Can you work remotely on a tourist visa?
Sometimes, and the answer turns on a detail most travel guides skip. Each country decides for itself what counts as work for a visitor, so the same laptop and the same foreign employer can be fine in one destination and a breach of entry conditions in the next. This page compares the rules for the destinations remote workers ask about most and shows when a trip has outgrown a visitor stay.
Remote work is defined by the destination, not by your employer
A common assumption is that working for a company back home cannot count as working abroad, because no local job is taken and no local wage is paid. Some countries agree and have written that into their visitor rules. Others treat work done on their territory as work wherever the salary comes from: in Germany a Schengen visa is generally issued on the condition that employment is not permitted, and it is generally not decisive whether the pay comes from someone in Germany.
That makes the destination the first question in any request to work abroad, ahead of the length of the trip or the time zone, and it is the reason a single company rule rarely holds across every country on an employee's itinerary.
Visitor rules for remote work by country
The table sets out how each destination treats remote work for a foreign employer during a visitor stay. Rules checked on 4 November 2026.
| Destination | Remote work for a foreign employer as a visitor | Limits worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Allowed, as long as it is not the main purpose of the visit (Appendix Visitor, PA 4(h)) | Covers activities relating to employment overseas only |
| Canada | Allowed when the employer and any clients are outside Canada (IRCC guidance on digital nomads) | Up to six months at a time, with a visitor record needed to stay longer; work for a Canadian employer needs a work permit |
| New Zealand | Allowed on visitor visas applied for on or after 27 January 2025 (Immigration New Zealand) | No cap on remote work, but no work for a New Zealand employer or for people and businesses in New Zealand; income taxed elsewhere may stay outside New Zealand tax for stays under 92 days in 12 months |
| United States | Not allowed: a B1/B2 visitor may not accept employment or work in the US (US Department of State) | The visitor rules make no separate allowance for remote work |
| Germany (Schengen) | Schengen visas are generally issued with employment not permitted, whoever pays (German missions in India) | Activities that need approval should be cleared before the visa application |
| Denmark (Schengen) | Work always requires a residence permit, however short the stay (Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) | A visa never allows work, and each Schengen country where work happens needs its own permit |
| Thailand | Remote workers can apply for the Destination Thailand Visa, which names digital nomads and remote workers among those eligible (Royal Thai Embassy) | 180 days per entry with one extension of up to 180 days, five year multiple entry validity and proof of at least 500,000 baht |
Why the answer changes from one traveller to the next
Two colleagues booked on the same flight can face different rules. Whether a traveller needs a visa before travelling at all depends on the passport they hold, and a dual national may get a different answer depending on which passport they use at the border. Someone who already holds an EU residence permit or long stay visa is not subject to the 90 days in any 180 rule that applies to most visitors in the Schengen Area, while a colleague without one has every holiday counted against the same allowance.
This is why a blanket policy such as "visitors can work for up to two weeks" breaks down in practice. Each trip needs checking against the traveller's own passport and the days they have already spent in the area, and our Schengen calculator counts the rolling 180 day window for any set of dates.
Can you convert a Schengen visa into a work permit?
Not in the way the question suggests. A short stay visa or a visa free entry is permission to visit, and permission to work sits on a separate track decided by each member state. In Denmark, salaried work needs a work and residence permit whatever the length of stay, with a permit needed in each country where the work happens. In Germany, activities that need approval from the Federal Employment Agency or the local immigration authority should be cleared before the visa application is made.
For a remote worker, the realistic way out of visitor status is a digital nomad visa or another permit applied for under that country's own rules, rather than an upgrade of the visa already in the passport.
When a trip outgrows a visitor stay
A visitor stay stops being the right basis for a trip once remote work becomes the main reason for being there or the stay runs past the visitor limit, and in countries that do not allow remote work for visitors it was never the right basis in the first place. Many countries now offer a dedicated route for this situation, and our digital nomad visa guide compares them.
In Europe, Spain and Portugal both run digital nomad visas, while in Asia the Destination Thailand Visa covers stays of up to 180 days per entry. Each comes with its own income and document requirements, so the route belongs in the plan before the trip is approved rather than after the employee has landed.
What the person approving the trip should check
For an employer, the visitor question comes first because it decides whether the trip can go ahead as planned at all. Before approving, check the destination's rule on remote work by visitors against the passport the employee will travel on, then count the days they have already spent in the area with holidays included. Where the destination does not allow remote work on a visitor stay, the trip either becomes leave with no work or moves onto a nomad visa.
Our guide to approving a request to work abroad sets out the full process, and Nomad Register keeps every traveller's days and entry rules in one place so each request is decided on the facts.
Ask before you pack the laptop
Our free request form turns your destination, dates and passport into a clear request your employer can approve, and Nomad Register keeps count of your days while you are away.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work remotely while on holiday?
It depends on where you are. The UK, Canada and New Zealand allow remote work for a foreign employer during a visit within their conditions, while the US does not allow visitors to work and Schengen countries such as Germany and Denmark do not treat a visitor stay as permission to work. Ask your employer before you go, because a holiday with work in it becomes their compliance question too.
Can you work remotely in another country without a visa?
In some countries, yes. Entering without a visa still makes you a visitor, so what matters is whether that country's visitor rules allow remote work. The UK, Canada and New Zealand allow it for foreign employers within their conditions, while Germany and Denmark require separate permission for work.
Is it legal to work remotely from another country?
It is legal when the destination allows it for your status, whether through a visitor rule that permits remote work, a digital nomad visa or a work permit. Your employer may also need to look at tax and social security, which follow separate rules and day counts.
Can I convert a Schengen visa into a work permit?
Generally not. Work permission in the Schengen Area is decided by each country, and Denmark, for example, requires a work and residence permit for salaried work whatever the length of stay. For remote workers who want to stay longer, the route is a digital nomad visa where the destination offers one.
This article is general information and not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules change often and differ by nationality, so check the official sources linked above before travelling.