Costa Rica Residency
Temporary residency through an investment from USD 150,000, a guaranteed income or a lifetime pension, with permanent residency available after three years.
- From
- $60,000
- Timeline
- 7 to 12 months
- Residence
- Minimal
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- Minimum
- From $60,0005 qualifying routes
- Timeline
- 7 to 12 months
- Outcome
- Temporary residency · Path to permanent residency · Path to citizenship
- Presence
- Minimal
- Family
- Spouse + children
The opportunity
Why Costa Rica
Costa Rica has no citizenship by investment program. It offers three main residency routes, each built on what you bring: capital, income or a pension. All three begin with temporary residency, and after three years you can apply for permanent residency with no restrictions.
Inversionista asks for an investment from USD 150,000, in shares of an active Costa Rican company or in real estate in your personal name. Rentista asks for USD 2,500 a month guaranteed for two years, or USD 60,000 held as a bank investment in Costa Rica. Pensionado asks for a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 a month from your country of origin.
Residency is not citizenship. Naturalization is a separate process that rewards living in the country: seven years of residence, or five for Central American, Spanish and Ibero-American nationals by birth. Temporary residency under these routes does not give the right to take local employment.
Who it suits
May fit. May not.
Costa Rica suits applicants who want a residence permit. The two lists show where it fits and where another program serves better.
May fit if you want
- Investors who can place USD 150,000 or more in shares of an active Costa Rican company or in real estate registered in their own name.
- Applicants with USD 2,500 a month of guaranteed income for two years, or USD 60,000 to hold as a bank investment in Costa Rica.
- Retirees with a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 a month from their country of origin.
May not fit if you need
- Applicants who want citizenship by investment: Costa Rica has no such program, and naturalization takes seven years of genuinely living in the country.
- Applicants who plan to take local employment: temporary residency under these routes does not give that right, and you may earn in Costa Rica only through your own Costa Rican company or business.
- Investors who need the Inversionista amount fixed before they commit: USD 150,000 was set by Law 9996, whose term ended on 14 July 2026, and it may return to USD 200,000.
Qualifying routes
Available routes
Minimums differ materially by route, so there is no single universal figure. Amounts are indicative and confirmed with the authority before any engagement.
- Business investment
$150,000
Inversionista: shares in a Costa Rican company
Investment in shares of an active Costa Rican company. Family: spouse and children under 18. The amount was set by Law 9996, whose term ended on 14 July 2026, and it may return to USD 200,000. Wealthy Expat confirms the operative amount with DGME before any capital is committed.
About 12 months
- Real estate
$150,000
Inversionista: real estate in your name
Real estate registered in your personal name. Family: spouse and children under 18. The amount is subject to the same Law 9996 question as the company-shares route.
About 12 months
- Deposit
$60,000
Rentista: bank investment
USD 60,000 held as a bank investment in Costa Rica, evidenced by a letter from a certified public accountant (CPA). A letter issued abroad must be apostilled or authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate. Family: spouse and children up to 25.
About 7 months
Lowest entry - Income requirement
No capital investment
Rentista: income of USD 2,500 a month
USD 2,500 per month guaranteed for the next two years, evidenced by a letter from a certified public accountant (CPA). A letter issued abroad must be apostilled or authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate. Family: spouse and children up to 25.
About 7 months
- Income requirement
No capital investment
Pensionado: lifetime pension of USD 1,000 a month
A lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 per month from your country of origin, evidenced by a letter from the pension provider, apostilled or authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate. Family: spouse and children under 18.
About 7 months
What it costs
Cost structure
What the program costs beyond the qualifying investment, item by item.
Qualifying investment
From $60,000
Rentista: bank investment · other routes from $150,000
What the investment covers
- Inversionista
- An investment from USD 150,000, held as shares of an active Costa Rican company or as real estate registered in your personal name. The amount was set by Law 9996, whose term ended on 14 July 2026, and no authority has yet confirmed whether it stands or returns to the previous USD 200,000.
