The Estonian Ministry of the Interior, together with the international job search platform Jobbatical, are planning to launch the first visa for digital nomads in 2019. It will be a visa for all those people who use digital technologies to work remotely while travelling.

Supporting digital nomads on their career journey has been one of the founding principles behind Jobbatical. Its purpose is to create bridges, not walls, by inspiring knowledgeable people to discover their dream work locations across the globe, its website claims.

“Migration policy has to take into account the fact that in today’s globalised world, people are more mobile, often combining work and travel,” said Killu Vantsi, legal migration adviser at the Estonian Ministry of the Interior.

“Estonia is at the forefront of e-solutions and our e-Residency programme has already become very popular among digital nomads, allowing them location-independent access to Estonian e-services. It is therefore not surprising that the digital nomad community has suggested creating a special visa to facilitate the entry of digital nomads to Estonia,” she continued.

The aim of such a programme is to enable digital nomads to work and travel in Estonia for up to 365 days. The visa would also give these digital nomads access to the Schengen Area, allowing them to travel in other EU member states for up to 90 days.

The idea came after a survey conducted by Jobbatical of over 1000 members of its digital community: 92 per cent of respondents said they were current or aspiring digital nomads, and four out of five said they would like to work in a new country on an annual basis. When asked about what barriers were preventing them from doing so, 99 per cent quoted visa issues as the main obstacle.

“The world of work is rapidly changing. Technology is helping more people than ever before to work remotely, allowing millions to offer businesses technical and creative expertise independent of geography. A Digital Nomad Visa represents a breakthrough in the way governments support today’s mobile workforce. We’re delighted to support the Ministry of the Interior and are looking forward to making borderless working a reality for digital nomads everywhere,” said Karoli Hindriks, CEO and founder of Jobbatical.