Digital Nomad Visa in 2026: Spain, Croatia and Portugal — Three Income Thresholds, Three Tax Regimes and One Status That Leads Nowhere

What is being compared and why one threshold decides nothing

Three European digital nomad visas are structured fundamentally differently, and the choice is determined not by the income threshold but by what happens after the first year. Below are the parameters by which a visa comparison makes sense.

We deliberately do not provide summary ratings of "the best country for a digital nomad": the three visas have different purposes, and comparing them by a single score is incorrect. All amounts for each visa are from the regulations in force, verified as of September 3, 2026.

Income thresholds: €2,849, €3,622.50 and €3,680 per month

The lowest income threshold in 2026 for the Spanish digital nomad visa is €2,849 per month. The highest is for the Portuguese D8 visa — €3,680. The Croatian visa requires €3,622.50 — almost level with the Portuguese one. The notion that the Balkan digital nomad visa is inherently cheaper than the southern European ones is not supported by the numbers.

All three digital nomad thresholds are floating: they are recalculated automatically following statistics and the minimum wage, without amending the migration law. The Spanish threshold for digital nomads rose in 2026 by 3.1% along with the SMI; the Portuguese one rose by €200 following the increase in the minimum wage from €870 to €920.

Check what figure your source is calculating from. As of September 3, 2026, the Russian-language page of the Spanish consulate still lists the 2023 SMI, and the Portuguese immigration agency the 2025 minimum wage. Calculation from these figures understates the requirement by €689 and €200 per month respectively. Both discrepancies are detailed in our articles on the Spanish digital nomad visa and Portuguese residence permits.

How the Croatian threshold is calculated: 2.5 times average net wage

Croatia is the only one of the three where the threshold is tied not to the minimum wage but to the average monthly net wage for the previous year. A digital nomad confirms 2.5 times such a wage. The formula is recorded in the order on the procedure for calculating means of subsistence for third-country nationals and applies to the digital nomad visa along with other grounds.

From the current amount of €3,622.50 per month, the base itself can be recovered: the average net wage that the ministry uses is €1,449. For each additional family member or partner, the threshold increases by 10% of this average wage, i.e., by €144.90.

The second way to confirm income for the digital nomad visa is a one-time account balance for the entire stay:

Income can be confirmed in three ways: a statement showing the full amount available, a statement of regular deposits in the required monthly amount, or payslips from at least six months.

Family income: three formulas that produce different amounts

Each of the three countries calculates the family surcharge for the digital nomad visa by its own formula — for a family of four the spread reaches €570 per month. Spain adds shares of the minimum wage to the visa threshold, Croatia adds shares of the average wage, Portugal applies a grid of 100/50/30 from a 2007 order.

Spanish amounts are calculated from a monthly base of €1,424.50: 75% for the first family member and 25% for each subsequent one. Croatian amounts are from the average wage of €1,449 at 10% per person. Under the Portuguese D8 visa, the applicant's own threshold is fixed at four times the minimum wage, and family members are counted separately by shares of 100/50/30 from Portaria n.º 1563/2007; the official source does not publish a single "family" figure, so we do not invent one but show both components.

A practical conclusion from the table is not obvious: for a family of four, the most demanding digital nomad visa turns out to be the Spanish one, even though for a single applicant it is the most affordable. The Spanish surcharge for the first family member is 75% of the minimum wage, the Croatian one is 10% of the average, and by the fourth person the order of countries reverses.

Taxes: 24%, general scale and zero

Croatia does not tax income obtained in digital nomad status from a foreign employer — Spain offers a 24% rate, Portugal applies the general progressive scale. This is the largest difference between the three visas — bigger than the threshold difference, and it most often determines the choice.

The regulation is recorded in the income tax law: income is not recognized as income from "payments received by individuals obtained on the basis of dependent employment or activity for an employer not registered in the Republic of Croatia, on the basis of an acquired digital nomad status in accordance with a special regulation".

Antifake: "zero tax in Croatia = offshore". The exemption applies strictly within the scope of digital nomad status and only to income from a foreign employer or own foreign company. It does not override obligations in the applicant's country of tax residence, does not extend to income from local sources, and ends with the status — maximum 18 months. Russian tax residency is meanwhile determined by the 183-day rule and does not depend on this exemption.

Status duration: 18 months versus renewable residence permit

Croatian digital nomad stay is issued for a maximum of 18 months and is not renewable beyond that term. Spanish and Portuguese statuses are residence permits that are extended. For a digital nomad, this difference determines everything that follows.

This structure has a second part that overviews usually do not mention: a new application for digital nomad stay is submitted only six months after the previous one expires — and this rule also applies to temporary stay for other purposes and to family reunification with a digital nomad. That is, the cycle looks like 18 months inside the country, then six months outside status.

Where the status leads: where the path to permanent residency is closed

Croatian digital nomad status cannot lead to long-term residency — not because the law forbids it, but because accumulating continuous five years on it is arithmetically impossible. Here the precise formulation matters more than the general claim that migrates from review to review.

Let us parse the regulation. Long-term residency requires continuous five years of authorized temporary stay. The article of the stay law that lists periods not counted toward this term does not explicitly name digital nomad stay — it lists seasonal workers, posted workers, volunteers, trainees, stay "for other purposes" and school education. But arithmetic closes the question without a list of exceptions: a maximum of 18 months plus a mandatory six-month break before a new application means that continuity is always interrupted.

From this follows a simple rule of choice: if the goal is relocation with a horizon of five or more years, the Croatian digital nomad visa does not fit by design. If the goal is one and a half years of legal seaside living with zero tax on remote income, it fits better than the other two.

