Which nomad visas do not require health insurance
Almost every nomad visa requires health insurance, and the requirement is rarely a formality. Countries specify minimum cover, name the risks that must be included, sometimes require the policy to be issued by a locally licensed insurer, and reject files where the certificate does not say the right things in the right language.
Of the 52 routes in our dataset, 42 require it and 10 do not. The short list is worth knowing, because insurance is the single most common reason a file that clears the income test still comes back.
10 of the 52 nomad visa routes we track do not make health insurance a condition: Armenia, Bahamas, Georgia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Thailand, Uruguay, Uzbekistan.
Several of these are visa-free or visitor-status arrangements rather than dedicated nomad visas, which is precisely why the insurance condition is absent — there is no application to attach it to.
| Country | Income floor | Fee | Valid for | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | — | — | 180 days visa-free for many; easy residence via business registration | See below |
| Bahamas | — | $1025 | 1 year | 5 days |
| Georgia | — | — | 365 days visa-free for 95+ nationalities | See below |
| Mexico | $4,200/mo | $53 | 1 year | 1–4 weeks |
| New Zealand | — | — | Visitor: up to 9 months; remote work for a foreign employer now explicitly allowed (2025) | Days (NZeTA) |
| Norway | $3,250/mo | $630 | Up to 2 years (independent contractor permit) | 1–3 months |
| Peru | — | $200 | 1 year | 1–2 months |
| Thailand | — | $280 | 5 years | 5–15 days |
| Uruguay | — | $12 | 180 days | Days — online |
| Uzbekistan | — | — | 30 days visa-free for many; e-Visa up to 30 days; longer residence available | See below |
Nomad visa routes in our dataset that do not require you to hold health insurance as a condition of the permission.
Why the exemptions exist
Look at what is on this list. Georgia and Armenia are visa-free entry arrangements — 365 days visa-free for 95+ nationalities in Georgia's case. Uzbekistan is the same shape. New Zealand is visitor status with remote work for a foreign employer explicitly permitted since 2025. In none of these is there a nomad visa file for an insurance certificate to be part of.
The genuine exceptions — countries running a real application process that still does not demand insurance — are Mexico, Norway, Thailand, Uruguay, Peru and Bahamas. Mexico's temporary residency is the most useful of those for most people: $4,200/mo, a $53 fee, 1 year, 1–4 weeks processing, and no insurance condition attached to the permission itself.
What 'required' actually means where it is required
The requirement is not uniform, and treating it as a checkbox is how applications fail. Broadly it takes three forms. Some countries want a stated minimum sum insured, commonly €30,000 for Schengen-aligned schemes. Some want specific perils named — repatriation of remains is the one people miss. And some want the policy valid for the full requested period rather than the thirty days a travel policy typically covers, which rules out most nomad-marketed travel insurance sold by the trip.
The practical rule: buy the policy after you have read the country's own specification, not before, and get the certificate reissued in the language the consulate asks for. Our country pages link to the official requirement for each scheme.
Where the insurance requirement is heaviest
Among the countries that do require it, the Schengen-area schemes are the most prescriptive: Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Malta, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia all sit inside or alongside the Schengen framework and inherit its documentation expectations. Non-European schemes tend to state a sum and leave the rest to you.
The awkward middle case is Indonesia, which requires insurance and sets the highest income floor of any Asian scheme at $5,000/mo, while Yogyakarta costs $900 a month. The insurance is the least of it.
Common follow-up questions
Which nomad visas do not require health insurance?
Armenia, Bahamas, Georgia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Thailand, Uruguay, Uzbekistan. Several of these are visa-free or visitor arrangements rather than dedicated nomad visas, which is why no insurance condition attaches.
How much health insurance cover do nomad visas usually require?
Schengen-aligned schemes commonly specify €30,000 minimum cover including repatriation. Non-European schemes usually state a sum and leave the specification to you. Check the official requirement before buying a policy.
Will a normal travel insurance policy satisfy a nomad visa?
Usually not. Most travel policies cover a trip of up to thirty or ninety days, while the visa requires cover for the full permission period. That mismatch is one of the most common reasons an otherwise sound application is refused.