Last checked 13 Nov 2026Written for US citizensSome rules are still being checked
In brief
Remote workers can stay up to 2 years on $3,000 a month, but it isn't residence. Retirees with a $1,000 pension, or people with $2,500 a month of income, get temporary residence and can apply for permanent after 3 years.
Residency income from$1,000 a month of pension
Visa-free (US)Up to 180 days, set at the border
CitizenshipAfter 7 years of residence
Tax on foreign incomeNo: only Costa Rican income is taxed
Remote worker stay (digital nomad visa)
(No residente, Estancia: Trabajador o Prestador Remoto de Servicios)
Who it's for: Remote employees and freelancers paid from abroad, working for people or companies outside Costa Rica.
Money needed
$3,000 a month of income, or $4,000 if your family comes too
How long it lasts
Up to 1 year, plus one extension of 1 year
Leads to
Nothing directly: it isn't residence, but you can switch to another category before it ends
Apply from
Online, from abroad or after arriving as a tourist
Processing time
15 days once your file is complete; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
Passport: plus your entry stamp if you're already in Costa Rica
Income proof: bank statements with a sworn statement, or an accountant's or notary's letter (apostilled)
Health insurance: at least $50,000 of cover for your whole stay, for each family member
Translations: an official Spanish translation of every foreign-language document
Fees: $100 to apply, then $90 and a $100 deposit at your ID appointment; the ID document fee Not yet verified
ID appointment: within 3 months of approval, in person
Family papers: marriage certificate issued within 6 months, and birth certificates
Good to know
Tax-free: you're never treated as a Costa Rican tax resident, and your foreign pay isn't taxed here.
To extend: spend at least 180 days in Costa Rica in your first year.
No local work: only the remote work the status covers; breaking that cancels it and back taxes are due.
Checked against the lawRules read in the remote-worker law and its regulation.
Still being checkedThe immigration office's fee list, social-security position, and a bill that would change the income rule.
Sources (9)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: the DGME requirement page and tariff (art 251 document cost) couldn't be read; the CCSS (social security) position of a remote worker paid from abroad isn't established; whether the $100 deposit is refunded; the name and issue time of the ID document Not yet verified; bill 23.563 would amend Ley 10008 art 10(a), the income requirement, and its status hasn't been checked. Other press reports of bills to lower the threshold aren't verified and aren't law. Counting toward citizenship Not established yet.
Money: stable monthly pay, fixed income or average monthly income over the last year of at least $3,000; $4,000 with the family group (incomes may be combined); colón equivalent at the BCCR selling rate (Reg art 4).
Law: Ley 10008 (in force 1 Sep 2021) arts 2–4, 10–17, as interpreted and amended by Ley 10208 (art 15 'hasta por un año'; art 11 bis); Ley 8764 arts 87, 88(5), 92; Reglamento Decreto 43619-H-MGP-TUR (Gaceta 130, 8 Jul 2022) arts 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 (one extension, 180 days in year one), 13. Permanent residence needs 3 consecutive years of temporary residence (Ley 8764 art 78(1)).
Fees: $100 application (Reg art 5(b), Ley 8764 art 256); $90 at documentation (Reg art 8(b)); $100 guarantee deposit (Decreto 36539 art 14); art 251 document cost set in the approval resolution. Per family member. Statutory decision 15 natural days (Ley 10008 art 7).
Tax: total exemption from the profits tax (Ley 7092 Title I); never a habitual tax resident; foreign income not Costa Rican-source (Ley 10008 art 16; Reg art 13). Bill 25.796 doesn't amend art 16. Benefits are personal and end on cancellation.
Who it's for: Retirees with a lifetime pension of at least $1,000 a month and a clean criminal record.
Money needed
A lifetime pension of at least $1,000 a month
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years, renewable for 2 years at a time
Leads to
Permanent residence after 3 years in a row; you apply, it isn't automatic
Apply from
The immigration office, online or in person; from inside Costa Rica it's a change of category
Processing time
No set time found Not established yet; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
Pension certificate: from the paying authority, showing at least $1,000 a month for life
Birth certificate: apostilled
Criminal record check: from where you've lived in the last 3 years, apostilled
Passport: notarised copies, including your entry stamp, plus two photos
Translations: by an official translator or a notary who knows the language
Fees: $50 to apply, $60 for the ID card, $25 at each grant and renewal, and a deposit; ID document fee Not yet verified
Public health insurance: you must join the national system (CCSS) and keep paying
Good to know
Work: only activities the immigration office authorises; don't treat it as a work permit.
Absences: residence can be cancelled after more than 2 years in a row abroad.
Tax: the residence permit alone doesn't make you a tax resident, and foreign income isn't taxed. Pending change
Checked against the lawRules read in the immigration law and its regulation.
Still being checkedThe health-insurance contribution, ID fee and deposit, and the $200 fee for applying in the country.
