How to apply for a “Digital Nomad Visa” from Malta to Mexico

• Bali and Costa Rica launched the much-anticipated “Digital Nomad Visa” this summer.
• They join dozens of countries hoping to attract virtual workers to boost local economies.
• Three digital nomads from Ghana, England and Canada give an inside look at the application process.

Bali and Costa Rica recently joined the list of countries offering residency visas specifically for remote workers, also known as “digital nomad visas.”

Before the pandemic, the term digital nomad was basically synonymous with the 9-to-5 corporate crowd. Now, tourism-dependent countries are hoping that a new wave of remote workers with steady wages will create a more reliable source of economic activity.

That’s the case with Sean McNulty, CEO and founder of asset management firm XIB International. The 38-year-old Canadian has been living and working remotely from Bermuda with his wife Jana since November 2020 through the island’s digital nomads program. The family there told Insider that they plan to live on the island for at least three more years and plan to raise it.

After applying through the program’s website, the couple was “accepted within a week,” McNulty said, adding that working in finance probably helped with the application as Bermuda looks to expand economic activity on the island.

Applicants must pay a fee of $263, provide proof of off-island employment and demonstrate that they can afford the local cost of living.

“The lifestyle and work-life balance here, I don’t think you can beat that anywhere in the world,” McNulty told Insider. “If you’re a good person and have fun, it’s hard not to be happy here.”

Benjamin Rogers, a 23-year-old marketing specialist from the United Kingdom, told Insider that he is in the process of applying for a temporary residency visa for Mexico. He said he plans to work abroad without the permission of his current employer, but hopes to keep his position at the company. Applicants must earn around $2,600 per month to apply.

Once in Mexico, Rogers said he plans to stay with Airbus in various parts of the country and create content for his travel blog The Lonesome Wanderer.

“It’s like we’re on the cusp of the swingin’ sixties, but with less acid and more Microsoft teams,” he told Insider, adding that he sees the digital nomad community as a “movement” that values ​​creativity.

For 35-year-old music blogger Osei Kojo Enoch, working remotely was more of an economic necessity than a lifestyle.

“You really have no choice because unemployment in Ghana is a serious issue.” “The reason I started [a virtual business] “It’s because I didn’t get a job after graduating from school.”

After starting the website from Ghana, Enoch said he wanted to work from a country with better electricity, internet and potable water. However, he told Insider that his travel options were severely limited by his West African passport.

“People from the West just take their passports and travel to any part of the world, like people from places like Asia and Africa, you need a visa everywhere you go,” Enoch said.

Last year, Enoch applied for Dubai’s remote worker visa and said he chose Dubai because of the city’s infrastructure, safety, climate and lack of personal income tax.

To be eligible, applicants must provide proof of employment of at least $5,000 per month for a period of one year for the visa. The entire application process took a total of six weeks, Enoch said.

“I needed better opportunities in my life so that’s what brought me to Dubai. I also love to travel,” he said. “It’s like killing two birds with one stone.”

Even with a Dubai work visa, Enoch said he was still unable to travel outside the UAE because of his Ghanaian passport, which prevented him from being denied a UK tourist visa.

The experience prompted him to apply for Malta’s digital nomad visa, which allows him to travel within the Schengen area – a region where travelers from 26 EU member states can move freely without encountering border controls. For this, he enlisted the help of Citizen Remote, a startup that offers digital nomad visa consultation and assistance.

Enoch, who explained that a total of 2,800 euros was paid during the application process, said that this was more strict in terms of verification compared to Dubai. However, Malta’s Digital Nomads program only requires a monthly income of €2,700 — roughly €2,300 less than Dubai’s monthly income requirement.

While the overlap between the digital nomad and the influencer realm is growing, Enoch cautions that the lifestyle isn’t always as good as social media makes it out to be.

“It’s very lonely,” he told the insider. “I haven’t been able to make many friends in the year I’ve worked at a co-working space… a lot of people come in and don’t want to stay there for long. Time.”