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Working on a tourist visa is usually not allowed: when do you need a nomad visa?

Within the EU you work as a Dutch citizen without a visa; the nomad visas of countries such as Spain and Croatia are for people without an EU passport. Outside the EU, tourist status is usually not meant for work. Thailand and Indonesia have their own visa for remote workers.

5 min read

Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

Legally, you work in the country where you sit behind your laptop, even if your client or employer is in the Netherlands. Whether you may work there is up to that country. Within the EU the answer for a Dutch citizen is simple: yes, without a visa. Outside it, tourist status is usually not meant for work, and some countries have a separate visa for digital nomads.

Three things to know up front:

  • Within the EU you need no visa and no work permit as a Dutch citizen. After three months you usually do have to register.
  • The well-known nomad visas in the EU are for people without an EU passport. You do not need them.
  • Outside the EU each country has its own rule. Read it at that country's immigration service.

Do I need a visa within the EU?

No. Ondernemersplein: "Als u binnen de EU gaat werken heeft u geen visum en vergunning nodig" (if you go to work within the EU you need no visa or permit). There is a three-month limit, though. Your Europe, the EU site for citizens: you can stay in another EU country for up to three months without registering as a resident. Some countries ask you to report your presence. If you stay longer, you usually have to register.

A few examples from the NederlandWereldwijd travel advice:

  • Portugal. "Blijft u langer dan 90 dagen in Portugal? Registreer u bij de gemeente waar u verblijft." (Staying in Portugal for more than 90 days? Register with the municipality where you stay.)
  • Croatia. After 90 days you register with the municipality where you stay.
  • Spain. After 90 days you ask the municipality whether you have to register.

So the nomad visas in the EU are not for me?

No. They are meant for people from outside the EU. For two countries we checked it in the law or with the government itself:

  • Spain. The visa for "teletrabajo de carácter internacional" (international telework) is for "el nacional de un tercer Estado": a national of a country outside the EU.
  • Croatia. "A DIGITAL NOMAD IS a third-country national (this means a non EU/EEA/Swiss citizen)".

Other EU countries, such as Portugal and Estonia, also have a scheme for digital nomads. We could not check those pages at the source. For you it makes no difference: according to NederlandWereldwijd you need no visa for Portugal or Estonia with a Dutch passport.

If your partner travels with you without an EU passport, things are different. See EES, ETIAS and the 90 days for your partner.

May I work outside the EU as a tourist?

Usually not. According to Ondernemersplein you usually need a visa and a work permit outside the EU. Two countries say it in so many words:

  • Thailand. "Alleen toeristen reizen visumvrij naar Thailand. Andere reizigers moeten een visum aanvragen." (Only tourists travel to Thailand visa-free. Other travellers must apply for a visa.)
  • Indonesia. "Met een toeristenvisum mag u in Indonesië niet werken, onderzoek doen of vrijwilligerswerk doen." (On a tourist visa you may not work, do research or volunteer in Indonesia.) Making online content that earns money is not allowed either.

Indonesia may even treat it as a violation if you only publish the content after you have left the country. So if you open your laptop on tourist status, you take a risk that is yours to carry.

Which countries have their own visa?

A few countries have a visa for people who work remotely. What we checked at the official source:

Country Without a visa Visa for remote work
Thailand 30 days as a tourist, since 15 September 2026 DTV: up to 180 days per entry, valid for 5 years, at least 500,000 THB in funds; € 350 at the embassy in Budapest
Indonesia e-visa of up to 30 days, extendable once by 30 days E33G: one year, an employment contract with a company outside Indonesia, at least US$ 60,000 a year
Colombia up to 90 days a visa for digital nomads; see the residence routes to Colombia
Mexico up to 180 days; you do register your stay whether remote work as a visitor is allowed is not in the travel advice
Georgia up to 1 year whether you may work during that time is not in the travel advice

Even with the DTV not everything is allowed. The Thai embassy: holders may not obtain a Thai work permit, may not work for companies in Thailand, and may not do freelance work for Thai clients. What the DTV costs differs per embassy.

For Mexico and Georgia the answer is therefore open. Ask that country's consulate or embassy before you go, and keep the answer.

What does a visa not settle?

A visa says you may stay. It says nothing about your tax or your insurance. If you stay a long time in one country, you become a tax resident there. Usually that threshold is around 183 days, but some countries also look at a home or your intention to stay. And work you do in a country often counts as domestic income there anyway; only a tax treaty stops that. The threshold per country and the treaties are in digital nomad: tax and insurance and, if you are employed, in working remotely for your Dutch employer.

The rules change fast. Thailand cut the visa-free period from 60 to 30 days in September 2026. Read each country's travel advice shortly before you go, not when you plan the trip.

How do I keep track?

  • Keep a list per person: country, date in, date out.
  • Keep a note per country of what it says about working, with the date you read it.
  • Check that your passport is valid long enough. Indonesia and Colombia ask for at least six months on arrival.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.15: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey for a life on the road or go straight to step 4.15 in the open plan.

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What this rests on

The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.

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