Every Asian visa that lets you live somewhere while working for a company or clients elsewhere, ordered by the income you need to show. The gap between the cheapest and the most demanding is wider than most comparisons suggest, and two of the best-known options are not what their names imply.
| Visa | Income | Savings | Min age | Insurance | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia digital nomad visaMalaysia | $24,000 | None | — | Required | 12 months, renewable once |
| Bali digital nomad visaIndonesia | $60,000 | $2,000 | — | None | 1 year, renewable |
| DTVThailand | None | ฿500,000 | — | None | 5 years |
| Japan Digital Nomad VisaJapan | ¥10,000,000 | None | — | ¥10,000,000 | 6 months, non-renewable; the designated stay must not exceed 6 months within any one-year period |
| Korea digital nomad visaSouth Korea | ₩104,820,000 | None | 18 | ₩100,000,000 | Up to 3 years of residence in total since 30 June 2026 (previously 1 year plus a single 1-year extension, capped at 2 years) |
Malaysia's DE Rantau Nomad Pass grants 12 months, renewable to 24, to remote workers earning at least USD 24,000 a year in tech and digital roles, or USD 60,000 in other remote professions. The insurance policy must name Malaysia explicitly.
Commonly wrong: The DE Rantau income requirement is USD 24,000 for everyone.
Indonesia's E33G is a one-year renewable remote work permit requiring USD 60,000 in annual foreign income. Its distinguishing feature is fiscal: foreign income is exempt from Indonesian tax for four years from first residency.
Commonly wrong: You can pick up freelance work from Indonesian clients while on the E33G.
The DTV is a five-year multiple-entry Thai visa allowing 180 days per entry, aimed at remote workers and at people enrolled in approved Thai cultural activities. It requires 500,000 THB in liquid savings and, since 31 August 2026, a criminal record certificate.
Commonly wrong: You can apply for the DTV while you're already in Thailand on a tourist stamp.
Japan's digital nomad route grants "Designated Activities (6 months)" under Public Notice No. 53 and cannot be extended — the Immigration Services Agency Q&A states the stay is "最長６か月間であり、在留期間の更新は認められません", after which you must spend six months outside Japan before applying again. You need personal annual income of at least 10,000,000 yen at the time of application and private medical insurance whose treatment-cost cover for injury and illness is at least 10,000,000 yen, plus cover for death. Only nationals of the 51 countries and regions on the ISA's Notice 53 list (visa-exempt and with a tax treaty with Japan) qualify, and since 1 July 2026 the single-entry visa fee is 15,000 yen rather than the long-quoted 3,000 yen.
Commonly wrong: It's open to citizens of 49 countries.
South Korea's F-1-D "Workation" visa stopped being a pilot on 30 June 2026 and now allows up to 3 years of residence instead of 2, granted 1 year at a time from the date of entry. The income test is no longer a flat double-GNI bar: the Ministry of Justice applies 1x to 2x of per-capita GNI (about KRW 52.41 million for 2025) depending on your age and where in Korea you live, so 18-34 year olds settling outside the Seoul capital region or in a population-decline area qualify at roughly KRW 52.41 million a year while the top tier is about KRW 104.82 million. Everyone must hold private medical insurance covering at least KRW 100 million for hospital treatment and repatriation to their home country, and working for a Korean employer while on F-1-D is prohibited.
Commonly wrong: You need about USD 66,000 a year, or 85 million won - that's the number every guide gives.
Oldest figure on this page checked 10 September 2026. Every number is transcribed from a source cited on that visa’s own page.