Ranking · Paperwork

The countries with the least paperwork, by the documents they actually ask for.

The gap between the lightest and the heaviest visa file is a whole afternoon of apostilles and notary appointments. These are the countries whose easiest long-stay route asks for the fewest documents, lightest first.

Countries ranked

Top of the list

Australia

2 docs

Every figure

Sourced

From the Nomad data set

Method

In the open

Below the table

Michael KaufmanCo-founder, Nomad Lifestyle. Moved LA to Costa Rica.

Countries with the least visa paperwork, ranked by documents

1. Australia	2 docs	$600	4 wks	2 docs	Yes
2. Georgia	2 docs	$200	4 wks	2 docs	?
3. Malaysia	2 docs	$1,060	5 wks	2 docs	Yes
4. Peru	2 docs	n/a	n/a	2 docs	No
5. Canada	3 docs	$300	1 wks	3 docs	Yes
6. Estonia	3 docs	$300	2 wks	3 docs	Yes
7. Israel	3 docs	$500	1 wks	3 docs	Yes
8. New Zealand	3 docs	$520	2 wks	3 docs	Yes
9. Singapore	3 docs	n/a	3 wks	3 docs	No
10. South Korea	3 docs	$200	3 wks	3 docs	Yes
11. Turkiye	3 docs	$300	4 wks	3 docs	Yes
12. Colombia	4 docs	$65	4 wks	4 docs	No
13. Morocco	4 docs	$200	4 wks	4 docs	Yes
14. Portugal	4 docs	$1,500	8 wks	4 docs	Yes
15. South Africa	4 docs	$400	8 wks	4 docs	Yes
16. United Kingdom	4 docs	$404	3 wks	4 docs	Yes
17. Uruguay	4 docs	$300	26 wks	4 docs	No
18. Japan	5 docs	n/a	4 wks	5 docs	Yes
19. Vietnam	5 docs	$200	1 wks	5 docs	No
20. Brazil	6 docs	$100	4 wks	6 docs	No
21. Chile	6 docs	$100	6 wks	6 docs	Yes
22. Indonesia (Bali)	6 docs	$1,500	3 wks	6 docs	Yes
23. Ireland	6 docs	$65	6 wks	6 docs	Yes
24. Mexico	6 docs	$56	2 wks	6 docs	Yes
25. Thailand	6 docs	$55	3 wks	6 docs	Yes
26. Argentina	7 docs	$100	4 wks	7 docs	No
27. Croatia	7 docs	$300	4 wks	7 docs	Yes
28. Greece	7 docs	$500	4 wks	7 docs	Yes
29. Taiwan	7 docs	$200	2 wks	7 docs	No
30. Costa Rica	8 docs	$800	4 wks	8 docs	No
31. Czech Republic	8 docs	$115	8 wks	8 docs	Yes
32. Netherlands	8 docs	$83	4 wks	8 docs	Yes
33. Belize	9 docs	$150	4 wks	9 docs	No
34. Cyprus	9 docs	n/a	4 wks	9 docs	Yes
35. Dominican Republic	9 docs	$800	8 wks	9 docs	No
36. Germany	9 docs	$86	8 wks	9 docs	Yes
37. Hungary	9 docs	$66	4 wks	9 docs	No
38. Malta	9 docs	n/a	1 wks	9 docs	Yes
39. United Arab Emirates	9 docs	$1,100	2 wks	9 docs	No
40. France	10 docs	$55	4 wks	10 docs	Yes
41. Panama	10 docs	$250	4 wks	10 docs	No
42. Spain	10 docs	$66	3 wks	10 docs	Yes
43. Italy	11 docs	$57	4 wks	11 docs	Yes

Ranked on the highlighted column; the rest is context, all from the same verified data set. Sort any column.

How we ranked them

The method, in the open.

We ranked each country by the document count of its lightest long-stay route, from the required-document lists in our knowledge graph. Documents are the most completely measured signal we hold, so this ranking is close to comprehensive. Fewer documents does not always mean lower difficulty, since a single document like a criminal record check or an apostille can take longer than five simple ones, but it is a fair proxy for how much a file demands. Not immigration advice.

See the full data and methodology

More ways to rank the move

Easiest countries to move to from the US The cheapest countries to move to by what the visa really costs The fastest countries to get a visa measured in weeks, not vibes The cheapest countries to get residency filed and landed from the US The lowest income requirements for a visa that actually lets you stay Countries with no US tax treaty where you can get taxed twice

A ranking is a shortlist, not your answer.

Your work, income, and who is coming decide which of these you actually clear. Answer a few questions and get the routes that fit your situation, ranked, in about 90 seconds.

Check your visa fit

The method, in the open.

More ways to rank the move

A ranking is a shortlist, not your answer.

Ready to build your move plan?