The Senate voted in favour of a legal initiative regulating the implementation of the digital nomad visa programme in Romania.

The draft law was initiated by the parliamentary group USR PLUS. According to the document, the digital nomad is defined as the foreign citizen working under an employment contract with a company registered outside the Romanian borders, or the foreigner who undertakes economic activity through a company registered by himself outside Romania, who could work remotely using information and communication technologies.

Diana Buzoianu, a member of the Chamber of Deputies and initiator of the draft law, said that this initiative would help promote Romania abroad and develop the national economy.

“This legal initiative was developed following months of work in collaboration with the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, as well as experts working with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I initiated the project as I trusted it to be a law through which financial resources can be drawn to Romania, as many other member states have already done. I am glad that such a legal initiative is of interest to all public institutions and that we will unite our efforts to promote Romania abroad and to develop the national economy! Now, more than ever, a legal framework is needed that will attract resources; hence, I wish to offer Romania a legal instrument from the XXI century for these purposes,” she said.

From an economic point of view, if Romania would attract 2,000 digital nomads annually who would spend a monthly average of EUR 2,000, in a year this would translate into around EUR 50 million attracted to the national economy, according to a press release.

Amongst the states that have regulated the legal framework for digital nomads are Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Croatia, Norway, and other non-EU member states such as Costa Rica, Georgia, Dubai, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Barbados, Antigua, Mexico, Australia, and Thailand.

Romania is seen as one of the best countries for remote working, mainly because of its high internet speed or the low monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment. CircleLoop ranked Romania third in its 2021 Digital Nomad Index, after Canada and the UK.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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