Some parts of Spain desperately want fewer tourists. This summer, in Barcelona, protesters went as far as spraying visitors with water guns on the streets and yelling at them to go home. And in Málaga and the Canary Islands, anti-tourist stickers, graffiti, and even fake signage hoping to deter visitors are multiplying. In Extremadura, however, it’s an entirely different story.
Photo: Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock
This Spanish Region Is Ready to Pay $17K to Each Digital Nomad Who Settles There
Extremadura, a lesser-known and harder-to-reach landlocked region of Spain located on the border with Portugal, is anxiously trying to attract more people. Despite its many attributes, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites; beautiful historic cities like Mérida, the capital of the region, and Cáceres; fascinating archeological sites; and the stunning Monfragüe National Park, it’s not getting the attention it would like to receive.
In an attempt to remedy the situation and boost its economy and population numbers, Extremadura is trying to attract digital nomads with substantial grants: up to €15,000 (nearly $16,800) for each digital nomad willing to settle in the region for a couple of years. Its hope is to lure 200 remote workers in total.
The conditions to get Extremadura’s digital nomad grant
To qualify for this scheme, you must be a remote worker in the tech industry and you must not have lived in Extremadura for at least six months prior to applying. You must also be willing to stay in the region for at least two years.
US citizens, and all other non-EU nationals, must first apply for and obtain Spain’s digital nomad visa before applying for the grant.
Applications for Extremadura’s digital nomad grant should open around mid-September. All paperwork required will need to be submitted via Extremadura General Electronic Access Point, although there’s no current official list of what documents will be needed to apply.
@matadornetwork Dreaming of life in Spain? Extremadura is ready to pay almost $17K to digital nomads willing to make it their home. Applications open mid-September—who's in? 🙌🇪🇸 🎥 @kyrenek_ 📍Extremdaura, Spain #greenscreenvideo #digitalnomad #remotework #remote #extremadura #spain🇪🇸 ♬ original sound – Matador | Travel + Adventure
How much is the grant exactly?
Extremadura’s digital nomad grant consists of two payments two years apart.
According to Euronews, women, young people under the age of 30 years, and those settling in a town with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants will be eligible to receive a €10,000 ($11,160) grant while all others will receive €8,000 ($8,930).
Two year later, those who received €10,000 ($11,160) will be paid another €5,000 ($5,580), and those who received €8,000 ($8,930) will get another €4,000 ($4,465).
If your application is accepted, you must request the grant within one month.
Extremadura’s use of financial incentive to attract people is far from unique. In 2019, the Molise region in Italy was offering $770 per month for three years to those willing to settle in the area and open a business. Many cities in the US have also used this strategy in the past, including Montpellier, Vermont, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Topeka, Kansas, and Natchez, Mississippi.
Spain is one of many countries in Europe offering digital nomad visas to remote workers from all around the world. Recently, Italy launched its highly anticipated digital nomad visa, but unlike Extremadura, there’s no alluring grant for those who wish to relocate there.
If you have the money and would rather take a more direct approach to immigrating to a new country, citizenship or residency by investment (also known as golden visa) might be more your speed. Many countries in Europe have golden visa programs, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, and more. 