Can you work for local clients: three different answers

Croatia prohibits a digital nomad from performing work or providing services to employers on its territory. Spain allows up to 20% of revenue from Spanish clients, Portugal requires the employer or customers to be located outside its borders. This is the only parameter where regulation formulations diverge qualitatively rather than quantitatively.

The definition from the law: a digital nomad is a third-country national employed or performing work through communication technologies for a company or own company not registered in Croatia, and does not perform work or provide services to employers on the territory of the country. The wording covers both wage employment and own business — but only registered outside the country.

The Spanish 20% rule and its practical application are detailed in a separate article on Spain's digital nomad visa; Portuguese requirements for confirming employer relationships are in the article on Portugal residence permits.

What a Russian citizen needs and how much processing costs

A Russian citizen's Croatian status is processed only through a diplomatic mission. An application submitted to a police authority inside the country will be rejected if a visa is required for entry. The interior ministry states this directly, and it is a regulation, not a practice.

Procedure for countries with visa requirements: application for digital nomad status is submitted to the embassy or consulate → after approval, a long-term D visa is issued there → entry → address registration within 3 days → biometric card. It is separately stated: if the applicant has a valid biometric residence permit or long-term D visa of another EU member state, there is no need to obtain it again.

Croatia's official fees are published in full — a rare case in this subject:

Document package: passport valid three months longer than planned stay, health insurance for the entire stay, confirmation of purpose (contract with foreign employer or own company registration), proof of funds, criminal record certificate with legalization, address in the country. Copies are accepted in the state or English language; translation is sworn only.

Spanish document package and legalization requirements for a Russian citizen are detailed in a separate article; Portuguese application procedure is in the article on Portugal residence permits.

Housing: what to show when applying and how much a meter costs

All three digital nomad visas require confirmation of an address of residence, but none requires buying property: a rental agreement is accepted everywhere. Croatia additionally allows indicating a temporary address at first submission — a hotel or hostel with confirmed booking, if a permanent address does not yet exist.

For those considering a purchase, here is a snapshot of our catalog for the three countries as of September 3, 2026:

The picture from the catalog is opposite to the picture from income thresholds: the country with the highest income threshold offers the most expensive square meter and just 13 properties under €200,000, while Croatia with an almost Portuguese threshold provides twice as many budget options with a quarter of the catalog.

Cities where supply is concentrated:

• Spain — Valencia 1,590 properties (median price per meter €3,297), Barcelona 846 (€5,686);
• Croatia — Pula 438 properties (€3,250), Split 76 (€4,072), Dubrovnik 72 (€3,817);
• Portugal — Porto 98 properties (€4,726), Lisbon 78 (€5,870).

General collections by Spain, Croatia and Portugal; countries with residency by investment programs are collected in the section Residence by investment.

Summary comparison: which of the three programs is for whom

None of the three programs wins across all parameters at once: the Spanish one is cheaper by threshold for a single applicant, the Croatian one by tax and by family, the Portuguese one by status horizon. The summary below collects everything said into one table.

Here is how this reads by situations:

• One and a half years by the sea with zero tax on remote income — Croatian, if prepared for a break after 18 months;
• Low threshold for a single applicant and a predictable rate — Spanish, especially if income is near the bottom boundary;
• Long horizon with title renewal — Portuguese, if prepared to show the highest of the three thresholds and pay the general scale.

Who none of the three programs suit

A digital nomad visa does not suit those whose income is not documented and those planning to work on the local market. Below are situations in which an application is doomed regardless of the chosen country.

A separate category is applicants who think that one country's residence permit gives the right to live in another. It gives the right to stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in every 180 — like a tourist, not as a resident.

How we verify the data

Every sum in this comparison is taken from the regulation in force or from a government agency publication, with a date of access. Thresholds that could not be confirmed by primary source, we do not provide.

What we do not provide: summary ratings of countries, review periods for Spain and Portugal (not officially published), Portuguese D8 family amounts as a single number. Homzer is a marketplace for international property with transaction support; we do not process entry documents and do not act as a migration agent.

Frequently asked questions about digital nomad visa

What income is needed for a digital nomad visa in 2026?

From €2,849 per month in Spain, from €3,622.50 in Croatia and from €3,680 in Portugal per single applicant. All three amounts are recalculated automatically: Spanish and Portuguese follow the minimum wage, Croatian follows the average wage.

Which country's digital nomad visa gives zero tax?

Croatia: the income tax law does not recognize income in digital nomad status from an employer not registered in the country. The exemption applies only within the scope of the status and does not override obligations in the applicant's country of tax residence.

For what term is the Croatian digital nomad status issued?

Maximum 18 months. If permission is issued for a shorter term, it can be renewed for no more than 6 months by filing an application no later than 60 days before expiry. A new application is filed only six months after the previous stay ends.

Does the digital nomad visa lead to permanent residency?

In Croatia — no: long-term residency requires five continuous years, and the status structure does not allow them. Spanish and Portuguese statuses are renewed, so continuity is in principle achievable.

Can you work for local clients?

In Croatia — no, this is directly excluded by the status definition. In Spain, up to 20% of revenue from Spanish clients is allowed. In Portugal, the employer or customers must be located outside the country.

Do you need to buy property for a digital nomad visa?

No. All three countries require confirmation of an address of residence, and a rental agreement is sufficient. Croatia at first submission accepts even a confirmed hotel reservation as a temporary address.

Where should a Russian citizen submit documents for status in Croatia?

At the embassy or consulate of Croatia. An application submitted to a police authority inside the country will be rejected; after approval, a long-term D visa is issued.