A New Social Safety Net for Entrepreneurs

If you’re a digital nomad or a location-independent business owner, you’re either paying more for fragmented insurance coverage (travel, medical, etc.) or just woefully 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 can’t use a country’s social safety net because, well, you’re not a citizen, right? You’re just traveling the world!

So what do you do?

Travel insurance company Safety Wing is trying to change that. They always want to create an 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 just launched what they call Nomad Citizen which tries to bridge the gap in coverage.

What is a nomadic citizen?

Nomad Citizen is an annual subscription that bundles the benefits of health coverage, travel protection, income protection, and life insurance into a single plan. It is 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 by default.

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

Who can sign up?

Nomad Citizen covers people under the age of 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 that you’ll be outside your passport country for more than half a year. You can also include your partner and children under the age of 18.

But WHO Should you sign up? This is an interesting product. I definitely think there is a place for that. After all, let’s say you’re an entrepreneur in Bali and you 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 was seriously hospitalized and ate through his travel insurance limit really quickly. Afterward, he couldn’t work for months while he was in rehab and started a GoFundMe to help. Products like Gypsy Citizen would have helped him. Or help one of the other digital nomads who get injured on the road and need to raise funds.

I think this product is good for someone living outside their country without access to social services and a strong social safety net. For example, if you live in Sweden and have access to all state benefits, this product is probably not for you because they have so many services, but if you live in Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, or France but don’t have access to benefits, or are just traveling the world, have a higher income, are self-employed, or have a family, then this product may be something to consider.

How much does it cost?

For those signing up on or after July 1, 2026, a Nomad Citizen membership costs $443 per month for individuals ages 18 to 39. If you’re 40 – 49, it’s $665 per month, and $875 per month for 50-55. Children are $143 per month (couples enrolled in 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 indeed worldwide, including the US, although it should be noted that the coverage limits were not designed for widespread use there… because well, the US health care system is just a mess.

What is included?

Income Protection: The Income Protection benefit is perhaps the single most compelling reason Nomad Citizen exists. Traditional income protection or disability insurance requires a fixed employer, a permanent address, and residence in a certain country. Freelancers and sole traders working across borders are essentially uninsurable for loss of income through traditional schemes, such as government aid.

If you’re a freelancer or remote worker and you lose your income (you’re laid off, your contracts run out, or you can’t work because of a medical condition), Nomad Citizen pays you $4,000 a month for 3 or 6 months until you get back on your feet. This advantage is nowhere else!

Health Insurance: Up to $1.5 million in annual coverage for inpatient, outpatient, prescription, dental, vision, mental health, maternity, preventive care, wellness treatments, and more. It’s like health insurance where you live and covers everything you need. It is much stronger than regular travel insurance, which is only there for emergencies.

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

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

Long Term Disability: If something really serious happens to you and you’re forced to stop working permanently because, for example, you lose your sight, you’re diagnosed with cancer, you have a major stroke, or you can no longer do basic things like walk, dress yourself, or feed yourself, they pay you US$4,000 per month until 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 these visas) directly through our app interface without having to apply through official websites. They handle all direct communication with the government and check the quality of your application before submission to maximize the chances of approval.

Gypsy Care Map: Find the best providers through a member-driven database of over 4,000 healthcare providers worldwide, with service and English ratings.

Payment Cards: Use your SafetyWing Card to pay for up to $500 of covered services. It automatically generates a claim that has already been paid so you don’t have to wait for reimbursement. The SafetyWing Card is a worldwide prepaid debit card 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 a response from a real person within minutes.

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

Making claims

For health coverage, you either pay out of pocket and file for reimbursement or contact the 24/7 team to arrange payment directly with the provider. For travel claims, you collect documents (police reports, carrier delay notices, receipts) and submit the claim. To protect income, you must verify the loss while working with SafetyWing and provide proof that you are actively seeking new income. Everything is managed through an app and they make it really simple and easy.

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 income protection, as well as more robust health and travel coverage and the kind of social security programs you’d get if you lived in one place. After all, when you’re a solopreneur, you worry about what happens if you get injured, can’t work, or have a baby. It’s all on you, right? Nomad Citizen is the program that makes sure you don’t have to worry about these kinds of things anymore.

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