Where can I get residency without an employer?
As of our check on 1 October 2026, 24 of the 97 countries have a working route without a local employer. In Europe they are Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia; beyond Europe, for example, Georgia, Armenia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil and the UAE.
Which countries give residency to freelancers?
There are dedicated freelancer routes in Germany (the freelancer visa, issued with bureaucratic friction), Portugal (the D2 visa for entrepreneurs and freelancers), Bulgaria (free practice), France (liberal profession status), the UAE (the GoFreelance permit from AED 4,600) and Belize (a self-employed permit at BZ$3,000 a year).
Where is it easiest to get residency as a sole trader or self-employed?
In Serbia through your own sole proprietorship with no fixed income threshold, with permanent residence after 3 years. In Georgia the self-employed submit a business plan and a video interview instead of a job offer, but the scheme has only run since 1 March 2026 and there is no track record yet. Armenia grants residency to sole traders, but from 1 November 2026 you need turnover or a balance of 1 million dram (about $2,600), and annual quotas come in. In Paraguay one residence covers both employment and self-employment.
Can I work for local clients on this kind of residency?
It depends on the route. Statuses for your own business allow it: a sole proprietorship in Serbia and Armenia, self-employment in Georgia, the D2 in Portugal, the freelancer visa in Germany, residence in Uruguay and Paraguay. Remote work visas usually require income from abroad: that is the case in Spain, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Hungary, Greece and South Korea.
Where is the lowest income threshold without an employer?
There is no fixed threshold in Serbia, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Uruguay, Paraguay and Morocco, and Rwanda has no hard minimum capital. Among countries with a figure, the lowest are Georgia (about $470 a month and turnover of 50,000 lari a year), Ecuador with a degree ($482 a month), El Salvador ($1,460), Brazil ($1,500) and Sri Lanka ($2,000).
Does residency without an employer lead to permanent residence?
Often yes, if it is a residence permit rather than a remote work visa. Permanent residence comes after 3 years in Serbia, Armenia and Peru and after 5 years in Albania and Portugal; in Bosnia and Herzegovina years on a founder's permit count towards it, in Paraguay permanent residence follows after 2 years, and in Uruguay it is immediate. Nomad visas often lead nowhere: so in Sri Lanka, Colombia, Croatia, Malta, Costa Rica, Panama and Barbados, and Hungary's White Card requires you to leave after two years.
Where can you not get residency without an employer?
In 21 of the 97 countries. They include Switzerland, the UK, the US, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Israel, China, India, Austria, Lithuania, Iceland and the Gulf states other than the UAE and Saudi Arabia. There is no self-employment route or remote work visa there, or it is practically closed.