When I first came to Asia in 1997, getting around the continent was a breeze. There were cheap flights, not as many tourists and relaxed visa rules. Today all three conditions are in reverse. Even so, tens of thousands of digital nomads still call Asia home. Here are visa rules and long-stay options in Asia for people who make money online.
Easy visa countries
Philippines
The Philippines is the easiest place to get a visa in Asia. Many digital marketing agencies base. Upsides are the loose rules and cheap English-speaking labor. The downside is the very slow internet. Everywhere in the country, internet speeds are abysmal.
Visa extensions are cheap and easy to get.
- Show up and get a 30-day visa.
- One week before the visa expires, you can renew for up to six months. A 60-day extension costs $42.
- You can keep renewing for 36 months. After 36 months, you need to leave the country and then you can play again.
Cambodia
This is one of the only countries left in Asia with a “pay to play” visa system. From PhnomPenhExpat:
- Enter the country on an E Visa
- Pay an agent $160 for a work visa
- Add $35 to register yourself as an independent businesses
- Pay $320 annually for a one-year multiple entry visa
This works out to just over $500 per year. With that visa, you can set up a bank account, get a credit card, and travel freely around the region. For example, with a 1-year visa in your passport, you don’t get asked for proof of onward travel in other countries.
But this deal might be fools gold. Cambodia relies on hydroelectric dams for their power. In 2019, severe droughts shuttered the dams, causing nationwide power outages. These lasted the duration of the drought, with rotating blackouts of 3-6 hours per day.
Another problem in Cambodia is the insane noise pollution. The whole country seems in a permanent state of construction. Check out this video report of the insane noise levels in Phnom Penh.
Thailand
Thailand has a 3-month tourist visa option that let’s you stay for a 60 days. After that, you can return for 30 days.
Most digital nomads who base in Thailand instead opt for an education visa. The Non Immigrant Visa Type ED lets you stay for one year. Then you can extend it for up to 2 more years before authorities start asking questions.
Here’s how it works:
- Find a school with an MOE certification. This can be a real school, or a shady hobby school (cooking, Muay Thai, yoga, etc).
- Pay tuition to the school (usually around $1000 per year).
- Pay the school to process your visa paperwork (around $400).
- Attend classes at least 10 hours per week (this is optional at the shadier schools).
- Leave the country after 90 days.
- Report to an immigration officer every 90 days after that.
It’s a cumbersome process with many shady schools getting shut down. If you go with a shady school that doesn’t track attendance, be careful. Your school — and your visa status — can disappear in the blink of an eye.
On the upside, Thailand is a great place for digital nomads. There’s cheap food, cheap beer, fast internet and plenty of attractions. Try this option if you’re willing to put up with the hassles.
Japan
Citizens from most European countries, North America and Australia are visa-exempt. Under a single-entry tourist visa, tourists can stay in Japan for up to 30 days, but the visa is valid for 90 days. That means you can stay for 30 days, leave the country, and then come back for another 30 days.
A better option for people between 18-30 is a working holiday visa. This lets citizens of some (not all) countries to stay — and legally work — for up to one year.
Difficult visa countries
China
Tourists get strict 30-day visas. You need to apply ahead of time directly at your local Chinese Embassy. With the application, you need to show proof of a round-trip air ticket plus a letter of invitation.
Malaysia
Malaysia is relaxed. Most countries get 30-day visas on arrival. There aren’t any easy ways to extend, except for leaving the country. Hop a bus to Thailand, have a few beers, then return to get a fresh visa stamp.
This works, but it adds up. First, you’ll blow through passports every couple of years. Second, you can get denied at any point if the immigration officer decides it.
Indonesia
Indonesia grants 30-day visas on arrival for USD$35. You are allowed one extension only. Each day you overstay is a USD$70 fine.
Digital nomads can make this work in the short term by going back and forth from Malaysia. But immigration officers can shut you down if you try too many entries this way. It’s a risky, stressful option that could see you denied entry.
Vietnam
Planet Asia spent close to a year in Saigon. Visa rules were simple: $25 for a 3-month visa. Upon expiry, you could renew in-country with a service for around $125. The cheapest option would be to arrange a new 3-month tourist visa, do a border run and return to Vietnam.
Planet Asia has friends living there under this system for years. They work full-time, run businesses, and come and go as they please.
That changes in June 2020. Eli the Bike guy broke the news. 3-month tourist visas will still be issued, but holders must leave the country every 30 days. From Saigon, the shortest border run is a 6-hour bus ride to Phnom Penh. You’ll need 12 pages in your passport for all the stamps. Plus the 6-hour drives every month may drive you insane.
Conclusion
Here are our recommended landing spots for digital nomads in Asia for this year:
- Thailand: stay for two years. Get an education visa while they’re still around (around $1200 per year). Meet other digital nomads. Enjoy the cheap food and fast internet.
- Japan: worth it if you’re between 20-25. Get a 1-year working visa, shack up in a foreigner house and teach English or bartend for money.
- Philippines: if only they had fast Internet, this would rank #1. Visas are cheap and easy to procure.
- Cambodia: a crappier version of Thailand with more expensive housing, less exciting street food, power blackouts, and insane noise pollution. Viable if you can’t afford or tolerate the hassles in Thailand.
- Combo runs: mix it up in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Live like a true nomad out of your backpack. Be warned that constant travel can get exhausting. Living in cheap Asia hotels is also a surefire way to get bedbugs.