RelocateRadar
What changed: the requirement log
All countries last re-checked: September 2026 · Most recent change logged: September 2026
Visa requirements don't sit still — income floors track minimum wages, formulas get recalculated, and procedures change with new laws. Most guides on the internet are written once and never touched again, which is how people show up at consulates with figures that are a year out of date. This page is the opposite: a dated log of every change we've verified, newest first.
🏥 Bulgaria, Malta & Cyprus: SafetyWing has two products with the same name — and it changes the answer for three countries
Effective September 2026
We went back to correct something in our own reasoning. SafetyWing's standard Nomad Insurance ('Essential' tier) is travel-medical cover, and it doesn't qualify for Bulgaria, Malta or Cyprus, all of which require genuine health insurance. But SafetyWing also sells a 'Complete' tier: a real 12-month health plan with a $5,000/year outpatient allowance, dental, and maternity cover, payable upfront for the full year. On the numbers, Complete gets close to what these three countries ask for. The catch: Residency Malta's own guidance states plainly that travel insurance is not accepted, and SafetyWing sells every tier, Complete included, under its 'Nomad Insurance' travel brand. That is a rejection risk based on how the certificate reads, separate from whether the benefit levels clear the bar.
What it means for you: Don't assume Complete solves Bulgaria, Malta or Cyprus just because the coverage numbers look right — a dedicated health insurer's certificate remains the safer document. We've updated the three country insurance pages with this nuance.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: New EU nomad route opens at €31,000/year — the second-lowest bar in the bloc
Effective August 2026
Bulgaria launched a digital nomad residence permit in 2026, set by formula at 50× the monthly minimum wage: €620 × 50 = €31,000 per year, about €2,583/month. The timing matters — Bulgaria completed Schengen entry in 2025 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, so the permit now comes with free movement and a euro economy attached, on top of the EU's lowest flat income tax at 10%. We added full Bulgaria pages to the site with this update.
What it means for you: If Portugal or Estonia priced you out, this is the cheapest serious EU option — but check the insurance rule first: travel-grade policies are explicitly not accepted.
🇪🇺 Schengen area: ETIAS slips again — no longer expected in 2026
Effective July 2026
The EU removed its 'Q4 2026' target for ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, in mid-July 2026 after reports that a 2026 start is no longer feasible. 2027 is now the likely launch, with mandatory enforcement following a grace period after that. Plenty of guides still tell readers to prepare for ETIAS 'from late 2026' — that date is dead.
What it means for you: Don't build travel plans around ETIAS this year. The system that is already live and already affects you is EES, not ETIAS.
🇭🇷 Croatia: Income requirement jumps to ~€3,622/month; permit now runs 18 months
Effective July 2026
Croatia's threshold is set by formula at 2.5× the average national net salary, published in Narodne novine 3/26. With salary growth, the 2026 figure landed at €3,622.50/month — up from under €3,000 in earlier years. The lump-sum alternative is about €43,470 for 12 months or €65,205 for the full 18. Separately, the maximum permit length is now 18 months instead of 12. It still cannot be renewed back-to-back: you leave for at least 6 months before reapplying.
What it means for you: If you planned around older guides quoting €2,300–2,900, re-check your budget before applying.
🇪🇺 Schengen area: Entry/Exit System fully operational — and nomad visa holders are exempt from it
Effective April 2026
Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System has been running at every external Schengen border crossing. Passport stamps are replaced by a facial image and four fingerprints, and the 90/180 allowance is now counted automatically and in real time across all 29 countries. The European Commission confirmed the exemption list on 27 July 2026, and it contains the fact that matters most here: holders of national long-stay (type D) visas and residence permits are not registered in EES at all. A digital nomad visa doesn't just extend your stay — it takes you out of the counter entirely.
What it means for you: If you have been living in Europe on rolling 90/180 stays, the informal version of that is over. Price out a nomad visa before your next entry.
🇪🇸 Spain: New minimum wage lifts the income bar to €2,849/month
Effective February 2026
Royal Decree 126/2026 (February 2026) raised the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) by 3.1% to €1,221/month over 14 payments. The nomad visa requires 200% of the SMI, so the bar moved from €2,763 to €2,849/month for a single applicant. The new figure applies to applications and renewals processed after the decree entered into force.
What it means for you: Applications filed from February 2026 onwards are assessed against the new figure — including renewals.
🇬🇷 Greece: In-country applications abolished — consulate only
Effective February 2026
Under Law 5275/2026 (February 2026), Greece no longer accepts in-country applications for the digital nomad residence permit. You must now apply at a Greek consulate before travelling. The income requirement itself is unchanged at €3,500/month net.
What it means for you: Do not fly to Greece planning to sort the permit there — start at your nearest Greek consulate.
🇵🇹 Portugal: Minimum wage rise pushes the D8 bar to €3,680/month
Effective January 2026
Portugal's D8 income requirement is 4× the national minimum wage, and the minimum wage rose to €920/month in 2026. That puts the D8 bar at €3,680/month, with the savings requirement (12× minimum wage) now about €11,040. Many older guides still quote €3,040 — that figure is from 2023 and is now €640 too low. AIMA applies the wage in force on your appointment date, not your filing date.
What it means for you: Budget for €3,680/month income plus ~€11,040 in savings; ignore guides quoting anything near €3,000.
🇨🇾 Cyprus: Correction: the permit cap was not doubled — it is still 500
Effective December 2025
A widely repeated claim says Cyprus doubled its digital nomad quota to 1,000 permits. The Migration Department's own page, posted 31 December 2025, says the opposite in plain words: the maximum number of permits that can be granted remains at 500. The ceiling went from 100 to 500 by Council of Ministers decision in March 2022 and has not moved since. We could find no official source for the 1,000 figure.
What it means for you: Treat Cyprus as a capped scheme. If it is your plan A, apply early in the year rather than assuming headroom that isn't there.
How this log works
We re-check the official sources for every country on the site on a monthly cycle, and after any known rule change. When a figure or rule moves, it lands here with the month it took effect, and the country pages are updated at the same time. Entries also cover Schengen-wide changes that affect every route, and corrections where the widely-repeated number turns out to be wrong. If a change isn't listed, either it didn't happen or we haven't verified it yet — check the "last checked" date on the country page. More on how we check things →
Compare all visas side by side →
Check if your income clears the new bars →