Background:

The “Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa” Scheme, which was introduced in October 2021, allows nationals from non-EU and non-EEA countries, who can perform their work duties location-independently, to reside temporarily in Cyprus and work for an employer (including companies and clients) registered abroad. Recently, the Cypriot authorities have noticed that some of the documents that must be included in applications submitted for the acquisition of Digital Nomad residence permits, were forged. In most cases, the forged documents concerned the proof of applicants’ employment abroad and their place of residence in Cyprus. In this context, the Cypriot National Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) launched this ad hoc query in order to learn more about this issue in other EMN Member and Observer Countries, and possible avenues to prevent it.

Respondents:

21 EMN Member and Observer Countries (including BE) provided a public answer to this ad hoc query.

Findings:

A preliminary analysis of the results of the ad hoc query shows that:

• Out of the 21 respondents, only 8 countries foresee a residence scheme for digital nomads. BE is not one of them – there is no separate category of residence permits issued to persons wishing to work remotely from BE.
   
• The procedure and requirements for issuing a digital nomad residence permit vary from country to country. In all cases, applicants must submit proof of employment with an employer registered abroad. This can be presented in the form of a statement from the employer, an employment contract, income statements, etc. Other required documentation includes proof of means of subsistence in the country for the duration of the residence permit, proof of a place of residence in the country, and statements from the employer that the duties of the applicants can be performed remotely.
   
• None of the 8 countries that issue residence permits for digital nomads (other than CY) have reported cases of fraudulent documents being used in the applications for these permits. There are also no clear procedures in place to actively prevent such fraud, other than proceeding to additional checks during the application procedure (e.g. requesting additional proof of income). However, most countries state that if this situation arose, the consequence would be an immediate withdrawal of the residence permit (or refusal to issue the permit if fraud is detected during the application procedure).

For further details, please read the compilation of answers attached above.