Malta seeks to lure 'digital nomads' with €300 residency permit

A new temporary residency scheme has been launched for people who want to move to Malta but work remotely. The programme offers a six-month visa and an option of obtaining a one-year 'Nomad Residence Permit' and costs €300. To qualify, applicants must prove they are contracted to work remotely by a company based overseas, show that they run their own business or offer freelance service to clientele based abroad.  Announcing the scheme, Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship, Alex Muscat, said it could be a "profitable economic niche". “We estimate that a digital nomad spends roughly €30,000 a year in our country, which would put us close to what tourists spent here in 2019," he said."One digital nomad spends in a year roughly what 260 tourists would spend in a day.”  COVID-19 measures have introduced the world to remote working and islands including Bermuda and Barbados have already created similar programmes to invite workers to settle abroad and work remotely.  Malta's scheme which comes into effect from Wednesday and can be applied for online, is aimed at people who are able to earn a living remotely and choose to travel frequently, often residing overseas to the company...