While the Thai digital nomad visa or DTV has only recently been announced and is not yet in force, the Spanish digital nomad visa or DNV has been available for around a year and a half and has already been snapped up by many. 

If you’re a digital nomad trying to decide whether to move to Spain or Thailand and to know the requirements for each, here are some points to help you make up your mind. 

You need to earn more for the Spanish digital nomad visa

For the Thai visa, you need to prove that you have savings of 500,000 THB, equivalent to approximately €12,690. You will have to show this amount each time you renew, so this is equivalent to €25,380 per year. 

In order to apply for the Spanish DNV, you will need to earn at least €2,646 a month or €31,752 per year, which is over €6,000 more than the Thai visa. Of course, this makes sense as Thailand has a much lower cost of living than Spain, but it’s worth keeping in mind because not everyone makes enough to be able to get the Spanish digital nomad visa.

READ ALSO – CONFIRMED: Spain’s new income requirement for digital nomads in 2024

You have to renew your Thai visa more frequently

The Thai visa will be available for only 180 days at a time before you have to renew it, meaning that you will have to leave the country every six months and pay an extra fee each time you do. In total, however, if you renew enough times, you will be able to stay for up to five years.

The Spanish visa on the other hand is either granted for 1 year or three years at a time, depending on where you apply. You can also extend it by a further two years, allowing you to stay up to five years as well. The good news with the Spanish visa is that you don’t need to keep leaving the country each time you renew. 

The Spanish digital nomad visa can lead to citizenship, while the Thai visa probably won’t

While both visas allow you to stay in the respective countries for five years, once your time is up in Thailand you will need to find another way to stay in the country. As you need to keep renewing it every six months, chances are you won’t be eligible for permanent residence and by extension, Thai citizenship.

In Spain, on the other hand, once your five years are up, you can apply for permanent residency. Once you have held permanent residency for another five years you can apply for Spanish citizenship. Note, those who have certain nationalities only need to wait two years. 

READ ALSO – Non-lucrative vs digital nomad visa: Which one should you choose to move to Spain?

You can bring family members on both visas

Both visas allow you to bring family members to their respective countries. Spain requires you to prove you earn extra for each member you bring – 75 percent of the minimum wage for the first member and 25 percent for any after that. It’s likely that Thailand will also increase the amount of savings you need to show, based on the rules of other visas they have. 

The good news is that in Spain, your partner will automatically be granted the right to work here. It’s not yet clear if the same will be true for Thailand, but it’s unlikely.

You can already apply for the Spanish DNV

The Spanish DNV has been available for over a year now, while the Thai visa has only just been announced. As of yet, there is no fixed date as to when this will come into force. Therefore, if you’re looking to move soon and don’t want to wait, the Spanish visa will be a better option. 

It’s likely the Thai visa will be easier to apply for than Spain’s

While we don’t know yet, because the Thai visa isn’t available, there’s a good chance it will be easier to apply for than Spain’s. The Spanish DNV has been notoriously difficult to apply for and many applicants have had to hire lawyers and consultants, paying thousands of Euros for help.

Other Thai visas such as the SMART visa have their own online portal, so it’s likely the Thai digital nomad visa will have something similar and it won’t be necessary to hire lawyers to help you.

The initial application fee for the Spanish visa is cheaper

It has been announced that the application fee for the Thai digital nomad visa will be 10,000 THB, which is equivalent to approximately €254, while the application fee for the Spanish DNV is around €80.

Keep in mind though, that this is only if you’re able to do the application yourself. As mentioned above, many applicants have had to hire Spanish lawyers to help them, driving up the cost considerably.

Taxes and social security will be more expensive for those in Spain

The Thai government hasn’t yet released all the details on taxes for digital nomads, but it’s likely that you’ll pay much more in Spain. If you stay in Thailand for more than 180 days you will be considered a tax resident, and therefore if you renew your visa for longer than six months you will most likely have to pay anywhere from 0 to 35 percent of your worldwide income, depending on how much you earn.

Digital nomads in Spain are also required to pay tax on their worldwide income, but the tax bands go much higher, meaning you’ll have to pay anywhere from 19 to 47 percent, depending on your earnings. If you’re earning just enough to qualify for the visa (€31,752 per year), you’ll be liable to pay 30 percent. Of course, this will depend on your expenses and personal circumstances too.

On top of this, as a freelance digital nomad in Spain, you’ll be expected to pay social security every month. Anyone who’s on the visa will be earning €2,646 a month or more, meaning you’ll have to shell out over €347 each month on social security, as well as paying taxes on top of that. If you’re a remote worker from a country with a social security agreement with Spain, you won’t have to pay this, and if not, your employer will be expected to register in Spain and pay it for you. Note, this amount is due to increase every year for the next 7 years. It’s worth keeping in mind that because you’re paying this much you’ll get more benefits than you would in Thailand, such as sick pay, maternity and paternity pay. 

You could be eligible for public healthcare in Spain

Freelancers who are paying into the social security system will be eligible for public healthcare in Spain and therefore won’t pay any extra each time they doctor or get a procedure done. If you’re a remote worker who is employed, you will probably need private health insurance, unless your employer is paying social security on your behalf. 

While we don’t know yet, it’s likely the Thai authorities will make private health insurance a requirement for the visa.