- Rentista
- Either USD 2,500 per month guaranteed for two years, or USD 60,000 held as a bank investment in Costa Rica. The first needs no capital deposit.
- Pensionado
- No capital: a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 per month from your country of origin.
Costs beyond the investment
- Filing fee, charged by the immigration authorityPer application. Paid to the immigration authority's account at Banco de Costa Rica; the receipt joins the file. Expenses are paid in full before filing.$250
- Government fees, main applicantUSD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, spouseUSD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, each child under 18USD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, each child aged 18 to 25USD 50 per person.$50
- Wealthy Expat consultancy feeOn request.
- Wealthy Expat service fee, main applicantUSD 5,000 per adult. 50% of the service fee is due to open the file, and the remaining 50% at your appointment in Costa Rica.$5,000
- Wealthy Expat service fee, spouseUSD 5,000 per adult.$5,000
- Wealthy Expat service fee, each child under 18USD 2,500 per dependent child.$2,500
- Wealthy Expat service fee, each child aged 18 to 25The guide lists USD 5,000 per adult and USD 2,500 per dependent child, and does not say which applies to a child aged 18 to 25.
- Translation, English to SpanishUSD 50 per document of up to two pages. Every document in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish.
- Document costs in your home countryCertificates, apostilles and courier are paid in your home country and are not included in the figures above.
Professional fees are quoted individually after eligibility review. Government fees change without notice; every figure is verified before engagement.
Qualifying investment
From $60,000
Rentista: bank investment · other routes from $150,000
- Inversionista
- An investment from USD 150,000, held as shares of an active Costa Rican company or as real estate registered in your personal name. The amount was set by Law 9996, whose term ended on 14 July 2026, and no authority has yet confirmed whether it stands or returns to the previous USD 200,000.
- Rentista
- Either USD 2,500 per month guaranteed for two years, or USD 60,000 held as a bank investment in Costa Rica. The first needs no capital deposit.
- Pensionado
- No capital: a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 per month from your country of origin.
- Filing fee, charged by the immigration authorityPer application. Paid to the immigration authority's account at Banco de Costa Rica; the receipt joins the file. Expenses are paid in full before filing.$250
- Government fees, main applicantUSD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, spouseUSD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, each child under 18USD 50 per person.$50
- Government fees, each child aged 18 to 25USD 50 per person.$50
- Wealthy Expat consultancy feeOn request.
- Wealthy Expat service fee, main applicantUSD 5,000 per adult. 50% of the service fee is due to open the file, and the remaining 50% at your appointment in Costa Rica.$5,000
- Wealthy Expat service fee, spouseUSD 5,000 per adult.$5,000
- Wealthy Expat service fee, each child under 18USD 2,500 per dependent child.$2,500
- Wealthy Expat service fee, each child aged 18 to 25The guide lists USD 5,000 per adult and USD 2,500 per dependent child, and does not say which applies to a child aged 18 to 25.
- Translation, English to SpanishUSD 50 per document of up to two pages. Every document in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish.
- Document costs in your home countryCertificates, apostilles and courier are paid in your home country and are not included in the figures above.
Professional fees are quoted individually after eligibility review. Government fees change without notice; every figure is verified before engagement.
| Single applicant | Couple | Family of fourTwo children under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| $65,300 + fees | $70,350 + fees | $75,450 + fees |
Not a quotation. Figures are indicative and subject to verification.
Requirements
Eligibility and documents
Who can apply is set by six rules on the applicant, background and qualification; the checklist lists ten documents. A spouse, minor children and adult dependent children can join the same application.
Who can apply
Applicant
- Register with your own embassy in Costa Rica.United States: the STEP program. Canada: Registration of Canadians Abroad.
- Civil and police documents issued abroad must carry an apostille or be authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate in the issuing country, and every document in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish.Marriage certificates and police records are valid for six months from issue, so timing matters.
