Regional guide
Working in Southern Europe
Southern Europe combines large established economies like Spain and Italy with smaller open markets like Malta, Cyprus, and Portugal that actively compete for global talent. Digital nomad routes are disproportionately concentrated in this region, and Portugal and Spain in particular have invested significantly in international talent attraction since 2020.
- 8
- Countries
- 41
- Total routes
- 8
- EU members
- 7
- Schengen members
Regional themes
What defines this region
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Digital nomad and remote-work routes are most common here: Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, and Italy all offer some form of remote-work scheme.
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Portugal's D8 Visa and Spain's Digital Nomad Visa are among the most cited in the region; Italy's start-up and talent visa routes attract a different profile.
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Greece, Croatia, and Slovenia have been expanding their labour immigration frameworks, with Greece introducing a points-based tech-worker route.
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Malta and Cyprus have very small domestic labour markets but serve as English-language EU bases for internationally mobile professionals.
Countries
8 countries in this region
Permit routes
Widely available routes
Routes documented in 3 or more countries in this region, with count badges showing coverage.
- Intra-corporate Transfer Permit8/8
- EU Blue Card7/8
- Researcher Permit5/8
Route hubs
Related permit route hubs
EU Blue Card countries
Countries in this guide with a documented EU Blue Card or equivalent highly qualified route.
Open route hub →
Seasonal work permit countries
Countries with a documented seasonal work route for tourism, agriculture, hospitality, or other peak-demand sectors.
Open route hub →
Digital nomad and remote-work countries
Countries in this guide that document remote-work, telework, or digital nomad residence options.
Open route hub →
Researcher permit countries
Countries with a documented researcher, hosting-agreement, or scientific-research route.
Open route hub →
Intra-corporate transfer countries
Countries with a documented intra-corporate transfer (ICT) route for managers, specialists, and trainees moving within a multinational group.
Open route hub →