Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A view of Guadaloupe In Extremadura, which is offering digital nomads big money to move there. getty While popular destinations like Barcelona , Venice and the Canary Islands grapple with the challenges of overtourism—spawning protests and local discontent—one European region is extending a warm welcome to foreigners: Extremadura, Spain. Here, the local government has allocated €2 million (about $2.
2 million) to attract up to 200 digital nomads with grants of up to €15,000 (about $16,789) to move to Extremadura and work. Women and men under the age of 30 can receive €10,000 (about $11,193), while men over 30 years can make €8,000 (about $8,954). After two years, women and men under the age of 30 will get another €5,000 (about $5,596), if they stay in the region for another year.
Men over 30 will get an additional €4,000 (about $4,477) after two years and also must stay another year. This strategic move aims to leverage remote work to inject new life into the area’s economy and reverse the trends of depopulation and economic stagnation. According to a report from Resist , a project funded by the European Union, Extremadura was identified as a less-developed region by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
“It has a high index of rural depopulation, an aging working population in rural areas and a lack of transport infrastructure, leading to socioeconomic issues,” says the report. Currently, Extremadura has the lowest population density in Spain, with 26 inhabitants per square kilometer (compare that to the population of Barcelona, which has 16,000 inhabitants per square kilometer). In 2017, the regional newspaper Hoy reported that Extremadura was losing 200 young people aged 20 to 39 a month.
Across Europe, there have been many efforts like this to save dying towns and regions and attract new residents. In Italy, Tuscany was paying new residents $32,00, while the island of Sardinia offered new residents around $15,000. MORE FOR YOU Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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Extremadura also offers a compelling argument for those looking to ditch city life. The region offers a cost of living significantly lower than many parts of Spain. The area also has a robust telecommunications infrastructure—making it an ideal spot for those whose work travels with them.
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render(randId); }); })(); So what do you need to know if you want to make Extremadura your new home? Like many of these programs, there are stipulations. First off, citizen from any country in the world can apply, but you must not have lived in the Extremadura region for six months before you register to participate in the program. You must live in an area with a population of less than 5,000 people.
The application process involves electronic submissions through the Extremadura General Electronic Access Point. Applicants will need to demonstrate their professional status and ability to work remotely, alongside compliance with the regional requirements for residency. The grant application window is expected to open shortly after the initiative’s details are published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura, likely by mid-September.
Given the limited number of grants available, you should act fast if you want to make this change. MORE FROM FORBES: Forbes The World’s 15 Safest Cities (2 U.S.
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