← All visas · Countries without a nomad visa
UK digital nomad visa: there isn't one
The UK has no visa for people working remotely for foreign employers or clients. Here's what the visitor rules allow, the longer-stay routes that do exist, and the nearest European countries with a real remote-work visa.
- Nomad visa
- None
- Visitor stay
- Usually up to 6 months
- Remote work as a visitor
- Only if not the main purpose
- ETA
- £20, valid 2 years
What exists today
Visiting: up to 6 months as a Standard Visitor
GOV.UK says you can usually stay up to 6 months as a Standard Visitor, for tourism, business and other permitted activities. You must show you'll leave at the end of your visit, can support yourself and pay for your return or onward journey, and won't make the UK your main home.
Visitors cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person (apart from permitted paid engagements), and cannot live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits.
Depending on your nationality, you need a Standard Visitor visa (£135 for up to 6 months), an ETA, or neither.
Source: GOV.UK: Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor ↗ · read Nov 1, 2026
The remote-work rule for visitors (PA 4(h))
The Immigration Rules list what visitors may do. Under General Business Activities, PA 4(h) says a visitor may "undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of their visit".
So working for your overseas employer while you're in the UK is allowed, as long as the trip is mainly for something else, such as a holiday or seeing family. It doesn't turn a visitor stay into a work permit, and the 6-month limit still applies.
Source: Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities (PA 4) ↗ · read Nov 1, 2026
The ETA: £20, up to 6 months per visit
An electronic travel authorisation lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months. It costs £20, lasts 2 years or until your passport expires (whichever is sooner), and covers as many trips as you like. GOV.UK says you usually need one rather than a visa if you're from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries.
You'll usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to 3 working days. An ETA doesn't guarantee entry, and it doesn't let you work for a UK company or as a self-employed person.
Sources: gov.uk/eta ↗, what you can and cannot do ↗, apply ↗ · read Nov 1, 2026
Youth Mobility Scheme: live and work for up to 2 years
If you're young enough and from an eligible country, this is the closest the UK gets to a long stay with work rights. It lets you live and work in the UK for up to 24 months, including self-employment (rented premises, equipment worth no more than £5,000, no employees).
- Aged 18 to 35: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea.
- Aged 18 to 30: Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino and Uruguay, plus some British nationality types. Hong Kong (SAR passport) and Taiwan nationals must win a ballot first.
You need £2,530 in savings, held for 28 days in a row. The fee is £340, plus the healthcare surcharge (usually £776 a year). Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders can extend by one year; others can't extend. You can't apply if you have children under 18 living with you or children you're financially responsible for. Indian nationals have a separate India Young Professionals Scheme.
Sources: GOV.UK: Youth Mobility Scheme visa ↗, eligibility ↗ · read Nov 1, 2026
Global Talent and Innovator Founder visas
Global Talent is for leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. You need an endorsement, or a prize on the eligible list. You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time. It costs £766, plus the healthcare surcharge (usually £1,035 a year per person).
Innovator Founder is for setting up a new, innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK that an approved endorsing body has endorsed. You can stay 3 years and extend for another 3.
Both are routes for people moving their work to the UK, not visas for working for clients abroad while you travel.
Sources: GOV.UK: Global Talent visa ↗, GOV.UK: Innovator Founder visa ↗ · read Nov 1, 2026
Not legal advice. The rules don't spell out how the visitor rules apply to freelancers whose clients are all outside the UK, and border officers decide on entry. Confirm with UK Visas and Immigration before you go. Nothing here covers tax.
Nearby countries with a real remote-work visa
If you want to live in Europe for a year or more on a visa built for remote workers, these four are open and checked on their official pages.
| Visa | Money test | Stay | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortugalD8 Digital Nomad Visa | €3,680 per month: average monthly income over the last 3 months of at least 4× Portugal's guaranteed minimum monthly wage (RMMG €920 in 2026) | Residence permit valid 2 years | aima.gov.pt ↗Checked Nov 1, 2026 |
| SpainDigital Nomad Visa | €2,849 gross per month (€34,188/yr): 200% of Spain's 2026 minimum wage (SMI €17,094/yr). Some consulates calculate it on the 14-payment monthly SMI (€1,221), which gives €2,442/month, so plan for the higher figure | Consular visa valid 1 year; you can then apply in Spain for a residence permit (from 60 days before the visa expires) | inclusion.gob.es ↗Checked Oct 31, 2026 |
| MaltaNomad Residence Permit | €42,000 gross per year (€32,400 for applications filed before 1 April 2024) | 1 year | nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt ↗Checked Oct 31, 2026 |
| EstoniaDigital Nomad Visa | €4,500 net per month | Up to 1 year | e-resident.gov.ee ↗Checked Nov 1, 2026 |
Compare them head to head
Quick answers
Does the UK have a digital nomad visa?
No. As of Nov 1, 2026, the UK has no visa built for people who work remotely for a foreign employer or foreign clients. Most visitors come as a Standard Visitor (usually up to 6 months), with an ETA or a visa depending on nationality. Longer-stay options are work routes such as the Youth Mobility Scheme, Global Talent and Innovator Founder visas.
Can I work remotely in the UK as a visitor?
Within limits. The Immigration Rules (Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, PA 4(h)) let a visitor "undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of their visit". GOV.UK also says visitors cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person (gov.uk, read Nov 1, 2026).
How long can I stay in the UK without a visa?
GOV.UK says you can usually stay up to 6 months as a Standard Visitor. Depending on your nationality you either need a Standard Visitor visa, need an ETA (which allows visits of up to 6 months), or need neither. You cannot live in the UK through frequent or successive visits (gov.uk, read Nov 1, 2026).
How much is the UK ETA and how long does it last?
An ETA costs £20 and lasts 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner, with as many trips as you want while it's valid. You'll usually get a decision within a day, but it can take up to 3 working days. GOV.UK says you usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you're from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries (gov.uk, read Nov 1, 2026).
Can freelancers work remotely from the UK on a visitor stay?
The official sources don't say clearly. The remote-work rule (PA 4(h)) refers to "employment overseas", and GOV.UK says visitors cannot work as a self-employed person. Neither addresses freelancers whose clients are all outside the UK. Ask UK Visas and Immigration before you rely on it.
Who can get the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa?
People aged 18 to 35 from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea, and 18 to 30 from Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino and Uruguay; Hong Kong (SAR passport) and Taiwan nationals must be selected in a ballot first. You need £2,530 in savings. It lets you live and work in the UK for up to 2 years; the fee is £340 plus the healthcare surcharge, usually £776 a year (gov.uk, read Nov 1, 2026).
What are the closest digital nomad visas to the UK?
In Europe: Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa (€3,680 per month); Spain Digital Nomad Visa (€2,849 gross per month); Malta Nomad Residence Permit (€42,000 gross per year); Estonia Digital Nomad Visa (€4,500 net per month). Each is checked on its official government page.