The rise of remote or remote work, pushed by the covid-19 pandemic, opened the door to digital nomads. So much so that today it is one of the most frequently heard terms when talking about work trends and lifestyles in the world.

A digital nomad is a person who uses the Internet to carry out their occupation and/or to sell their services to other people or companies. In other words, he works remotely, which allows him to live while traveling. It is estimated that there are around 35 million digital nomads in the world, according to figures from the World Economic Forum. In 2022, almost half of them were around 30 years of age, mentions the Statista Research Department portal, a provider of market studies.

Today there are more countries that are including their visa policies for this type of traveler or tourist. Forty countries in the world consider the digital nomad visa as a mechanism to receive these people in their territory with the prior fulfillment of requirements, according to data from the Planet Nomad blog, a reference portal that updates the list of nomad-friendly destinations every month. that offer visas for these people.

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama are part of the 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that currently offer or are in the process of granting this type of visa. According to experts in “digital nomadism”, Panama offers many benefits for people from different parts of the world to settle as digital nomads in the country and combine their remote work with local tourism.

“Panama has excellent conditions to meet this new trend in remote work,” said the general administrator of the Authority for the Attraction of Investments and Promotion of Exports (Propanama), Carmen Gisela Vergara, during the “Digital Nomads” meeting, held this May 4, in a strategic alliance with the Panamanian Chamber of Information Technologies, Innovation and Communications (Capatec).

The excellent air connectivity offered by the Tocumen International Airport, the “hub of the Americas”, the fast and efficient digital connection, a cosmopolitan environment with all the benefits of a big city in terms of entertainment, gastronomic and cultural offerings, combined with An excellent quality of life and personal security make Panama the ideal place to combine work with fun and exploration.

Digital nomads also “represent an excellent alternative to promote the country, since these influencers (digital nomads) promote Panama through their social networks, attracting those who are always looking for new places and adventures, and promoting tourism. internally, which translates into the generation of immediate contributions to the economy and they share their culture and experiences with the locals”, stated Vergara.

The Propanama administrator added that “the nomads (also) support the development of content and products or services that promote the transfer of knowledge and innovation.”

The head of Business Development for Latin America at Yayem, Diego Fernández, stressed that the main advantage that Panama offers for foreigners is accessibility and connectivity. “This initiative offers the possibility of offering a little bit of international culture – from the place where the person comes from – and at the same time she is nourished by the national culture”, he pointed out.

The labor expert René Quevedo concluded that “the digital nomad is a labor trend that is gaining more strength every day worldwide, particularly among the young population with a relatively high level of education and technological orientation.”

He added that “the visa for digital nomads makes sense and is a response to what other countries in the area have implemented, including Costa Rica.”

He indicated that the benefit that these workers bring to the country is consumption and the purchase or rental of goods (housing, vehicle, etc.) during their stay. They have business relationships with clients abroad and spend their income in the destination country, in this case, Panama.

The digital nomad, added Quevedo, also requires a reliable internet service, the medium in which he carries out his work. It does not compete with local labor, since it searches and finds its projects on its own, also providing its services to a client in another part of the world.

The head of Special Procedures and Regime of the National Migration Service, Dimitri Kosmas, explained that to begin the application for a short-stay visa as a remote worker or digital nomad, the police record of the country of origin, valid passport, medical certificate of good health, international medical insurance and a letter from the company where the person works that justifies their income. The procedure must be carried out in person at the National Migration Service together with a legal representative, he pointed out.

The National Government created a new visa opportunity that allows the initial stay of nine months for remote workers, through Executive Decree 198 of May 7, 2021, which is a great attraction for digital nomads who lead a lifestyle that allows them to be anywhere in the world while doing their work.