GTN Mobility Tax Blog

This article was originally published in TLNT.

As the workforce continues to race toward remote work, digital nomads – office-less, remote workers – are increasingly common.

Latest figures suggest there are there are more than 40 million digital nomads worldwide in 2024, and 17.3 million of these are in the US alone (whose numbers were up 2% in 2023 compared to 2022).

Source: https://pumble.com

The result of this, however, is that countries are pouncing on this growing trend and providing a relatively new visa option: the digital nomad visa.

This article was originally published in Corporate Compliance Insights.

As remote work continues to charge full steam ahead, digital nomad visas are popping up at an increasing rate around the globe. These visas allow remote employees to legally conduct business from within countries abroad.

However, HR and other corporate leaders often misunderstand how these visas work — and how little they protect the company from additional tax liabilities. As more countries offer digital nomad visas, HR leaders need to ensure their employees aren’t ignoring the tax implications that arise out of remote work.

To protect against tax violations, fines, audits and reputational damage, HR leaders need to understand exactly what these increasingly popular visas cover and what risks they expose the employee and company to.

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of self-initiated global mobility moves, where employees relocate internationally with little or no company assistance. These types of moves, often referred to as "off program" or "self-requested," present unique tax challenges for both the employees and employers involved—especially when HR managers and companies are trying to balance cost considerations with their duty of care to employees.

In recent years, the global workforce has witnessed a significant shift towards remote work and the rise of digital nomads, defined as a person who works entirely over the internet while traveling and who has no fixed place of business. As more individuals seek the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, many countries have recognized this evolving trend and responded by offering a unique solution—the “digital nomad visa.” This visa, often with less stringent requirements than traditional work visas, allows individuals to live and work in worldwide destinations of their choosing.