Document Requirements for Residency in Costa Rica

The first two to three months of the application process are spent collecting the documents required for the residency application. It is important to collect all the required documents during this time frame, as documents from abroad must be issued within six months of filing. Our team will work closely with you to ensure all documents are valid, translated, and ready for review by the DGME.

The following documents are required for filing an application for residency in Costa Rica.

Vital Records & Background Checks

Take advantage of the discounted document procurement rates we offer our immigration clients. Let our experienced team obtain the vital record(s) and background check(s) you need from abroad, or you can choose to obtain the following documents on your own. Keep in mind, documents from abroad must be issued within six months of filing the application for residency.

1. Background Check. This document should be issued by a national authority. For instance, in the case of US Nationals, it should be from the FBI. In the case of Canadian Nationals, it should be issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In the case of UK Nationals, it should be issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
2. Birth Certificate. It is required to obtain a new copy of your birth certificate.
3. Marriage Certificate. If a spouse is filing as a dependent, a copy of the marriage certificate will be required.

Important Notes About the Documents

• All documents in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish. The costs for the translations will vary depending on the original language.
• All documents from abroad must be authenticated for its use in Costa Rica. Documents from certain countries require an apostille. Documents from other countries require a legalization. To learn more about apostilles please click here.
• The birth certificates and the background checks (and any other documents from abroad) must be issued within six months prior to filing the application. Therefore, the original birth certificate issued when you were born will not be valid for immigration purposes in Costa Rica.
• Additional documents may apply if any of the applicants have changed names. The Immigration Department needs documentation to evidence that the person on the passport is the same person on the birth certificate. Hence, if the applicant has changed names, documents explaining such name changes apply. These documents need to be apostilled/legalized and translated into Spanish.

Application Documents

The following documents will be prepared by our team and are included the quoted cost of our service.

1. Verification of the Main Requirement. Our team will work with you to prepare the documentation required to verify the main requirement, dependent on the immigration category you are filing under. For example, if you’re filing as a pensionado, a pension letter indicating you receive a lifetime monthly pension of equal to or greater than $1000 USD will be required, or if you’re filing as an investor, proof of investment will be required.
2. Application Form. Which we complete for our clients.
3. Cover Letter. The cover letter contains some information about you. We complete the cover letter for our clients as well.
4. Fingerprints. The fingerprints are obtained at a Police Department. We will coordinate with you in order to complete the fingerprints. We can assist in San Jose or Liberia. We drive our clients from our offices in Liberia or San Jose to the fingerprinting place and take care of the corresponding forms.
5. Certified Copy of the passport. We will complete the certification of the passport copy.
6. Consular Registration. Registration with your country’s consulate is required, we also complete this for our clients.
7. Six passport-size photographs. These will be taken when you visit our office.
8. Government Fees. Initially, it is required to pay $250 USD in application fees. These fees are also included in the quoted cost of our service.