Pending changeA bill from September 2026 would tax residents' foreign interest and dividends at 15%; it isn't law.
Sources (11)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: art 251 document cost and guarantee-deposit amount (set per resolution; DGME tariff page not readable); CCSS contribution for a foreign pensioner; whether an in-country tourist filing also owes the $200 change-of-category fee (Ley 8764 art 89); other costs (apostilles, translations, lawyer authentication) Not yet verified; counting toward citizenship Not yet verified.
Incentives closed: Ley 9996 incentives (duty-free household goods, up to two vehicles, income-tax exemption on declared income, 20% transfer-tax reduction) could be elected only until about 14 Jul 2026; no extension law found (SCIJ title search, 13 Nov 2026). Confirm with Hacienda or DGME before relying on them.
Pending change: Expediente 25.796, an Executive bill presented 22 Sep 2026, in the Comisión de Asuntos Hacendarios, would tax residents' foreign-source interest, dividends, royalties, rents and capital gains at 15% (gross less foreign tax paid). Foreign pensions aren't named. The current rule applies until a reform is published.
Law: Ley 8764 arts 78(1), 79 (more than 90 days, up to 2 years), 80 (authorised activities only), 129(6) (cancellation after over 2 consecutive years abroad), 129(10), 255 ($50); Reglamento Decreto 37112-G arts 31 (CCSS), 72, 100 (application), 184, 228 (renewal); Decreto 43926. The 'four months a year' rule isn't in the current Reglamento.
Fees: $50 application; especies fiscales ¢125 + ¢2.50 a page; $30 + $30 (arts 252–253); $25 Fondo Social (art 33(4)) at grant and each renewal; guarantee deposit equal to an open one-year air ticket home (Decreto 36539 art 10). Tax: not automatically resident (Ley 9996 art 6); domicile after more than 183 days (Reglamento ISR art 5); territorial (Ley 7092 art 1).
Temporary residence for people of independent means
(Residencia temporal, Rentista)
Who it's for: People living on a stable, guaranteed monthly income, with a clean criminal record.
Money needed
At least $2,500 a month of stable income, guaranteed for at least 2 years
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years, renewable for 2 years at a time
Leads to
Permanent residence after 3 years in a row; you apply, it isn't automatic
Apply from
The immigration office, online or in person; from inside Costa Rica it's a change of category
Processing time
No set time found Not established yet; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
Income letter: from a bank, showing $2,500 a month for 2 years; or a Costa Rican accountant's certificate
Birth certificate: apostilled
Criminal record check: from where you've lived in the last 3 years, apostilled
Passport: notarised copies, including your entry stamp, plus two photos
Translations: by an official translator or a notary who knows the language
Fees: $50 to apply, $60 for the ID card, $25 at each grant and renewal, and a deposit; ID document fee Not yet verified
Public health insurance: you must join the national system (CCSS) and keep paying
Good to know
No deposit option: the old $60,000 bank-deposit alternative isn't in the current rules.
Work: only activities the immigration office authorises; don't treat it as a work permit.
Tax: foreign income isn't taxed today, but a bill would change that for interest and dividends. Pending change
Checked against the lawRules read in the immigration law and its 2023 regulation.
Still being checkedHow a US bank or accountant letter is accepted, and the health-insurance contribution and fees.
Pending changeA bill from September 2026 would tax residents' foreign interest and dividends at 15%; it isn't law.
Sources (11)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: the bank-document wording (2 years of $2,500 a month) needs a DGME practice check for US bank or CPA letters on salary or investment income; art 251 document cost, guarantee deposit and CCSS contribution not quantified; other costs Not yet verified; counting toward citizenship Not yet verified. The $60,000 deposit alternative isn't in current art 99.
Money: a document from a bank in the national banking system (or, for foreign income, a bank in the country of origin, notarised, legalised or apostilled) showing permanent, stable monthly income of at least $2,500 for at least two years; a Costa Rican CPA certification if not bank-certified. Reglamento art 99(l) as reformed by Decreto 43926 (2023).
Incentives closed: Ley 9996 incentives could be elected only until about 14 Jul 2026; treat as closed.
Pending change: Expediente 25.796 (22 Sep 2026, in committee) would tax residents' foreign interest, dividends, royalties, rents and capital gains at 15%. Not law.
Law and fees: Ley 8764 arts 78(1), 79, 80, 129, 255; Reglamento Decreto 37112-G arts 31, 72, 99, 183, 227. Fees as for pensionados: $50, especies fiscales, $30 + $30, $25 Fondo Social, deposit equal to a one-year ticket home.
Status chips:Checked against the law means we read the official legal text. Not yet verified and Not established yet mean it isn't confirmed at the official source yet. Still being checked marks open questions, and Pending change a bill that isn't law yet; each route's Sources list names them.
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