President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed a law amending the country’s migration legislation to establish the status of "digital nomad," Fergana reports.
The law reportedly aims to attract highly qualified IT specialists, promote innovative projects, develop high-tech industries, increase tax revenues, create jobs, and boost tourism.
Details regarding eligibility criteria, rights, obligations, application procedures, and conditions for digital nomads and their families will be determined by a separate government resolution.
The benefits for digital nomads include:
- Exemption from mandatory registration at a place of residence.
- Issuance of individual identification numbers.
- Elimination of work permit requirements.
- Permission for entrepreneurial activities.
- Access to opening bank accounts.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce highlighted positive results from a pilot project launched in 2022, which demonstrated strong interest from foreign specialists.
The project, conducted from August 2022 to December 2023, allowed participants from six countries—Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Russia.
Digital nomads are people who travel freely while working remotely using technology and the internet. Such people generally have minimal material possessions and work remotely in temporary housing, hotels, cafes, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles, using Wi-Fi, smartphones or mobile hotspots to access the Internet. The majority of digital nomads describe themselves as programmers, content creators, designers, or developers. Some digital nomads are perpetual travelers, while others only maintain the lifestyle for a short period of time. While some nomads travel through multiple countries, others remain in one area, and some may choose to travel while living in a vehicle, in a practice often known as van-dwelling.
The term "digital nomad" first appeared in the 1997 book Digital Nomad by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners. The book describes a lifestyle revolution enabled by the internet and technology, including portable devices that allow people to live and work anywhere in the world.
