Digital Nomad Visa Updates: July 2026 Re-Check

France: a new fee most guides miss

The long-stay visitor visa's consulate fee (EUR 99) has not changed, but France's separate OFII/ANEF long-stay-visa validation tax rose from EUR 200 to EUR 300 (standard rate; EUR 100 reduced rate for students and some other categories) effective 2026-05-01. This tax is paid after arrival, on top of the consulate fee, and most third-party guides do not mention it. See the France fiche for the full breakdown.

Portugal: processing time is more regional than 'six to nine months'

The old flat '6-9 months' AIMA processing estimate undersold the spread. Current reporting points to 6-18 months depending on which AIMA delegation handles your file - Lisbon runs slowest (12-18 months), Madeira fastest (6-10 months) - plus another 2-12 weeks for card issuance after your appointment. We also filled in the previously-missing D8 fee figures: EUR 110 for the national visa, plus roughly EUR 160-170 for the AIMA residence-permit stage.

On income: the EUR 3,680/month floor is confirmed as the correct 2026 figure (4x the 2026 minimum wage of EUR 920). The EUR 3,480 number that still circulates is last year's calculation (4x the 2025 minimum wage of EUR 870), not a live alternative.

Spain: the EUR 2,849 vs EUR 2,442 confusion, resolved

Spain's income floor is defined by rule (200% of the monthly SMI) rather than a fixed euro amount, which is why two different figures circulate. EUR 2,849/month is the correct 2026 figure, derived from the 2026 SMI decree (RD 126/2026) prorated correctly over 12 payments. The EUR 2,442 figure some guides use comes from applying the raw 14-payment SMI instead - a miscalculation, not a rival number. We also added Spain's previously-missing consular fee figures.

Greece and Italy: gaps filled, one caveat lifted

Greece's Type I.8 residence-permit fee (~EUR 1,000 plus per-dependent charges) had an open question mark after Law 5275/2026 changed the application procedure - we can now confirm the fee itself did not change, only the requirement to apply from a consulate abroad. Italy's processing time, previously unlisted, is now filled in: roughly 30-45 days for employees at faster consulates, 90-120 days for self-employed applicants.

Japan and Thailand: filling in the blanks

Japan's visa fee (JPY 3,000 single-entry / JPY 6,000 multiple-entry) and processing time (roughly two weeks to a month) were previously TBD and are now published as reported figures. Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa has no national health-insurance mandate on the official checklist, though some individual embassies ask for proof of coverage at their own discretion - also newly documented.

Estonia: a figure we are now less certain about

This is the one downgrade. Estonia's fiche previously read the official e-Residency page as stating a EUR 4,500 NET monthly income requirement. Fresh sources this pass describe the same official page as stating GROSS income instead - the opposite of our earlier reading. We have not been able to re-read the official page directly to settle it, so the income field is now marked 'reported' instead of 'official' until that is resolved. The euro amount itself is unchanged; what is uncertain is whether it is measured net or gross.

What we checked and did not change

The UAE's USD 3,500/month income floor stays as published - a circulating claim that it rose to USD 5,000 in April 2026 remains unconfirmed and is contradicted by other sources, so we are not publishing it as fact. If you are relying on any of the figures flagged 'reported' rather than 'official' across the site, the fiche's note always explains exactly why and what to double-check before you act on it.