Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 8. Immigration › Investor residence in Costa Rica: the US$150,000 threshold, qualifying assets and the end of the Ley 9996 incentive window

Investor residence in Costa Rica: the US$150,000 threshold, qualifying assets and the end of the Ley 9996 incentive window

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

A 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 or sustainable tourism projects) can obtain temporary residence as an investor for two years, renewable while the investment is kept. The tax and import incentives of Ley 9996 could only be claimed until 14 July 2026; existing beneficiaries keep them for ten years. Investors may not take paid work.

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 investment for investor residence	150000 USDDecreto 43926 art. 4; Ley 9996 art. 8, as of 2023-02-23 · in force
Last day to opt into Ley 9996 investor, rentista and pensioner incentives	2026-07-14 dateLey 9996 art. 12, as of 2026-07-14 · repealed

The rule

1. Investors are a temporary residence subcategory.Ley 8764, art. 79(4), 2009-08-19 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. For the term set by the law, investors qualify with capital of at least US$150,000 at the BCCR official selling rate, in real estate, registrable property, shares, securities, productive projects or projects of national interest; venture capital funds and sustainable tourism infrastructure also qualify.
Example: US$150,000 = ₡68,223,000. / US$150,000Ley 9996, Ley para la atracción de inversionistas, rentistas y pensionados, art. 8, 2021-07-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. The regulation grants investor residence for a US$150,000 investment for two years, renewable for equal terms if the investment has been kept continuously since approval; where the investment is made through a trust only the settlor qualifies.Decreto Ejecutivo 43926-MGP-H-TUR, art. 4, 2023-02-14 official text · verified 2026-10-29

4. Proof by asset type: real estate or vehicles registered in the applicant's own name (not a company), a municipal value certificate under three months old, and if mortgaged a down payment of at least US$150,000; shares of active companies by notarial certificate under one month and CPA certification; securities through a SUGEVAL registered broker with CPA certification; national interest projects by decree reference, productive projects by a letter from the sector ministry; forestry plantations by MINAE certification; venture funds through a SUGEVAL registered manager; tourism projects with an ICT technical opinion. Assets of different types may be combined to reach US$150,000.Decreto Ejecutivo 43926-MGP-H-TUR, art. 7, 2023-02-14 official text · verified 2026-10-29

5. Application fees: US$50 (first residence) and US$200 (art. 89); after approval US$30 + US$30 for the card, the art. 251 document cost, US$25 a year to the social fund and the guarantee deposit; the investor must prove CCSS affiliation and, if registered, be current with taxes and CCSS.
Cost to do it: US$335 in fixed fees (₡152,364.70) plus document cost, deposit and CPA and notary feesDecreto Ejecutivo 43926-MGP-H-TUR, art. 5 and art. 9, 2023-02-14 official text · verified 2026-10-29

6. Investors and their dependants may not carry out any paid manual or intellectual work.Decreto Ejecutivo 43926-MGP-H-TUR, art. 13, 2023-02-14 official text · verified 2026-10-29

7. Incentives (one duty free import of household goods, up to two vehicles free of import duties and VAT, income tax exemption on the sums declared to qualify, 20% exemption of real estate transfer tax, duty free professional tools) could only be opted into during the first five years from entry into force; those who opted in keep them for ten years from grant.Ley 9996, art. 5 and art. 12, 2021-07-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29 · changed: The five year window counted from publication in La Gaceta 135 of 14 July 2021 closed on 14 July 2026; no new claims to these incentives are possible after that date.

8. Investors, pensioners and rentistas are not automatically tax residents; tax residence follows the Income Tax Law rules.Ley 9996, art. 6, 2021-07-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Worked example

An investor buys a condominium for US$160,000 (₡72,771,200) in their own name without a mortgage: the asset qualifies. Bought through a company it would not count (art. 7(A)(1)).
Fixed state fees for the principal: US$50 + US$200 + US$30 + US$30 + US$25 = US$335 (₡152,364.70), before the card production cost and the ticket based deposit.

Step by step

Choose the asset mix and title it in the applicant's personal name where real estate or vehicles are used.
Obtain the municipal value certificate or the CPA and notarial certificates that match the asset type.
File with the US$50 and US$200 receipts, apostilled certificates and certified passport copies.
After approval pay card fees and the deposit, join the CCSS and book biometrics.
Keep the investment intact for the whole term; renewals every two years re prove it.

Common traps

Ley 9996 art. 8 ties the US$150,000 range to the term of that law, while Decreto 43926 art. 4 states it without a deadline and the old regulation articles were repealed; with the incentive window closed on 14 July 2026, confirm with DGME which threshold it applies to new files.
Real estate held through a Costa Rican company does not count.
Selling the asset during the residence term breaks continuity and risks cancellation (Ley 8764 art. 129(1)).
Investor residence does not allow paid work, including running the company as a salaried manager.

Sources

← DGME company registry in Costa Rica: the A to G categories and the fast track for foreign staff residenceRentista and pensioner residence in Costa Rica: US$2,500 and US$1,000 a month and how to prove the income →

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.