Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 8. Immigration › Employer duties when hiring foreigners in Costa Rica: status checks, inspections and fines of 2 to 12 salarios base

Employer duties when hiring foreigners in Costa Rica: status checks, inspections and fines of 2 to 12 salarios base

Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Status: Stable

No 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 inspections. Hiring unauthorised foreigners costs a fine of 2 to 12 salarios base per case, ₡924,400 to ₡5,546,400 in 2026, and does not remove CCSS and wage obligations.

Colón figures use the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference selling rate of ₡454.82 per US dollar published for 29 October 2026 (indicator 318 on bccr.fi.cr), which is also the rate Ley 8764 tells payers to use for fees set in dollars. Fines set in salarios base use the 2026 salario base of ₡462,200 (Circular 246-2025 of the Consejo Superior del Poder Judicial, under Ley 7337 art. 2).

Key facts

Minimum fine for hiring unauthorised foreigners	2 salarios baseLey 8764 art. 177, as of 2010-03-01 · in force
Maximum fine for hiring unauthorised foreigners	12 salarios baseLey 8764 art. 177, as of 2010-03-01 · in force
Maximum employer fine in 2026 colones	5546400.00 CRCLey 8764 art. 177; Circular 246-2025, as of 2026-01-01 · in force

The rule

1. No natural or legal person, public or private, may hire foreign workers who are in the country illegally or who, though legally present, are not authorised for those activities.Ley 8764, art. 175, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. Every employer, intermediary or contractor must verify the foreigner's legal stay and work authorisation and require the document that proves the migration status; it may ask DGME for the information.Ley 8764, art. 176, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. Persons or representatives of entities that give work to unauthorised foreigners, or work different from that authorised, are fined between two and twelve salarios base, graded by seriousness and the number of foreigners.
Cost to do it: ₡924,400 to ₡5,546,400 per sanction
Example: 2026: ₡924,400 to ₡5,546,400 (salario base ₡462,200). / About US$2,032.45 to US$12,194.71.Ley 8764, art. 177, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

4. A finding of a breach does not relieve the employer of social security obligations or of paying wages due; the Ministry of Labour is notified.Ley 8764, art. 178, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

5. Employers must send DGME, on request, a report of foreign staff, must not obstruct inspections at workplaces and must sign the inspection record; refusal is referred to the Public Prosecutor.Ley 8764, art. 180, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

6. Hotels and other lodging must keep a guest register available to the migration police; knowingly lodging irregular foreigners for profit is fined one to five salarios base.Ley 8764, art. 181 and art. 182, 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

7. Foreigners doing paid work without authorisation lose their residence.Ley 8764, art. 129(8), 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Worked example

A contractor found with three foreign workers on tourist entries could face a fine anywhere in the 2 to 12 salario base range, up to ₡5,546,400 (US$12,194.71), and still owes CCSS contributions and wages for the period.

Step by step

Copy the DIMEX or permit of every foreign hire at onboarding and diary its expiry.
Check that the authorised activity on the resolution matches the job.
Keep a list of foreign staff ready for DGME requests.
Train site managers to allow inspections and sign the record.

Common traps

Contractors and intermediaries carry the same verification duty as direct employers.
Residence for investors or digital nomads does not authorise local employment.
The fine is set per case by DGME; the number of foreigners raises it.

Sources

← Naturalisation in Costa Rica: five or seven years of official residence, the Spanish and civics exam and the Civil Registry procedureOverstays, cancellation of residence and deportation in Costa Rica: the US$100 monthly fine and the five year ban →

Get rule changes weekly

Free. One email a week from The LatAm Thread.

One more step after you press the button: we take you to Substack, where your email is already filled in. Confirm there to start. No spam, unsubscribe anytime, we never share your address. By subscribing you agree to the privacy policy.