Global connectivity and ease of world travel have caused many nations to take stock and learn how to benefit from extended-stay residents. This provides an opportunity that God’s people should consider. Historically, most missionaries serving overseas have gained entrance to foreign countries through missionary, student, tourist, NGO (non-government organization), or business visas. Newly emerging residence categories may provide additional options for short-term and long-term missionaries.

Perhaps more importantly, these new visa options open more doors for globally-minded Christians. By “globally-minded Christians,” I simply mean those Christians who are not afraid to live cross-culturally and want to serve and help the cause of Christ in unreached places. While these believers are not pastors or vocational missionaries, they can provide needed spiritual and practical support for churches through their presence and involvement.

Global Nomad Visas

Goexpat.com describes “global nomads” as those who are willing to move around and are not afraid of an international lifestyle. These folks do not want to be tied to one place. The site explains that digital nomads are global nomads who work abroad using digital and internet technology. They might work for an employer where they hold their current visa or for an employer back in their home country.

For a while now, it has been trendy to be a global nomad. The ability to earn a living almost entirely online has made the world a potential office as long as a good internet connection is available.

65 countries now offer a global nomad/remote worker visa. Why? Governments are trying to make it easier for expats to live and spend money in their countries. Most of these visas allow expats to live in the country for a year. Visa renewals are often allowed several or multiple times in a row. Thailand, for example, offers a 5-year Digital Nomad visa. The Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Namibia are among countries that offer this visa.

Requirements for global nomad visas vary widely between countries. Rules are not static, especially for countries newly entering the list. However, these visas are available in many places, including countries where it is otherwise very difficult to get long-term visas to live.

The global nomad visa option has huge implications for bi-vocational missionaries, making it easier to be bi-vocational. In some cultures, it is extremely difficult for foreigners to start thriving businesses to support their families without working 60+ hours per week. An online business could be much more doable.

By taking advantage of the global nomad visa, men and women interested in serving long term among a certain people group can gain good exposure to missions on the ground. They could even aggressively study the language of the nationals as they seek to encourage and strengthen missionaries and other believers. In some cases, vocational missionaries may even be able to take advantage of this option.

Retirement Visas

As with global nomad visas, some countries not only allow but strongly encourage retired expats to spend their latter years and money there. Increasingly, governments seek to tap into the lucrative market of retirees with stable incomes abroad. They often appeal to those who want to live better and more inexpensively internationally.

Requirements for retirement visas are age and a minimum monthly income, both of which vary widely from country to country. The income requirement helps ensure that expats will not live off the country’s own citizens’ benefits. Annual visa renewals help guard against this. A certain amount of money held in person’s bank account and appropriate health insurance might also be required by the government.

What countries have such visas? Ones I see online include Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dubai, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Thailand, The Philippines, Uruguay, and Vanuatu. This is not a complete list as countries define and explain things differently. Here is one extensive list with links.

Some listings cater to a certain nationalities, such as Americans. This list specifically for Americans included countries not on other lists: Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Japan, Malta, Singapore, South Korea, and Cyprus. The country you come from can matter when trying to obtaining a retirement visa. Non-Americans will have some countries open to them that are not open to Americans.

Some long-term missionaries find that they can now switch from more difficult-to-obtain visa options to the retirement option when they qualify. We are looking toward this option ourselves here in Cambodia at age 55. Bi-vocational missionaries can also take advantage of this.

What if hundreds, even thousands, of mature Christian retirees were to relocate to live among unreached and less reached peoples around the world for the purpose of bearing witness for Christ and encouraging laborers in the harvest there?

Dual Citizenship

A related option many don’t think about is dual citizenship. If you are a citizen of a country, not only do you get free access to live and travel there without a visa requirement, but you also get access to live and travel wherever that country has reciprocity with another.

This site lists 85 countries that allow dual citizenship. The United States is one of these. Here is a listing of those countries that do not allow a dual citizenship.

Questions abound when considering dual citizenship. It can be quite complicated to find accurate information. Laws change too, but dual citizenship is definitely doable in many cases. Holding two passports allows for complete legal rights and access in two nations—a tremendous privilege that offers long-term opportunities for the Great Commission!

Whether or not an older Christian has the global nomad wanderlust, he/she should consider this possible pathway for shorter-term service to help fulfill the Great Commission. The choice to live abroad away from family and friends, especially when older, requires serious commitment. However, we must not let fear of loss or the unknown be the reason that we avoid this possibility. Of course, becoming a dual citizen in some cases can be a real risk. It may also be that God would have some even renounce their citizenship and repatriate to another country for the sole purpose of reaching people there for Christ. Then we would never need a visa even though we might put ourselves in a much more vulnerable set of circumstances.

A Genuine Great Commission Lifestyle

If we genuinely have a Great Commission lifestyle, all the options discussed here are “on the table.” We would be willing to suffer loss, take risks, and be vulnerable. Would the Lord have you pray about one of these avenues for ministry among the unreached? If He calls you and you go, you will receive a generous reward. Jesus said to His disciples, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29, ESV).

This article was first published on Commissioned and is republished with permission.