FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I get residency?

The law requires foreign nationals to obtain an immigration category for extended stays in the country. While the tourist/business visa regulations allow foreign nationals to stay in Costa Rica for a period up to 90 days, it is still possible to leave the country and reenter in order to extend the tourist visa for an additional period of 90 days (the 90 days visas are only applicable for people from the first group of countries, please refer to tourist visas for more information). However, if you are planning on staying in Costa Rica for an extended period of time for more than one year, the appropriate thing to do is to obtain residency.

What immigration categories are available?

Currently, the Immigration Law in Costa Rica allows various categories to remain in the country.

Visas
The visas are primarily to enter the country. People from the first and second groups of countries do not require to get a visa to arrive to Costa Rica, while people from the third and fourth groups required a visa.

Stays
Stays allow foreign nationals to remain in the country for periods longer than six months and up to a year. As the stays are designed for short stays, it is not possible to obtain permanent residency later on. The categories available are as follows:

People invited by the Government, its institutions and dependencies.
Business people representing the interest of their companies in Cost Rica
Journalists
People requiring medical treatment

Special Categories
Special Categories are designed for people who are planning on staying in Costa Rica for at least a year. The options are as follows:

Temporary Workers.
Employees for Specific tasks.
Self Employed people with a registered business.
Business people, post sales people, transferred employees, and specific workers.
Research personnel, students, professors, and volunteers.
Artists and athletes.
Workers related to projects of national interest.

Temporary Residence
The temporary residence is available for people who are planning on a extended stay in Costa Rica. The categories are as follows:

Retired person.
Rentista.
Investor.
Marriage with a Costa Rican.
Specialized Workers for a company.
Specialized Self Employed workers.
Company Executives or Officers, and Technicians.
Members of religious organizations.
Scientists, interns, and specialized technicians.
Athletes registered with the National Sports Council.
News correspondents.

Permanent Residence
The permanent residence is only available for three classes of people:

Foreign nationals who have been temporary residents for three years.
Foreign nationals who have a Costa Rican born child.
Foreign nationals who have had refugee status for three years.

Refugee Status
The refugee status is available for foreign nationals who have been uprooted from their home country due to war; persecution on the grounds of religious beliefs, nationality, race, gender, political views, or being member of a particular class; natural disasters.

When should I renew my residency?

You should file the application for the renewal within 60 days prior to the expiration date.

What is a perpetual tourist?

A perpetual tourist is considered a person who decided to stay in Costa Rica for an extended period of time without obtaining the appropriate immigration status.

For how long can I be a perpetual tourist

Neither the law nor the government has set a limit of how many times a person can leave and reenter the country as a tourist. Other countries such as Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil have limitations such as 180 days in a calendar year, while Costa Rica does not. However, it is recommended to obtain a category applicable to extended stays.

How long does it take for the immigration process to be completed?

The processing time for an application with the immigration department will vary depending on the category. Under the law, a temporary residence, permanent residence, and special categories should be processed within 90 days, but it takes at least six months and some times more than a year or two. Stays should be processed within 30 days, but currently is taking about three months.

How much does it cost to obtain residency?

The costs for obtaining residency depend on the category. Please click here to review the all of the costs for the various categories.

I am a foreigner, can I work in Costa Rica?

Under current immigration regulations, it is not allowed for a foreign national to be employed in Costa Rica without the appropriate work permit. However, people with their own small business can work independently as long as they do not put themselves in payroll.

Can I open a business in Costa Rica?

Under the Commercial Code, there are no restrictions to do business in Costa Rica. Foreign nationals are allowed to register a company (SRL, SA, Coops, EIRL, etc) and act as an officer of the company as long as he/she is not included on payroll. It is recommended to register a company in order to do business, as companies do not have restrictions for obtaining licenses and permits, while foreign nationals have restrictions for obtaining a business license without having residency.

What is CAJA?

Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS or CAJA) is a socialized health care system under which everyone (supposedly) make monthly contributions to the system in order to cover medical services and to contribute to the pension system.

How do I register with CAJA?

CAJA allows three possible ways for people to get registered:

Employee registered included in the payroll of a company. If you are a foreign national employed by a company in Costa Rica, the company has the responsibility to include you in the payroll and report you with CAJA. In addition, the employer has the responsibility to collect from your paycheck the fees that must be paid to CAJA, in addition to pay the corresponding fees as an employer.
Self Employed people. If you are self-employed, you will need to appear at a regional CAJA office with jurisdiction over your place of residence in order to get registered.
Voluntary registration. This applicable for people who are neither self employed nor enrolled in a company’s payroll.

While the CAJA regulations allow companies to register employees without valid immigration status, it is not possible for a foreign national to get registered as self employed or voluntary. If a foreign national is self employed and has a registered business, the only possible way go get registered with CAJA is to put himself/herself in payroll, which conflicts with immigration regulations.

