Romania approved a new visa for digital nomads and remote workers. The country is among the best places to work remotely. It ranked in the top positions because of innovative technologies, affordable living costs, and landscapes.
Romania is the third-best country in the world to work as a digital nomad, after Canada and the UK. According to Digital Nomad Index 2021, Romania is one of the fastest-growing IT markets in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, it offers an affordable cost of living and reliable internet access.
Romania Approves Visa For Digital Nomads
In the past few years, Romania attracted around 2.000 digital nomads annually. On average, a digital nomad in the country spends €2.000 a month – which means €50 million for the national economy. After the rise of remote work in the country, the parliamentary group USR PLUS drafted the law to welcome digital nomads.
The law defines digital nomads as foreign citizens working for a company based outside the Romanian borders. For self-employed people, the company must be abroad and use virtual tools to work.
As a member of the Chamber of Deputies, Diana Buzoianu, states: “This legal initiative was developed following months of work in collaboration with the Ministry of Research; Innovation and Digitalization; experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I initiated the project as I trusted it to be a law to bring financial resources to Romania, as many other member states have already done. […] Now, more than ever, we need a legal framework to attract resources. Hence, I wish to offer Romania a legal instrument from the XXI century for these purposes.”
So, Romania joined the digital nomad visa trend to re-launch the local economy. In the area, countries like the Czech Republic, Portugal, or Croatia, and overseas, like Costa Rica or Mexico, are already leading the way. Digital nomads and remote workers are now a precious resource to cope with travel restrictions and the lack of tourism.