10 Easiest Cities to Get Residency in 2026

1
🇬🇪
TbilisiGeorgia
365-day visa-free (≈95 nationalities)
Easiest route
Citizens of about 95 countries stay a full 365 days visa-free with no paperwork — the world's most generous welcome.
Tbilisi relocation guide
2
🇵🇹
LisbonPortugal
D8 digital-nomad visa
Easiest route
The D8 digital-nomad visa and D7 passive-income route are among Europe's most accessible long-stay options.
Lisbon relocation guide
3
🇪🇸
BarcelonaSpain
Spain Digital-Nomad Visa
Easiest route
Spain's Digital-Nomad Visa offers the same accessible long-stay route from a beachfront base.
Barcelona relocation guide
4
🇪🇸
MadridSpain
Spain Digital-Nomad Visa
Easiest route
Spain's Digital-Nomad Visa makes a one-to-five-year stay genuinely accessible to remote earners.
Madrid relocation guide
5
🇦🇪
Abu DhabiUAE
UAE Remote Work & Golden Visa
Easiest route
Shares the UAE's accessible Remote Work and 10-year Golden Visa routes to long-term residency.
Abu Dhabi relocation guide
6
🇦🇪
DubaiUAE
1-yr Remote Work Visa & Golden Visa
Easiest route
A one-year Remote Work Visa or a 10-year Golden Visa make long-stay residency unusually accessible.
Dubai relocation guide
7
🇲🇾
Kuala LumpurMalaysia
DE Rantau Nomad Pass & MM2H
Easiest route
The DE Rantau Nomad Pass and the MM2H programme give clear, purpose-built long-stay routes.
Kuala Lumpur relocation guide
8
🇨🇴
MedellínColombia
Colombia Digital-Nomad visa
Easiest route
Colombia's Digital-Nomad ('V') visa is an easy, low-income-threshold path to a long stay.
Medellín relocation guide
9
🇲🇽
Mexico CityMexico
Temporary Resident visa (income-based)
Easiest route
The income-based Temporary Resident visa is a well-worn, accessible path to a one-to-four-year stay.
Mexico City relocation guide
10
🇹🇭
BangkokThailand
DTV & LTR long-stay visas
Easiest route
The new DTV destination visa and the 10-year LTR make long stays far easier than the old visa-run grind.
Bangkok relocation guide

How we ranked

We score each city on how easily a typical remote worker or professional can secure a long-stay or residency permit: visa-free long stays and low-bar nomad visas rank highest, employer-only or high-threshold systems lower. General guidance only — verify current rules with official sources before relying on them.

We score all 24 cities in the Globe Quest atlas and show the top 10 here. As we add destinations, this ranking updates automatically.