Requirements:

ID
Utility bill
Birth Certificate and or marriage certificate for dependents.
Application form with the description of the income and expenses
Income verification.

Do I have to pay for CAJA even if I do not use it?

CAJA is mandatory, regardless whether you use it or not.

What insurance can I get while my residency is process?

Foreign nationals can register with CAJA until the residency has been approved, unless they are employees of a company in which case the company can register them at any time. During the processing time of the application for residency, it is not possible to be covered under insurance in Costa Rica. The best suggestion is to obtain catastrophic travel insurance from a company abroad.

I want to hire someone and they say I don’t need to pay into the ‘Caja’, that they will pay that if I pay them extra. What do I do?

If you have employees, and even domestic workers, you are required to pay into CAJA. If you do not pay into CAJA, you may run the risk of being sued by the employee later on, and to have CAJA start collection procedures against you. Your assets will be at risk.

How do I open a bank account?

The main requirements for opening a bank account are as follows:

Letter of reference from your bank back in your home country
Certification from CPA indicating your income
Bank statements from the past six months
Utility bill
Tax Returns
If you are from the US, you will need to complete a form with your personal information in order to comply with FACTA
ID, which can be a passport or DIMEX.

Can I use my driver’s licence while I am in Costa Rica?

Foreign nationals are allowed to use their foreign driver’s license during three months upon arrival to Costa Rica. Thus, as a tourist, it is possible to use the foreign driver’s license. While the application for residency is pending, it is required to do a trip to the border and reenter the country in order to be allowed to use the DL for an additional three months. People who have applied for residency are allowed to validate their foreign DL in order to obtain a Costa Rican DL once they have recieved the DIMEX and as long as the last entry to Costa Rica has been more than three months prior to requesting the validation.

I am currently outside of Costa Rica. Can I still engage your services from overseas?

Indeed it is possible to start part of the process prior to arriving to Costa Rica. A critical part of the process is to obtain documents from your home country such as birth certificates and background checks. We will be able to provide assistance regarding the document requirements once we have been retained for our services. If you wait to retain our services until you arrive to Costa Rica, we may run the risk that your documents will not be correct. Thus, it is important to take care of obtaining the documents correctly prior to arriving.

There are many different legal services available to me in Costa Rica. Why should I use you?

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”

Can I live on $1000/mo with a 5 person family?

Want to know how much is to rent or own in Costa Rica?

The costs of real estate in Costa Rica (both to own or to rent) vary depending on the area of the country you are looking at and the particular amenities you are looking for. I would say that it is possible to find a decent place on $1000 per month. There are rural areas where you will certainly have access to a nice property, but far from essential services. Look at this website and see that you find.

Do I need a Visa?

Immigration Law in Costa Rica outlines four categories of countries as far as entry visas is concerned. Countries from the first and second group do not require a visa to arrive to Costa Rica. Countries from the third and fourth groups do require a visa to arrive to Costa Rica. Click here to read more about the groups of countries.

Are my medication free?

It depends. The medications from CAJA are not free because everyone has to pay into the system, so it costs money to get the medications. But when you get medications from CAJA you do not need to pay of of pocket in order to get the medication as it is covered under the system. However, not all medications are covered under CAJA, so you may be required to pay out of pocket for some special medications.

Do Ticos take bribes?

People in any country take bribes. You just have to be willing to pay the right price. However, this is not a practice that we encourage. You have to be part of the solution not par to the problem. (I posted this question because I was really asked this question) There are foreigners who believe that it is common place to pay bribes in Costa Rica. I am an attorney and I have never paid a bribe to anyone.

Is there crime in CR?

Like in any country, there is crime in Costa Rica. The question is how much crime? What are the crime rates? What is a safe place to live? Click here for more information about crime.

How much do I tip my ?

The tips in restaurant services are included in bill. This is mandatory by law. I generally tip 5% to 10% more in bars and restaurants. It is not customary to tip in other services, but do as you feel. It never hurts to give a good tip to people who deserves it.

Do they have high speed Internet in CR?

Yes, there is high speed internet service in Costa Rica, and there a various service providers. I currently use 10mbps at my home. You can get higher speeds for your business. The quality of the service will depend on where you live in the country.

What are the basic rights for tenants and landlord?

This is a very gray area as the legislation is not very well developed in Costa Rica for this type of situations. These are some of the basics when it comes to landlord-tenant relations:

Minimum term of contract is three years. It is required to include special language in order to implement smaller terms.
Rent increase is not allowed when the rent amount is set in USD Dollars.
Generally, a security deposit of one month rent is required.
The landlord has the obligation to maintain the premises in good condition when it comes to essential maintenance, such as water pipes, roof leaks, sewer, etc. Regular maintenance such as cleaning and gardening is the tenants responsibility.
One to three months notice should be given for termination of the agreement.

The best thing to do when it comes to renting is to get as many reliable references is possible (both for landlords and tenants) as it is very difficult to obtain justice in court for this type of disputes.