Live overseas in 2024: South Africans can work remotely in more than 50 countries
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Panama is one of more than 50 countries that offer digital nomad visas or residency options for remote workers. Picture: Christine Johnson/Pexels
As the world becomes smaller and work-from-anywhere gains momentum, there is no longer any need for remote working South Africans to be based at home – or in the country at all.
Depending on what line of work you do and whether you work from home full-time, you have a choice of living in one of at least 50 countries that offer digital nomad or residency visas to remote workers.
There are even four countries in Africa that now offer digital nomad visas, including Mauritius, the Seychelles, Cape Verde, and, more recently, Namibia.
From bustling cities and leafy suburbs to coastal towns and mountainous retreats, you can wake up almost anywhere in the world, open your laptop, and work as you do now; just make sure you are aware of each country’s specific visa stipulations and tax laws, and that your salary in rands (once converted to the local currency) will allow you to live comfortably while abroad.
You should also understand that there are differences between tourist and digital nomad visas as the former does not allow you to take up work in most countries. Some people do, however, still choose to work remotely for foreign employers or clients while ‘visiting’ other countries on tourist visas – the risk you are willing to take (and it could be a big, dangerous one) is up to you.
To open your mind up to the possibility of keeping your job or current work commitments while enjoying a completely different culture and lifestyle far away from home, here are some countries that currently offer digital nomad visas, each with their own requirements and rules:
Countries in Europe that offer digital nomad visas/residence permits for digital nomads
– Portugal; Spain; Czech Republic; Croatia; Cyprus; Georgia; Estonia; Iceland; Germany; Norway; Malta; Greece; Romania; Hungary; Latvia; Albania; Armenia; Netherlands
Countries in the Carribbean that offer digital nomad visas/residence permits for digital nomads
– Barbados; Antigua & Barbuda; Bermuda; Anguilla; Montserrat; Dominica; Bahamas; Curaçao; Saint Lucia; Grenada
Countries in South America that offer digital nomad visas/residence permits for digital nomads
– Brazil; Ecuador; Colombia; Uruguay
Countries in North and Central America that offer digital nomad visas/residence permits for digital nomads
– Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Belize, El Salvador
Countries in the Middle East and Asia that offer digital nomad visas/residence permits for digital nomads
– UAE (Dubai); UAE (Abu Dhabi); Taiwan; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Malaysia
Currency conversions for digital nomads
While, technically, you have a wide choice of countries to call home for at least a year, you should consider their currencies and work out the exchange rate, particularly because the rand is weaker than many of them.
This means that, while your salary may be sufficient to fund your lifestyle at home, it could end up being very little on the other side. Many countries in Europe, for example, transact in Euros, and with a current exchange rate of more than R20 to one Euro, you may find it a little tough to make your money stretch.
The US$-rand exchange rate is also not in South Africans’ favour.
Here are some countries that offer digital nomad visas or residence permits for digital nomads and have weaker currencies than the rand:
Mauritius
- Exchange rate: R1 = MUR2.35 (Mauritian Rupee)
- Visa validity: 1 year, but can be extended
Hungary
- Exchange rate: R1 = HUF18.64 (Hungarian Forint)
- Visa validity: 1 year, but can be extended for another 1 year
Turkey
- Exchange rate: R1 = TRY1.54 (Turkish Lira)
- Visa validity: More than 3 months
Columbia
- Exchange rate: R1 = COP213.79 (Colombian Peso)
- Visa validity: 2 years
Sri Lanka
- Exchange rate: R1 = LKR17.50 (Sri Lankan Rupee)
- Visa validity: 1 year
Iceland
- Exchange rate: R1 = ISK7.40 (Icelandic Króna)
- Visa validity: 6 months
Taiwan
- Exchange rate: R1 = TWD1.68 (New Taiwan Dollar)
- Visa validity: Up to 3 years, can be extended
Czech Republic
- Exchange rate: R1 = CZK1.20 (Czech Koruna)
- Visa validity: 6 months to 1 year
Please note that even though you may end up with more money at the end of the month in the local currency, the cost of living may not be equivalent to South Africa, so do your homework to make sure you can live on your current salary after conversion.
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