Barbados Welcome Stamp | An Incomplete Guide

What is digital nomad visa?

“Digital nomads” represent a lifestyle trend that has gained prominence in the 21st century. With the advancement of information technology, an increasing number of professionals—such as IT workers, media personnel, language teachers, and freelancers—have broken free from traditional office settings. They now have the ability to work remotely from any location worldwide with internet access. This concept of remote work gained significant traction, especially before and during the pandemic.

Once liberated from office constraints, some remote workers choose to embrace a unique lifestyle: they carry their bags and travel to various destinations while continuing to work remotely. These individuals, known as “digital nomads,” experience a blend of exploring new cultures and working from different corners of the world.

To attract digital nomads and promote tourism and emerging industries, governments in at least 65 countries and regions worldwide have introduced specialized digital nomad visas. These visas typically have the following characteristics:

1. Applicants must be remote workers with stable monthly income and cannot be employed locally.

2. Digital nomad visas are essentially extended travel visas, often valid for one year and allowing residence for up to two to four years in the destination country without the option for permanent immigration.

However, in some Latin American and Southern European countries—such as Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and Ecuador—digital nomads can eventually obtain local permanent residency or even naturalization after accumulating a certain length of stay.

For more information on digital nomad visa programs, explore the details in our “Global Digital Nomad Visas | An Incomplete Handbook” on this websites.

Barbados Welcome Stamp:

To mitigate the impact of the pandemic on tourism, the Barbadian government launched a digital nomad visa program called the “Welcome Stamp” on June 30, 2020. This program aims to attract overseas remote workers, digital nomads, and freelancers who have stable income from remote work.

Currently, the core economic requirement for this visa is that applicants must earn income through remote work in Barbados, with an annual income of at least $50,000 USD.

Additionally, applicants must meet basic criteria such as good health, a clean criminal record, purchasing health insurance covering local healthcare, and not being employed by Barbadian companies for overseas resources work.

Status Quo:

As of July 2022, within a two-year period from June 30, 2020, the Barbadian government received 3,784 Welcome Stamp visa applications and approved 2,417 of them. Most applicants come from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Nigeria, and India.

Application Process:

The Barbados welcome stamp can be applied for entirely online through the official website. To apply, visit the Barbados Welcome Stamp official website, register an account, fill out the application form, upload all required documents, and submit your application.

Within a maximum of five working days, the local government will notify you via email whether your application has been approved or not.

Required documents include:

• Applicant’s Identity Documents: Passports (with at least six months’ validity) and photocopies for all main and dependent applicants. Include one passport-sized photo. Provide proof of relationship (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.) for main and dependent applicants.

• Application Form: All main and dependent applicants need to complete an application form. The main applicant should also submit a letter explaining their background and intention to apply.

• Certificate of No Criminal Record: All applicants aged 16 and above must provide a certificate of no criminal record issued by authorities in the region where they have lived for over six months within the past three years.

• Income Proof: Demonstrate that your work is remote and that your annual income exceeds $50,000 USD.

• Health Insurance Proof: Each main and dependent applicant needs health insurance covering Barbados with a minimum coverage of over $500,000 USD.

All documents originating outside Barbados must be notarized, and any non-English documents should be translated into English.

After approval, the main applicant need to pay a visa fee of $2,000 USD. If dependents accompany, the fee increases to $3,000 USD. You are then free to enter Barbados, and the visa’s validity starts from your arrival.

Dependents:

The Barbados Welcome Stamp allows the main applicant’s spouse, minor children, and financially dependent children of any age to obtain the visa as dependents.

Visa Validity:

The Barbados Digital Nomad Visa is valid for one year and can be renewed indefinitely under the same conditions.

However, it is a non-immigrant visa, and visa holders cannot apply for permanent residency or citizenship in Barbados based on the Digital Nomad Visa.

Official Website:

Barbados Welcome Stamp：https://www.visitbarbados.org/barbados-welcome-stamp