Global travel, in one place
Subscribe
WorldTravelBrief
← Back to the front page
Style & Culture · 22 Jun 2026 · 01:05 GMT+7

Digital-nomad visas mature into a real residency market

What began as pandemic-era novelty is becoming durable demand for long stays and the housing behind them.
HB
By Hugo Bellamy
Style & Culture desk · 22 Jun 2026
Share
WorldTravelBrief
Key takeaways
The digital-nomad visa, a pandemic novelty, has matured into a durable residency market, with long-stay permits up 16% across more than sixty countries that now offer them.
The shift reshapes housing and local economies as much as travel.
+16%
long-stay permits
national data
60+
countries offering
WTB analysis

The digital-nomad visa, a pandemic novelty, has matured into a durable residency market, with long-stay permits up 16% across more than sixty countries that now offer them. The traveller is becoming a temporary resident.

The shift reshapes housing and local economies as much as travel. WorldTravelBrief tracks the maturing market.

WorldTravelBrief
By Hugo Bellamy · WorldTravelBrief
More from the latest
BangkokThailand reopens its northern corridor as low-cost capacity returnsReykjavíkIceland lifts its ashfall advisory; Keflavík returns to scheduleTokyoFares to Tokyo fall for the first time since 2023
Related dispatches