry and Trade, Jozef Síkela elaborated that none of the country’s existing economic migration programmes cover digital nomads adding that by launching this new programme, the Czech Republic seeks to make the country an attractive destination for digital nomads.
“Among other things, we want to create an interesting environment for the operation and development of foreign technology teams in the Czech Republic, which is why we are coming up with a new programme that targets digital nomads in particular,” Minister Síkela stated.
Currently, the programme will be limited to certain foreign citizens including Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the United States, and Taiwan.
The workers who participate in the programme will be allowed to apply for a residence permit at the Czech Republic’s embassies abroad and the applications in this regard will be processed within a span of 45 days.
“Programme participants and their family members will have the possibility to apply for a residence permit at the embassies of the Czech Republic abroad. The application will be processed within 45 days from the date of submission,” the statement of the Ministry reads.
The Digital Nomad Visa is becoming a favourite choice of freelancers who wish to relocate to other countries to provide them the opportunity to blend vacation with work while being away from home and to immerse themselves in other cultures.
Amongst other countries, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Colombia offer Digital Nomad Visa and each offers different advantages to the freelancers.
Many countries offering digital nomad visa will ask for proof of your solvency by insisting you have a fixed amount of money in the bank already, while others might want proof of a contract or regular freelance work over a certain period of time.
In this regard, one of the biggest factors to overcome can be the need to earn a minimum salary, which can be a deciding factor for you even if you don’t like a specific country.
To overcome this hurdle of pick and choose, professional nomadic couple Goats on the Road has also created a Digital Nomad Visa Calculator which makes it easier for you to make the decision. The calculator can be accessed here.
The calculator gives you a quick and easy answer to whether you earn enough to meet the requirements of any given country. This calculator doesn’t guarantee acceptance of your visa but it will give you a quick and easy answer as to whether you’re even eligible for any specific country of your choice or not.
The aspirants just need to enter their salary or the dollar equivalent thereof, and they will be presented with a list of countries they are eligible for, with links to get any other information regarding those countries.
