What counts as income for a nomad visa
Nomad programmes are built for people who earn from abroad while living locally. The income they want to see is money from remote work for an employer, clients or your own company outside the host country. Three questions decide whether your income counts:
- Where does it come from? Most programmes require foreign-source income and forbid local employment or local clients. Costa Rica, for example, requires income originating outside the country, and Panama asks for a sworn declaration that you will not take work in Panama.
- Gross or net? The difference is large. Malta's €42,000 is a gross annual figure; Cyprus asks for €3,500 a month net of taxes and contributions, Greece for €3,500 net, Hungary for €3,000 net in each month. Read the exact wording on the country page.
- How steady is it? Many programmes want a stable pattern, not a single large payment: Hungary and Romania require the threshold to be met in each month of the look-back period.
Look-back periods, programme by programme
| Programme | Period | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 🇲🇹Malta | 5 months | Income evidenced over a cumulative minimum of five months before applying. |
| 🇭🇺Hungary | 6 months | Net threshold met in each of the previous six months; bank statements or income certificates, plus an employer letter. |
| 🇷🇴Romania | 6 months | Three times the average gross salary in each of the last six months and for the whole visa period, with tax and fiscal-residence certificates. |
| 🇱🇻Latvia | 6 months | Six months with the current employer registered in an OECD country, or tax-authority confirmation for the self-employed. |
| 🇪🇪Estonia | 6 months | Income of at least the monthly threshold over the six months immediately before applying, shown with payslips, invoices or bank statements. |
| 🇰🇿Kazakhstan | 6 months | Bank statements showing the monthly amount, plus a tax return from your country of citizenship. |
| 🇦🇪UAE (Dubai) | 6 months | Six consecutive months of bank statements. |
| 🇳🇦Namibia | 6 months | Bank statements, with an employer letter or proof of self-employment. |
| 🇸🇨Seychelles | 6 months | Bank statements with proof of employment or business abroad. |
| 🇨🇻Cabo Verde | 6 months | An average bank balance rather than a salary. |
| 🇹🇼Taiwan | 6 months + 2 yrs | A six-month average bank balance and income above the threshold in one of the last two years. |
| 🇲🇾Malaysia | 3 months | Payslips or invoices with matching bank statements, plus the contract or client contracts. |
| 🇲🇺Mauritius | 3 months | Recent bank statements, with a contract or attestation. |
| 🇪🇨Ecuador | 3 months | Bank statements uploaded with the application. |
| 🇿🇦South Africa | 3 months | Bank statements evidencing the salary, plus the signed contract with the foreign employer. |
Where a programme is not listed here, the country page describes what it asks for. When a checklist is silent on the period, six months of statements is the safest assumption to prepare for, not a rule.
The documents, by type of applicant
Remote employees
- An employment contract with the foreign employer and, where required, a letter confirming that you may work remotely from the host country (Hungary asks for one; Latvia asks for documents from the employer's OECD-country authorities).
- Payslips for the look-back period and the bank statements showing the salary arriving.
- Some programmes add conditions about the employer itself: the Czech programme's employee route, for example, requires an employer with at least 50 employees worldwide.
Freelancers and the self-employed
- Client contracts with foreign clients and the invoices issued to them (Malaysia asks for invoices matched to statements).
- Proof that the activity is registered and taxed somewhere: Latvia asks for a confirmation from the tax authority of an OECD country; Romania for tax and fiscal-residence certificates; Kazakhstan for a tax return from your country of citizenship.
- Bank statements showing the money arriving, ideally in an account in your own name.
Company owners
- Company registration documents showing your ownership and that the company is registered abroad.
- Evidence of what you actually receive from it (salary, dividends or drawings) and the company's own accounts if asked. The UAE programme, for example, sets a higher threshold for business owners than for employees.
Savings instead of income
A few programmes accept assets in place of, or alongside, a salary: Brazil accepts savings as an alternative to monthly income, Croatia accepts sufficient savings, Cabo Verde looks at an average bank balance and Taiwan combines a balance test with past income. Check the exact amount and the form of evidence on each page.
Currency and exchange rates
Thresholds are set in the programme's own currency: euros in most of Europe, US dollars in much of the Americas and Asia, and local currency elsewhere (Japanese yen, Czech koruna, Romanian leu, South African rand). If you are paid in another currency, the value of your income moves with the exchange rate, and so does the threshold for programmes indexed to local wages.
- Leave a margin. An income that clears the bar by 2% today may not clear it next month.
- Watch indexed thresholds. Romania, Latvia and the Czech Republic tie their figures to national average wages, which are updated every year; Ecuador ties its figure to the national basic salary.
- Keep the arithmetic visible. If you convert amounts in a cover letter, say which rate and date you used.
Formalities that decide acceptance
- Originals and bank stamps. Some offices want statements issued or stamped by the bank; Costa Rica asks for statements accompanied by an affidavit that they were obtained from the issuing bank.
- Translations and apostilles. Contracts, employer letters and tax certificates often have to be translated into the local language and, for public documents, apostilled. See the apostille and translations guide.
- Consistency. The name on the contract, the payslips and the account must match your passport; the amounts on payslips must match the credits on the statements.
Income after approval: renewals and reporting
The income test does not always end with the first approval. Romania requires the threshold to be met for the whole visa period as well as for the six months before the application. Malta renews its permit only if you still meet the income test and have spent enough time on the island. Sri Lanka goes further: holders show monthly remittances, must notify changes within 30 days and renew every year. Keep the same paper trail running while you hold the permit, not just when you apply.
Why income evidence gets refused
- One weak month. Where each month must clear the bar (Hungary, Romania), a single low month is enough for a refusal.
- Gross presented as net. A gross salary that looks sufficient may fall below a net threshold.
- Local-source income. Work for clients or employers in the host country usually does not count and may breach the programme's conditions.
- Unexplained deposits. Large one-off transfers into an account shortly before applying invite questions; salary patterns are what consulates expect to see.
- Missing context. Freelancers who send statements without contracts or invoices leave the officer guessing where the money comes from.
A simple rule — build a one-page summary: month, source, gross, net, currency, and the document that proves each line. It makes the file easy to check and shows you where the gaps are before the consulate does.
Related guides
- Apostilles, legalisation and translations
- Health insurance requirements
- Bringing your family
- Nomad visa or freelance permit?
- U.S. tax guide