In 2026, Europe still offers numerous residency visa programs with different approaches: some require only confirmation of remote income, others require high qualifications and experience, and still others require business registration or a business plan. Your choice depends on whether you’re ready to work remotely, want to launch a company, or develop a startup.
Spain: Digital Nomad Without Changing Jobs
Spain continues to offer one of the simplest and most transparent residency visa programs in Europe. Its Digital Nomad program is suitable for people who already work remotely and are not interested in the local job market. There is no need to purchase property, gather large investments, or develop a business plan. It is sufficient to confirm genuine remote work, stable income, appropriate qualifications, and experience.
The minimum income is 200% of the Spanish minimum salary—€2,850 per month before taxes for one person. When submitting, keep in mind that this minimum increases annually.
A major advantage of the program is the ability to submit documents and obtain a residency visa for three years without leaving Spain. Applications are submitted online after arrival on a tourist visa. If all documents and deadlines are met, the residency visa is issued for the full three years.
Spain leads in simplicity of process, speed of approval, and program conditions. Changes in income source are not required—the main thing is to prepare the correct document package. Over the years, Spain has increased requirements for insurance, quality of document preparation, translations, and the presence of apostilles. A straightforward program does not guarantee automatic approval, but with proper preparation, the chances of success increase significantly.
France: Project and Long-Term Perspective
France takes the opposite approach. There is no separate Digital Nomad program here. Instead, the state is interested in the economic contribution and activity of the person within the country.
The Talent Passport program allows you to open a company and start business activities in France immediately. Requirements are significantly more complex than in Spain: you need to describe a project concept for the French market. When opening a company, a higher education degree or minimum of five years of work experience is required, as well as an investment of €30,000.
France is interesting for its long-term trajectory: it is one of the few European countries that grants citizenship after only five years of permanent residence. Obtaining a passport is not automatic, but if all conditions are met, a permanent place of residence is maintained, and there is strong economic and social integration, the applicant can apply for it.
Despite the complexity of initial requirements, France ranks second due to the balance between process complexity and the long-term perspective of obtaining European citizenship. France does not require renunciation of citizenship.
Italy: Low Income Thresholds and Experience Requirements
Italy has a route for remote workers with lower income requirements than other countries. By confirming stable income that meets the criteria, you can obtain a residency visa for one year. The minimum income is just €2,100 for one person.
Italy requires that the activity be highly skilled. The specialty does not necessarily have to be from the IT field—remote work in marketing, sales, or any other field that can be performed using digital technology will work.
Regarding work experience: five full years are required if the work is conducted outside the IT sector, not three years as in Spain. This makes Italy more attractive for many applicants due to the low income threshold.
However, the program has its peculiarities. The first residency visa is issued for only one year, and documents must be submitted exclusively through a consulate. At the moment, the Russian consulate processes applications very slowly. If you are in another country or have different citizenship or a residency visa, it is better to consider applying through an Italian consulate in that country.
Additionally, Italy almost always requires a full year rental agreement. These are substantial expenses that must be incurred before obtaining the visa.
Netherlands: For Entrepreneurs with Innovation
The Netherlands is more suitable for entrepreneurs than remote workers, as there is no separate Digital Nomad program here. The country has a completely different approach to document processing and migration requirements.
The Startup Visa Program in the Netherlands allows you to obtain the first residency visa for one year. The project must be innovative enough to receive approval from a facilitator. This could be a new business model, a new product or service not yet introduced in the country, or some new technology.
The main requirement is active participation in project development within the Netherlands for the possibility of visa renewal. The country takes this very seriously. If you are confident in your idea, consider it sufficiently innovative, and are ready for intensive work during the first year to have a chance to stay, the Netherlands could be an option.
United Kingdom: Startups with Right to Permanent Status in Three Years
The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen Zone and never has been. Residency visas obtained there do not apply in EU countries, so for travel to Europe you will need a separate tourist visa depending on your citizenship.
For those considering the United Kingdom as a country for development, already knowing the language and ready to start a new life, there is the Innovator Founder program. This is a program for startuppers that provides a residency visa based on project approval by special endorsing bodies.
If the project is sufficiently innovative, a residency visa is issued for three years with the right to work in the United Kingdom. The project must be innovative, scalable, and ideally attract investment or at least demonstrate potential for it.
A major advantage of the program is the ability to obtain permanent status not after five years of residence, but after three years subject to proper integration and project development. However, the initial filter is serious: it is not enough to simply write a business plan. The project must be technological enough from the start to receive endorser approval.
Choosing a Residency Visa: What to Consider
All five programs offer different routes for different categories of people. No single country can be considered definitively better than the others. The choice depends on your goals, plans, places where you actually want to live, and the prospects that the status provides.
All discussed statuses in one way or another lead to obtaining permanent status and eventually citizenship. The path may vary in duration and complexity, but the opportunity exists in each of these countries.
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