What is Digital nomad?

Digital nomad

A digital nomad is someone who works remotely while changing country of residence fairly often. The label describes a lifestyle, not a legal status: what counts legally and fiscally is where their tax residence sits and under which permit they are staying in each country.

The classic mistake is treating nomadism as a legal vacuum where nobody is owed anything. The opposite is true: moving multiplies the jurisdictions that can claim you. Each country has its own day threshold, its own treatment of employment income and its own entry rules, and not knowing them is no defence.

Also called: location independent, itinerant worker

Related terms

Digital nomad visaA digital nomad visa is a residence permit some countries grant to people working remotely for companies or clients based outside that country. It usually requires proof of minimum income, health insurance and a clean record, and in return allows legal residence for one or several years.
Tax residenceTax residence is the country entitled to tax your worldwide income. You do not choose it by declaring it: each jurisdiction determines it through objective tests such as days of presence, where your centre of economic interests lies and where your family lives. You can be tax resident somewhere you barely spend time.
Remote workRemote work is a working model in which a person performs their role from any connected location, without attending a company office. It defines neither the schedule nor the type of contract: it defines only where the work happens, which is why it coexists with both employment and contractor arrangements.