RECOMMENDED TYPES OF RESIDENCIES IN COSTA RICA
RECOMMENDED TYPES OF RESIDENCIES IN COSTA RICA
Your spouse and children must also apply for residence permits. Common law marriage is not recognized in Costa Rica, unless the applicants bring official proof of such. The good news is that same sex marriage is recognized in Costa Rica, as long as you provide the Costa Rican authorities with an official Marriage License.
You may need further documentation depending on the category you wish to apply for.
If you are a student, you will need to include your certificate of enrollment at the Costa Rican educational institution.
If you are retired, you will need a statement of your pension.
Even though there is a wide variety of categories through which residency can be applied in Costa Rica, we strongly recommend sticking to the ones listed here, according to your plans. First time applications, once approved, entitles the applicant to have a Temporary Residency renewable every year.
-Special Category: Student Visa
There is a student visa that your family will qualify for which will permit you to stay in the country while your child is enrolled in school. The child qualifies for the visa, and by virtue of their qualification, the parents and siblings are able to reside here with the same type of visa as the student’s dependents as long as the child is enrolled in a registered school. Please bear in mind that this category does NOT allow applicants to change this category to a permanent residency due to its special nature of allowing the student and family to remain in the country for as long as they are studying. Once they finish their studies, they must leave the country.
-Temporary Residency as Rentist (Fixed Income) Visa
By means of this category the applicant must demonstrate with a document issued by a competent authority that for a period of not less than two years will receive a stable and permanent income of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars (US$2,500.00), currency of the United States of America. The foregoing will be applicable through verification with a document issued by a competent authority and must be legalized and apostilled by the corresponding authorities. This category allows the applicant to ask for a change of category for permanent residency after three years counted from the approval of your first application for temporary residence. If you decide to apply for temporary residency in Costa Rica under this category, a template letter will be provided to you upon request so you can use as a reference for proof of income.
-Temporary Residency as Retiree
By means of this category the applicant must demonstrate with a document issued by a competent authority that you enjoy a lifelong pension whose amount may not be less than one thousand dollars per month (US$1,000.00) currency of the United States of America or its equivalent in colones at the sales exchange rate determined the Central Bank of Costa Rica. If the certification is issued abroad, it must be duly legalized and apostilled. This category allows the applicant to ask for a change of category for permanent residency after three years counted from the approval of your first application for temporary residence.
-Temporary Residency as Investor
By means of this category the applicant must demonstrate their investment in Costa Rica with a capital of no less than US$200,000.00 (two hundred thousand dollars) according to the official sales exchange rate determined by the BCCR, whether in real estate, shares, securities and productive projects. This category allows the applicant to ask for a change of category for permanent residency after three years counted from the approval of your first application for temporary residence.
DIGITAL NOMADS – Remote Workers and Service Providers
Costa Rica is catching the attention for digital nomads. Since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the dynamics have changed, one of them being work. Many have found the opportunity to modify their working scenario finding paradise in the Central American country.
Costa Rica has an excellent climate, it is surrounded by nature, beach, but above all, places with little influx of people. The foregoing elements that have captivated the attention of many who arrive hoping to spend a short time to end up staying for several months and feel at home in a country that offers this possibility of combining work with tourism.
Some destinations in the country have already adapted for this new Digital Nomads. Even the resorts have also promoted teleworking as part of their offer, ensuring total relaxation spaces with good quality internet so that guests do not worry about a thing, and to obtain the authorization to stay so that they can telework from anywhere in the country, a series of requirements must be met. Thus, the beneficiary of this immigration regime must remain in the country for a minimum of 180 days, during the first year, and may be extended for another year, for a total of two years.
In addition, it is mandatory a stable monthly salary, fixed income or an average monthly income, during the last year, for an amount equal to or greater than $3,000, and in the case of bringing your family group, $4,000, as well as a medical services policy that covers the applicant and family for the entire duration of their stay in the country.
It should be noted that the income received from abroad is not considered a Costa Rican origin and will be exempt from paying all taxes on the importation of basic personal computer, computer, telecommunications, or similar equipment to carry out their work.
Those who opt for this immigration regime will also be able to use their foreign driver’s license during the period of stay and will be allowed to open savings accounts in national banks.
Working with the sound of the sea in the background, with an ideal climate, or why not, near a pool, now seems to be the dynamic of many. Costa Rica offers you this and even more. What are you waiting for?
Visa and immigration Checklist
This checklist is designed to help you plan before you arrive in Costa Rica. If at any time through this process you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or telephone so we can advise you and help you through the process. Arriving in Costa Rica with these documents in hand will save you time, headaches, and money.
All of these documents need to be issued within 6 months of your application date to immigration, but we suggest having them issued no more than 2 months if possible. This allows extra leeway once you are in the country to get settled before tackling immigration and residency!
We know how much you must do to prepare to move to Costa Rica, and this paperwork can be time consuming and frustrating. If you are not able to get all the documents completed and in hand before you arrive, ask a trusted friend or family member to help with the final details and they can FedEx you a package after you arrive with everything signed, stamped, and certified.
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of your arrival for customs and immigration to allow you to enter Costa Rica. If any family member’s passport will expire within this time frame, have it renewed.
Bring at least 4 passport size photos for each family member.
Every family member must have an original birth certificate issued from their place of birth that is no more than 2 months old from the date of application to immigration in Costa Rica.
If you are married, bring an original marriage certificate issued from the place of marriage that is no more than 2 months old from the date of application to immigration in Costa Rica.
For each family member over the age of 18, you must bring a police report that is no more than 2 months old from the date of application to immigration in Costa Rica. Go to your local police department where you reside or last resided and request that the police conduct a nationwide criminal records search and provide you with a document reflecting that there is no history of a criminal record. Police departments may require your personal appearance in order to conduct the search.
A Chartered Public Accountant will need to write a statement of your financial solvency. The statement must be notarized by a Public Notary and later Apostilled by the authorities. The statement should indicate the sources of income that you will rely on in order to live in Costa Rica and should demonstrate financial stability. The reason for this requirement is that some visas recipients may not legally work in Costa Rica. As a result, immigration wants to know how families living in the country will support themselves.
If you will be applying for a student visa, the school that your child is planning on attending needs to issue an original letter establishing that your child is duly enrolled in the school. This letter needs to be on letterhead and signed by the school director. Send me South can help coordinate this letter on your behalf if you would prefer.
Now that you have collected all your documents, most of them need to be apostilled by the State Department of your home State (in the United States). The Secretary of State provides authentication of public official signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America. In order to apostille your documents, go to the website of your state’s Secretary of State. A list of all US state’s websites is located here.
The list of documents that need to be apostilled are:
- o Birth Certificates
- o Marriage Certificate
- o Police Reports
- o Financial Solvency Statement (notarized)
Once you have received your documents back from the State Department and they are apostilled, you are ready! When you arrive in Costa Rica, contact Send me South and we will meet with you and begin the visa and immigration process locally.
