Residency - General Information and Summary 2012

The requirements to enter Costa Rica depend on your country of nationality. Generally, citizens of the United States, Canada and the European Union countries do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica. Those citizens can enter Costa Rica with their valid passport and remain in the country for up to a maximum of 90 days.

Visa renewal. If you are under the 30 or 60 day category then the law allows you to apply for an extension of up to 90 days. If you have a 90 day visa the law does not allow you to apply for an extension in Costa Rica you must leave the country and re-enter to obtain another tourist visa.

The amount of time that a Tourist can remain in Costa Rica is based upon their country of origin. Costa Rica ranks countries for visa purposes into 4 categories set forth below:

GROUP ONE. Those countries designated as Group One may enter Costa Rica without an entry Visa and may remain in Costa Rica for up to 90 days.

Example: United States Canada, European Union, Australia, Brasil,

GROUP TWO: Citizens of Group Two countries may enter Costa Rica without an entry Visa and may remain in Costa Rica for up to 30 days.

Example: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela

GROUP THREE: If you are a citizen of a Group Three country you need to obtain an entry VISA from a Costa Rican Embassy or Consulate abroad before you enter Costa Rica. If granted it is for a period of 30 days.

Example: Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Peru

GROUP FOUR: This is the most restrictive category. This means that citizens of Category Three Countries must have an entry visa BEFORE they are allowed to enter Costa Rica. The visa must be reviewed by the Director of Immigration before it can be granted. If granted the visa is for a period of 30 days.

Example: Cuba, Jamaica, China, Iran, Iraq.

You can download the current visa list by clicking on the following link: Circular DG-3312- Visa Entry Requirement List


Your Passport Entry Stamp: While you are in Costa Rica your passport and the immigration stamp that was placed in it when you entered the country is your proof of legal status. The Immigration Department allows you to carry a copy of your passport with the entry stamp so that you can keep your passport in a safe place.

All residency applications are processed by the Costa Rican Department of Immigration (Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria) which in turn is overseen by the Ministry of Public Security and Police (Ministerio de Gobernacion, Policia y Seguridad Publica).

In the past the Department of Immigration required that applications be filed in your country of origin through the Costa Rican Consular Office in your area. Under the current law the Department of Immigration will accept applications filed in Costa Rica directly with the Department of Immigration. However, if you file in Costa Rica as opposed to outside of Costa Rica then, in addition to the $50 application fee you will be charged an additional $200 fee for a change of status fee.

You will still need to interact with the Costa Rican Embassy or Consular Office in your home country to have you documents authenticated. If your country is a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign Documents then your certified documents should be "Apostilled" in your country of origin and may be sent directly to Costa Rica to the Ministry of Foreign Relations for authentication thus skipping the Embassy/Consular authentication process. See the following article on the Legalization of Documents for Countries that are members of the Hague Convention.

For list of Embassy and Consular Offices of Costa Rica around the world see the list on the Ministry of Foreign Relations site: Embassy and Consular List.

Be advised that the residency procedures change from time to time. Since Costa Rica has become an attractive destination for many the processing of immigration applications at time has overwhelmed the Immigration processing system. As such, there are considerable delays in processing new applications. Also, the approval of residency is a discretionary matter of the Department of Immigration. The Department of Immigration favors applicants that can demonstrate that they will provide a financial benefit and contribute to create employment for Costa Rica citizens either in the form of direct investment (investors, entrepreneurs) or indirect investment (Rentista and Pensionados) .

(3) Executives, Managers, Technical Personnel for Corporations which are established in the country. This may also include those specialized workers that are independent workers but whose technical expertise is required and the Department of Immigration as set forth the criteria to allow that specialty to work in Costa Rica.

If you are planning to retire in Costa Rica and you have a pension or investment income then you may qualify for either PENSIONADO RESIDENCY or RENTISTA RESIDENCY. This program is governed by the current Immigration Law which confers residency status as follows:

Generally, those who seek the Rentista category do not have a pension source and instead have investment income. To apply for this category it is necessary to provide proof of the investment and that it will generate the requisite amount per month which is required under this program. As such the applicant must provide a letter from their bank or financial institution where your funds are deposited certifying the existence of that income. It is not required that the funds be held in Costa Rica. The letter can be issued by international banks as well as Costa Rican banks.

