Costa Rica Residency Permit

Costa Rica offers three types of resident permits to foreign nationals: the Investor Resident Permit, the Rentier Resident Permit, and the Pensioner Resident Permit. Each has its own set of requirements.

The applicant must invest at least USD 150,000 in real estate, personal property, shares, securities, productive projects, projects of national interest, private equity funds, or sustainable tourism infrastructure projects. The investment must be made inside Costa Rica, and the applicant must provide legal documents confirming the investment of at least USD 150,000.

The applicant must demonstrate a stable and permanent income of no less than USD 2,500 every month. They must present a document issued by a competent authority for not less than 2 years confirming this income. If the income comes from abroad, it must be legalized, authenticated, or apostilled by the corresponding authorities.

The applicant must receive a pension income from abroad of at least USD 1,000 every month. They must hold an income certificate issued by Social Security stating that the pension is for a minimum of USD 1,000 per month and will be permanent, stable, and irrevocable.

Spouse and children under 18 years of age qualify as dependents. Unmarried dependent adult children under 25 years of age can also be included.

Resident permit holders under the Rentier and Pensioner streams can work with prior authorization. However, holders under the Investor stream cannot work at all.

Yes. Resident permit holders become eligible for permanent residence in Costa Rica after 3 years of actual residence. It is not necessary to spend at least 183 days per year in Costa Rica to fulfill this requirement. However, the temporary resident permit must have been renewed at least once, and an additional year must have passed before applying for permanent residence.

Permanent residents have access to Costa Rica's high-quality and affordable healthcare system. They do not need to renew their resident permit or leave the country after the authorized stay period. They also have a pathway to citizenship after a period of legal residence: 5 years for citizens of Central American countries, Spaniards, or Latin Americans by birth, and 7 years for all other nationalities.

All applicants must provide: birth certificate, criminal record, marriage certificate for the applicant and adult dependents, full passport copy, two passport-size photographs, consular registration (a certificate from the applicant's nationality embassy in Costa Rica confirming intention to reside there), and a power of attorney. Additional documents may be required depending on the stream.

The applicant must first meet the specific requirements of their chosen stream by making the required investment or providing the relevant income or pension documentation. Once all documents are gathered, the application package is filed with the Costa Rican immigration authority. Successful applicants are granted a temporary residence permit valid for up to 2 years. Note that the permit may be cancelled if the applicant is absent from the country consecutively for more than two years.

For the Investor stream, the applicant must demonstrate that the investment is maintained. For the Rentier stream, the applicant must provide a bank certificate confirming income is maintained in the same way. For the Pensioner stream, the applicant must demonstrate they continue to receive the qualifying pension amount.