If you've only ever thought about tourist or work visas for Europe, there's an entirely separate, growing category worth knowing about: digital nomad visas.
What These Actually Are
Several European countries have introduced visa categories specifically for people who work remotely for an employer or clients based outside that country, allowing them to legally reside there while continuing that work. It's a genuinely different fit than a tourist visa, which typically doesn't permit any work at all, or a traditional employment visa, which usually requires a local employer sponsoring you directly.
Two Real Examples
Portugal's D8 visa requires proof of income of around €3,680 a month in 2026, four times the national minimum wage, and allows non-EU/EEA citizens to live and work remotely in Portugal for up to five years, with a path toward permanent residency or citizenship after that. Spain's digital nomad visa requires around €2,849 a month and similarly offers a path toward long-term residency, with the permit renewable toward Spain's own five-year threshold.
Who Actually Qualifies
Portugal's programme is open to citizens of any non-EU/EEA country, which explicitly includes Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and virtually every other African nationality. If your actual work situation is genuine remote employment or freelance client work based outside Portugal, nationality alone isn't what disqualifies you, the income threshold and documentation are what matter.
The Honest Caveat
These visas are newer and vary considerably by country in their specific requirements, minimum income thresholds, and application processes. There's no single, unified digital nomad visa across the Schengen area, each country offering one has built its own version with its own rules.
The Mistake People Make
Someone with genuine remote work applies for a standard tourist visa anyway, either not knowing this category exists, or wrongly assuming their situation doesn't qualify for anything else, when a more appropriate and often more secure option was available the whole time.
Where to Start
Research the specific countries currently offering this category directly, since requirements genuinely vary: some have minimum income thresholds, others require proof of an existing employment or client relationship outside the country. If you're currently employed under a contract that doesn't explicitly permit remote work from abroad, check with your employer first, a digital nomad visa resolves your immigration status, not any separate contractual restriction your employer might have in place.
The Takeaway
If your actual work is remote and you want to live somewhere in Europe for an extended period rather than just visit, this category may genuinely be a more honest fit than stretching a tourist visa's intended purpose to cover something it was never designed for.