Prove that the funds were deposited in Costa Rica. This issue generally comes up when you are going to renew your residency category. When you renew your status you will be asked to provide proof that the funds have been sent to Costa Rica. As such keep records of all deposits until you complete your renewal of status. The easiest way to comply with this requirement is to ask your bank to issue a letter stating that you have an account with them and indicating that during the year you have exchanged the amount required by the immigration law i.e. $12,000 per year for Pensionado or $ 30,000 per year for Rentista.

Contribute to the Social Security System of Costa Rica. The current Immigration law (8764) requires that all residency holders must contribute towards the Costa Rican Social Security and Medical System (C.C.S.S.) The easiest way to comply is to request a voluntary policy known as seguro voluntario. The amount you pay is based upon the amount of income you report. Since the law establishes the monthly requirement i.e. $1,000 for Pensionado and $2,500 for Rentista those are the amounts they will base the payment on. For Pensionado that generally translates into a monthly social security payment of around $50 per month..

The application for Rentista or Pensionado status can be filed through the Costa Rican Embassy or Consular office in your country of origin or directly at the offices of the Department of Immigration in Costa Rica. Before the application can be prepared the applicant must compile all the supporting documentation that is required for the application as follows:

1. Birth Certificate: You must provide a certified copy of your birth certificate and that of your dependents. The certified copy must be sent to the Costa Rican consulate for your jurisdiction for authentication. The consulate charges US$40 for each document to be authenticated. Be advised that the Department of Immigration will not accept any supporting documentation which has not been authenticated by a Costa Rican Consul.

4. Police Certificate of Good Conduct: This certification is obtained from the police department where you last resided. This certification also needs to be authenticated by a Costa Rican or directly with the Ministry of Foreign Relations Consulate if the issuing country is a member of the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign Documents. Note that this certificate is only valid for 6 months from the date they are issued. If this document expires while you are pulling together the rest of the documentation then you will have to obtain another one. If the document expires after you have submitted it to immigration and they have not processed your obligation you will NOT have to submit another one.

11. Proof of Registration With Your Local Embassy. Your local Embassy in Costa Rica must provide you with a letter or certificate indicating that you have registered with them. This is now a pre-requisite to the approval of immigration residency status in Costa Rica.

As previously indicated all documents that are issued in your country of origin such as a birth certificate, police certificate, marriage certificate etc.. must go through the document legalization and authentication process. This means the documents you will use for the residency process must first be be obtained from your vital records office and then certified by your local authenticating government agent. In the United States that would be the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued. In the case of Canadian documents they can be legalized at the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Office. In the case of European documents they must be legalized by the Foreign Relations office of the country where they were issued. If your country is a member of the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign Documents then you can skip the Costa Rican Embassy / Consular authentication step.

The following is an example of a Secretary of State authentication. Since the United States is a member of the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign Documents this document could be sent directly to Costa Rica for legalization.

Your documents are ready for use in Costa Rica when they have been certified by the Ministry of Foreign Relations The following is what the certification looks like. If your document does not have a certification from the Ministry of Foreign Relations it cannot be used in Costa Rica. The Embassy/Consulate charges $40 for each document authentication.

Once you have all the documentation set forth above you are ready to submit your application to the Department of Immigration through the Costa Rican Consulate in your country of origin. The cost of the application is $50 which must be paid to the Department of Immigration. by way of deposit to their account at the Banco de Costa Rica. If you apply locally instead of via your Consular office you will have to pay an additional $200 with your application since they consider this a change of status from a "tourist" status to the new category you are applying for. Generally the Department of Immigration will only receive applications that are accompanied with ALL the supporting documentation. Keep in mind that all the original documents that you submit become the exclusive property of the Department of Immigration and will NOT be returned to you.

Once you application is received you will be given a receipt. This receipt is important since it is your proof that you have a pending residency application with the Department of Immigration. The form below is a copy of the receipt that you will be issued.