Background
- A national, fingerprint-based police record. Local or state reports are not accepted.United States: FBI federal background report. Canada: RCMP fingerprint-based report. Valid for six months from issue.
Qualification
- Inversionista: invest from USD 150,000 in shares of an active Costa Rican company or in real estate registered in your personal name.The amount was set by Law 9996, whose term ended on 14 July 2026. Wealthy Expat confirms the operative amount with DGME before any capital is committed.
- Rentista: a letter from a certified public accountant (CPA) confirming USD 2,500 per month for the next two years, or USD 60,000 held as a bank investment in Costa Rica.A letter issued abroad must be apostilled or authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate.
- Pensionado: a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 per month from your country of origin, evidenced by a letter from the pension provider.The letter must be apostilled or authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate.
Documents checklist
Family inclusion
Spouse
IncludedMinor children
IncludedAge limitUnder 18
Adult dependent children
IncludedAge limit18 to 25
Under Rentista, children up to 25 are part of the application. Under Inversionista and Pensionado, children aged 18 to 25 can obtain a separate category, renewed every year.
How it works
Application process
The application runs in four steps. The source estimates 7 to 12 months end to end.
Choose the route and confirm the amount
Select Inversionista, Rentista or Pensionado. For Inversionista, Wealthy Expat confirms the operative investment amount with DGME before any capital is committed.
Prepare the file
Collect the core file and the route evidence of investment, income or pension. Civil and police documents issued abroad need an apostille or consular authentication, and every foreign-language document needs a Spanish translation.
Fingerprints and filing
Fingerprints are taken in person at the Ministry of Security in San José or Liberia. The USD 250 filing fee is paid to the immigration authority's account at Banco de Costa Rica, and the receipt joins the file.
Ministry of Security and the immigration authority
- Duration
- Source estimate to approval: about 12 months for Inversionista, about 7 months for Rentista and Pensionado.
Permanent residency
After three years of temporary residency you can apply for permanent residency, with no minimum time in the country.
- Duration
- From year 3.
- Source estimate, end to end
- 7 to 12 months
Alternatives
Compared with alternatives
How Costa Rica compares with two other programs: Latvia from €50,000 and Paraguay from $70,000.
This program
Costa Rica Residency
- From
- $60,000
- Timeline
- 7 to 12 months
- Family
- Spouse + children
You are here
Questions
Program FAQ
Short answers to six questions about Costa Rica Residency.
No. Costa Rica has no citizenship by investment program. All three routes lead to temporary residency, then to permanent residency after three years. Citizenship comes later, by naturalization, after seven years of genuinely living in Costa Rica, or five for Central American, Spanish and Ibero-American nationals by birth.
Temporary residency under Inversionista, Rentista and Pensionado does not give the right to take local employment. You may earn in Costa Rica only through your own Costa Rican company or business.
Temporary and permanent residency can be held from abroad. Temporary residency has no day count: one entry a year keeps the status. Some sources cite a four-month annual stay for Rentista and Pensionado renewals, and Wealthy Expat confirms current practice with DGME before filing. Citizenship is different: it cannot be held from abroad.
A Spanish language examination, and a social studies examination on Costa Rican history and values by the Ministry of Public Education. Applicants aged 65 and over are exempt from both exams. You also need a clean criminal record in Costa Rica and in your country of origin, and a lawful profession or sufficient income to support yourself and your family.
USD 150,000 was set by Law 9996, whose five-year term ended on 14 July 2026. No authority has yet confirmed whether it stands or returns to the previous USD 200,000. Wealthy Expat confirms the operative amount with DGME before any capital is committed.
Residency status and tax residency are separate questions, assessed on their own facts. Wealthy Expat does not give tax advice; confirm your position with a licensed tax adviser.
Next step
Have your eligibility reviewed before you commit.
A specialist checks your profile against the current rules, confirms the right route and quotes the full cost picture. No documents are collected at this stage.
- Program: Costa Rica Residency, included automatically