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Life

Indonesia and Thailand in slow race for digital nomad visa

Despite trend toward remote working, Asia has yet to seize on opportunities

Digital nomads stay overseas for longer than periods regular leisure tourists, offering potentially lucrative rewards for countries that can find a way to host them -- and tax them -- without scaring them away to other locales. (Photo by Ian Neubauer)

BANGKOK -- In August last year, Estonia, the Eastern European digital powerhouse that gave the world Skype, introduced the world's first visa for digital nomads -- a loose group of remote workers and freelancers who travel the globe and earn a living anywhere as long as there is fast and reliable internet connection.

Two months later, Dubai followed suit with a digital nomad program, while Croatia introduced new legislation and 12-month visas for digital nomads this year. Four Caribbean Island nations -- Barbados, Bermuda, Anguilla and the Cayman Islands -- have also joined the bandwagon in a bid to attract members of the most lucrative and fastest-growing migrant worker trend of the digital era.

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