Your application first goes to the Legal Department within Pensionado/Rentista Section of the Department of Immigration who will review all the documentation for compliance. If all your paperwork is in order the Legal Department will forward the application to the approval committee for final evaluation. If there are any defects in the application the Legal Department will notify your legal representative of the defect and request that it be corrected before it will submit the application for approval.

If your application is approved then the Department of Immigration will issue a formal resolution indicating the date on which the application was approved. You or your legal representative must appear at the Department of Immigration for formally retrieve the resolution. Once you have the final resolution and have registered with the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) then you can request an appointment with the Department of Immigration to have them issue you a picture identification residency card.

In order to renew you residency status under this category you must first must demonstrate that the income was received in Costa Rica. The renewal process has greatly improved since the Department of Immigration created an alliance with Banco de Costa Rica one of the largest banks in Costa Rica. As such residency holders can renew their residency status at some of the branch offices of Banco de Costa Rica. To do so you call their 900 number which is 900-00-34639 to request a renewal appointment. They have English speaking phone operators if you request it.

The Investor Category requires an applicant to demonstrate to the Department of Immigration that they will be coming to Costa Rica to invest in the country. The current Immigration Law maintains the investor category which had existed in previous immigration laws. The category is found in Article 79 (4) of the law. In the past the law specifically excluded personal investments such as purchase of home, lots or buildings to qualify for this category. Subsequently on August 28, 2009 the Director of Immigration issued Circular UPI-239-2009-LAS which modified the types of investment that could be made to qualify for this category.

“The investment amount must be $200,000 United States dollars or more according to the official exchange rate which is established by the Central Bank of Costa Rica. The investment can be made in tangible property, shares, negotiable instruments, productive projects or projects which are deemed of national interest”

Also bear in mind that the granting of Inversionista category is a discretionary matter with the Department of Immigration. It requires financial statements audited by a Certified Public Accountant to document the financial investment plan proposed.

This is a response to massive marriage fraud cases that have been uncovered whereby foreigners would pay Costa Rican citizens to marry them in order to obtain permanent residency.

Under the new law the spouse of a Costa Rica citizen will be given Temporary immigration status for one year and renewable for additional one year periods so long as the immigration authorities do not determine that the marriage is a sham. After 3 years of marriage and with Temporary Residency status then the spouse may apply for Permanent Residency

The applicant must provide the following supporting documentation:

1. Birth Certificate: You must provide a certified copy of your birth certificate and that of your dependents. The certified copy must be sent to the Costa Rican consulate for your jurisdiction for authentication. The consulate charges US$40 for each document to be authenticated. Be advised that the Department of Immigration will not accept any supporting documentation which has not been authenticated by a Costa Rican Consul.

2. Proof of Relationship to Costa Rican Citizen: If you are basing your petition on marriage then you must have a Certified copy of the marriage certificate issued by the Civil Registry. If you are a parent or sibling to a Costa Rica citizen then provide the Certified birth certificate of the relative. You must also provide a certified copy of the identification document of the Costa Rican relative.

3. Police Certificate of Good Conduct: This certification is obtained from the police department where you last resided. This certification also needs to be authenticated by a Costa Rican Consulate. Note that this certificates is only valid for 6 months from the date they are issued. If this document expires while you are pulling together the rest of the documentation then you will have to obtain another one.

4. Fingerprints for Interpol Background Check: This step is done in Costa Rica at the Ministry of Public Security. The applicant is finger printed and the fingerprints are run through the Interpol computer index.

5. Photographs: The application must provide 4 photographs facing towards the front.

6. Translation of Documents: Once you have compiled all your documentation, all documents which are not in Spanish must be translated to the Spanish language.

7. Register with the Embassy of your Country of origin. You must register with your Embassy and provide proof to the Department of Immigration.

Article 18 section (20) of the Immigration law authorizes the Immigration police to investigate the immigration status of foreign workers and to that end they may "enter upon their place or work during business hours, check passports, residency status, work permits as well as any other identification document in order to determine any violations of the law."