10 Sustainable Countries For Digital Nomads

Being a digital nomad allows a life full of freedom and flexibility. You can travel from place to place while working remotely using a laptop. However, this of course increases your carbon footprint and with climate change concerns growing ever more real, we all have a duty to lessen our impact on the planet. A great way to become a more eco-friendly digital nomad is to slow down and choose an eco-friendly city to stay in for a while. Less moving around will further reduce the negative impact you have on the environment. Most of these countries have digital nomad visas, so are some of the top 10 picks for sustainable cities for digital nomads

Stockholm

Stockholm has made fame among digital nomads. It has several high-quality cafes, always with fast internet. The city is always on the top regarding life quality, entertainment options, and low crime rates. Living costs are a bit on the high side, considering other cities with comparable facilities. Stockholm is one of Europe’s most environmentally friendly cities, and an international role model of global environmental and climate action. Two new policies will support us in these important efforts going forward: The Environment Programme and The Climate Action Plan. Stockholm will adopt a climate budget, and sets out to be climate positive by 2040.

Germany

The freelance visa of Germany is called Aufenthaltserlaubnis für selbständige Tätigkeit. It is basically a residency permit for foreign freelancers and self-employed people to live in Germany for a period of up to 3 years. Germany has a vibrant culture. With a hugely intriguing history, this European capital is highly attractive to visitors from around the world. Whether you are a history buff, a foodie or a party animal, Berlin will definitely be able to cater for your needs. Over the years, Berlin has been increasingly adopting more sustainable initiatives, which not only benefit the planet but the locals as well. The German Sustainable Development Strategy has also been oriented towards these 17 global goals since 2016.

Innovation and environmental protection go hand in hand in Berlin. From small repair stores and recycling centers to technology-driven startups.

Portugal

Portugal has the D7 Visa, which works well for digital nomads and is valid for 1 year but you can renew this for up to 5 years. After 5 years you have the option to go for permanent residency.Portugal on 30 October 2022 launched a digital nomad visa. This one comes with less paperwork than the D7 visa but will not give you a pathway to permanent residency. Portugal is also an eoo friendly nation that launched its Compromiso para o Crescimento Verde (2014) which has set national targets across 14 indicators to 2030, aiming for green jobs in priority sustainability sectors, resource efficiency, preservation of natural capital, improved biodiversity, and rapid growth in clean energy

Norway

Norway is a stunning country and a wealthy one thanks to its oil and massive sovereign wealth fund Norway offers visas for digital nomads . The validity of a visa is for a lifetime. You only need to prove you have enough money to support your stay there. Norway has ambitious green goals they want to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2030 and switch to entirely zero emission. Transportation by that time. In 2017, a climate budget went into effect. A portion of these funds has also been used to teach young people at the Climate House about climate change and emission reduction. The largest concentration of electric vehicles is found in Oslo. Additionally, the Car-free Liveability Programme has been introduced since bikes are now given priority over cars.

Finland

Finland has a digital nomad visa is also know as Finland Self-employment. Finland digital nomad visa allows a stay of 6 months . When it comes to nature, Finland has it all. It is the most forested country in Europe providing large areas of wilderness to explore. The country also boasts over 180,000 freshwater lakes and miles of coastline with thousands of islands. Finland also borders Norway, Russia and Sweden, providing more travel opportunities. High-speed Internet connections, fast mobile applications are not a new thing for Finns. The country aims to transform itself into a “socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society by 2030”, and its long-term commitment to sustainable development is bearing fruit. According to a voluntary agenda review published recently by the Prime Minister’s Office, the country has achieved or is close to achieving many of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Estonia

Estonia launched the world's first "Digital Nomad Visa." The scheme is targeting non-European digital nomads, which Estonia defines as remote-working employees or freelancers, whose job allows them to work from anywhere. The visa will allow people to stay in Estonia for 12 months, including up to 90 days of travel across Europe’s borderless 26-country Schengen zone. Up from 21st place in 2016, Estonia ranked 10th globally according to the Sustainable Development Report 2021. There are several fields in which Estonia’s position is good in comparison with other countries – quality and accessible education, fast and accessible services thanks to the availability of e-solutions as well as effective healthcare organization as a few examples. The share of renewable energy in the end consumption of energy in Estonia has grown as well.

Spain

The main requirement for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa program is that applicants must be foreigners who are remote workers and are employed by a non-Spanish company operating outside of Spain. Those who are self-employed and provide their services independently – without a direct employer – will be allowed to dedicate 20% of their professional business activities to a company registered in Spain. Spain is also highly committed to green goals, it ranks first in the corporate PPA Index and holds the 8th position worldwide in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index 2022. Spain ranks second worldwide according to the Hydrogen Investability Index (H2i) 2021, a ranking of the top 40 countries in terms of attractiveness for investment for low emission hydrogen projects.

Latvia

The government of Latvia has introduced its digital nomad visa, which permits internationals to stay in Latvia and work remotely from this country for a period of over one year, with the possibility to renew it for another year without local sponsorship. The visa can only be held by internationals employed by an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – registered employer, Latvia has also demonstrated positive development toward economic, environmental and social sustainability. In 2021 Lativa was Ranked 19th in the Global Sustainability Index

Netherlands

There is no exact digital nomad visa for ehe Netherlands per se. However, there is an alternative that digital nomads can use. The Netherlands offers the opportunity for digital nomads to register as independent workers in the country, and live with a long-stay visa. This visa is called Netherlands long-stay or MVV Visa. Amsterdam is awash in environmental goals. They hope to achieve emission-free transportation, use 50% fewer raw materials, and cut CO2 emissions by 55% by the year 2030. Almost 800 eateries in Amsterdam that offer meatless meals made with local produce They are pioneers in the recycling of textiles, clothes can even be borrowed from a library! Amsterdam is also home to the first museum dedicated to sustainable fashion. The preferred means of transportation is a bicycle. There are bike rentals available all across the city for individuals without their own bikes.