Tiit Riisalo, Estonia's Minister of Economy and Information Technology, has unveiled these plans and asked the Ministry of the Interior to implement fresh adjustments to the prerequisites for remote workers, according to EU helpers.
Currently, workers can apply for a Digital Nomad visa with an average monthly income of €4,500 or a day wage of €150.
The Minister emphasized that by spending money on things like lodging, food, travel, and entertainment, digital nomads contribute to the nation's economic growth.
According to Riisalo, after spending more time in the nation than visitors, digital nomads contribute more to its economy.
He went on to say that by sharing their experiences, digital nomads draw in more foreign visitors, boosting the earnings of regional travel agencies.
More Income Threshold Demanded by Estonia Than by Several European Rivals
With an Estonian Digital Nomad Visa, remote workers can work for companies registered outside of the nation or for employers.
According to a report published by ERR, Estonia has granted 535 visas for digital nomads since its inception in 2020.
Type C and D digital nomad visas are available in the nation. Type D is a long-term visa that allows remote workers to stay in Estonia for a year, while type C is a short-stay visa that allows them to stay for up to 90 days.
The Estonian Digital Nomad Visa now requires a monthly income of €4,500 instead of the previous €3,500. Minister Riisalo stated that even the prior cap of €3,500 was excessive in comparison to other nations when he presented the new modifications.
Thus far, a number of European nations have provided digital nomad visas; these include Spain with €2,160, Croatia with €2,232, Malta with €2,700, Latvia with €2,857, Portugal with €3,040, Greece with €3,500, and Romania with €3,700. Many of these nations have lower monthly income criteria.
According to VisaGuide's Digital Nomad Index, Estonia only has the 20th-best digital nomad visa in the world.Estonia is ranked twenty-first in the world in terms of suitability for digital nomads.
Spain is ranked number one on this index, with a number of other European nations ranking among the top ten, including Romania (ranked third), Croatia (ranked fifth), Portugal (ranked sixth), Malta (ranked eighth), and Norway (ranked ninth).