A New Social Safety Net for Entrepreneurs

If you’re a digital nomad or a location-independent business owner, you’re either overpaying for fragmented insurance coverage (travel, medical, etc.) or just badly underinsured. You have a health plan, travel insurance, and maybe some medical evacuation coverage. But, when you work for yourself, you lack the kind of safety net protections you get with a corporate job. And you cannot use a country’s social safety net because, well, you’re not a citizen, right? You’re just roaming the world!

So what do you do?

The travel insurance company Safety Wing is looking to change that. They have always wanted to create this all-in-one package for digital nomads that includes insurance, employee benefits, and a social safety net.

I use their travel insurance all the time and they have just launched what they call Nomad Citizen that seeks to address the gaps in coverage.

What is Nomad Citizen?

Nomad Citizen is an annual membership that bundles health coverage, travel protection, income protection, and life insurance benefits into a single plan. It’s for location-independent entrepreneurs and business owners who spend more than half the year outside their home country and whose lives and income cross borders as a default.

Nomad Citizen covers you globally with no residency restrictions (except for Puerto Rico).

Who can sign up?

Nomad Citizen covers people under 56 and earning at least $4,000 USD per month. You sign up online, choose your start date, declare that you’re in good health, and confirm you’ll be outside your passport country for more than half the year. You can also add your partner and any children under 18.

But who should sign-up? This is an interesting product. I definitely think there’s a niche for it. After all, let’s say you’re an entrepreneur in Bali and don’t have access to any social safety net. What happens if you get sick or really hurt and you’re out of work? A friend of mine in Mexico was hit by a car and severely hospitalized and ate into his travel insurance limits really quickly. Afterwards, he couldn’t work for months while he was in rehab and started a GoFundMe for help. A product like Nomadic Citizen would have helped him. Or helped any of the other digital nomads who get injured on the road and have to raise funds.

I think this product is good for someone who is living in a country outside their own without access to social services and a robust social safety net. For example, if you live in Sweden and have access to all the benefits of the State, this product probably isn’t for you because they have tons of services but if you live in Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, or France but don’t have access to benefits, or are just roaming the world, have a high income, work on your own, or have a family, then this product would be something to consider.

How much does it cost?

For those signing up on or after July 1, 2026, the Nomad Citizen membership costs $443 per month for those 18 to 39. If you’re 40 – 49, it’s $665 per month, and $875 per month for 50-55. Children cost $143 per month (couples on the plan can add their first child under 10 at no cost). You can pay monthly or annually.

A note about US coverage: Nomad Citizen is truly worldwide, including the US, although it should be noted that coverage limits were not designed for extensive use there…because well, the US health care system is just a mess.

What’s Included?

Income protection: The income protection benefit is probably the single most compelling reason Nomad Citizen exists. Traditional income protection or disability insurance requires a fixed employer, a permanent address, and residency in a specific country. Freelancers and sole traders working across borders are essentially uninsurable for income loss through conventional schemes, such as government assistance.

If you’re a freelancer or remote worker and you lose your income (you’re laid off, your contracts dry up, or you can’t work due to a medical condition), Nomad Citizen pays you up to $4,000 per month for up to 4 or 6 months while you get back on your feet. That benefit doesn’t exist anywhere else!

Health insurance: Up to $1.5 million in annual coverage for inpatient, outpatient, prescriptions, dental, vision, mental health, maternity, preventive care, wellness therapies, and more. This is just like health insurance where you live and covers everything you need. It is far more robust than regular travel insurance, which is only there for emergencies.

Travel coverage: Trip delays, cancellations, stolen electronics, lost luggage, evacuation, robbery, family visits during hospitalisation.

Parental leave: If you have a baby or become a legal guardian of a child, they pay US$4,000/month so you can take time off work without worrying about money. There is a waiting period of 3 years to access this benefit. 

Long-term disability: If something really serious happens to you and you are permanently forced to stop working because, for instance,  you lose your eyesight, you’re diagnosed with cancer, you have a major stroke, or you can no longer do basic things like walk, dress yourself, or eat on your own, they pay you US$4,000/month up to age 75.

Visa assistance: Members can browse and apply for different governments’ versions of long-term visas designed for nomads (i.e. they can work on those visas) directly through our app interface without having to apply through the government websites. They handle all the direct communication with the government and quality check your application before submission to maximize the chances of approval.

Nomad Care Map: Find the best providers through our member-powered database of more than 4000 healthcare providers all over the world, with ratings for service and English level.

Payment cards: Use your SafetyWing card to pay for covered services up to $500. This auto-generates a claim that has already been paid so you do not have to wait for reimbursement. The SafetyWing card is a worldwide prepaid debit card that is sent to every Nomad Citizen member, which they can use to pay for doctor’s appointments or prescriptions without using their own money.

24/7 human support: You’ll have access to 24/7 live chat so you can get an answer from a real person within a few minutes.

Everything in one app: Claims, coverage details, customer care, provider search with Nomad Care Map, and visa assistance are all managed through a single app. There is no need to switch between a health insurer, a travel insurer, and a separate income protection provider (if one existed).

Making claims

For health coverage, you either pay out of pocket and file for reimbursement or contact the 24/7 team to arrange direct payment with the provider. For travel claims, you collect documentation (police reports, carrier delay notices, receipts) and submit a claim. For income protection, you work with SafetyWing to verify the loss and provide evidence that you’re actively seeking new income. Everything is managed through one app and they make it really simple and easy to do.

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I love SafetyWing’s mission and use their travel insurance on all my trips. This new Nomad Citizen product is perfect for people who are full-time digital nomads and want some sort of income protection as well as more robust health and travel coverage and the kind of social safety programs you would get if you lived in one place. After all, when you are a solopreneur, you do worry about what happens if you get injured, can’t work, or have a kid. It’s all on you, right? Nomad Citizen is the program that ensures that you won’t have to worry about this kind of stuff anymore.