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8. Immigration: Costa Rica

Immigration in Costa Rica: the Ley General de Migración y Extranjería (Ley 8764) and its Reglamento de Extranjería, the visa directives of November 2025, work residence for executives and specialists, the DGME company registry fast track, investor, rentista and pensioner residence under Ley 9996, the digital nomad stay of Ley 10008, family members, fees and deposits, permanent residence, naturalisation, employer duties and overstay rules, each rule tied to the official text in SCIJ.

Investor view. Visa free entry for up to 180 days for most investor nationalities, a two year renewable investor residence from US$150,000, a company registry that fast tracks free zone and multinational staff and a tax exempt remote work stay make Costa Rica one of the easiest places in the region to move capital and talent.

• Visas and residence in Costa Rica: the three migration categories, who may work and how long each status lastsLey 8764 sorts foreigners into permanent residents, temporary residents (up to two years, renewable), non residents (tourists and stays such as digital nomads) and special categories (workers, busines
• Business visitors and visa free entry to Costa Rica: the four visa groups, the 180 day limit and when a visitor needs a permitDGME's visa directives (resolution AJ-484-11-2025, in force 17 November 2025) split nationalities into four groups: the first group, which includes the United States, Canada, the EU states, the United
• Work residence for executives, managers and specialised staff in Costa Rica: the 25% salary premium, documents and employer checksExecutives, representatives, managers and technical staff of companies established in Costa Rica, and specialised employees, qualify for temporary residence under Ley 8764 art. 79(3). Their salary mus
• DGME company registry in Costa Rica: the A to G categories and the fast track for foreign staff residenceCompanies that move executives and specialists regularly can register with DGME under Decreto 36576-G-COMEX and file their staff's residence through a dedicated company window. Free zone and inward pr
• Investor residence in Costa Rica: the US$150,000 threshold, qualifying assets and the end of the Ley 9996 incentive windowA foreigner who invests at least US$150,000 in Costa Rica (registered real estate or vehicles, shares of active companies, securities, productive or national interest projects, venture capital funds o
• Rentista and pensioner residence in Costa Rica: US$2,500 and US$1,000 a month and how to prove the incomePensioners qualify for temporary residence with a lifetime pension of at least US$1,000 a month; rentistas with stable income of at least US$2,500 a month guaranteed for at least two years by a bank.
• Digital nomad stay in Costa Rica: US$3,000 a month, US$50,000 health cover and the income tax exemptionRemote workers paid from abroad can hold a non resident stay as Trabajador o Prestador Remoto de Servicios under Ley 10008 for up to one year, extendable once if they spent at least 180 days in Costa
• Family members of foreign residents in Costa Rica: spouses, children under 25 and permission to workMost residence routes let the principal include a spouse and children who are minors, under 25 and dependent (for rentistas, pensioners and investors) or of any age with a disability. Each dependant f
• Costa Rican immigration fees, guarantee deposits and processing times: what a residence file actually costsImmigration fees are set in US dollars by Ley 8764 and payable in colones at the BCCR selling rate: US$50 per first residence application, US$200 to change category inside the country, US$30 plus US$3
• Permanent residence in Costa Rica: three years of temporary residence, freedom to work and the four year absence ruleAfter three consecutive years of temporary residence, a foreigner, spouse and first degree relatives can apply for permanent residence; parents, minor children and minor siblings of Costa Ricans may a
• Naturalisation in Costa Rica: five or seven years of official residence, the Spanish and civics exam and the Civil Registry procedureCentral Americans, Spaniards and Ibero Americans by birth can naturalise after five years of official residence; everyone else after seven. Applicants must be of good conduct, have known means of livi
• Employer duties when hiring foreigners in Costa Rica: status checks, inspections and fines of 2 to 12 salarios baseNo employer may hire a foreigner who is irregular or not authorised for that work. Employers must check status and keep the migration document, report foreign staff when DGME asks and allow inspection
• Overstays, cancellation of residence and deportation in Costa Rica: the US$100 monthly fine and the five year banA foreigner who stays beyond the authorised term must pay US$100 per month of irregular stay or accept a ban on re entry for three times the overstay. DGME cancels residence for breaches such as unaut
• CCSS insurance and tax status of foreign residents in Costa Rica: what immigration law requiresForeigners in Costa Rica pay the same taxes and social security charges as Costa Ricans. Residents and most special categories must be insured with the CCSS from the grant of status and keep it uninte

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