Costa Rica Residency – Paperwork, Process, Cost

Just about anyone can get residency in Costa Rica. All it takes is lots of time, a ton of paperwork, proof that you have reside in the country and most important, money!

“Costa Rica’s Residency Laws change all the time, so it is best to hire a residency and immigration attorney or you can file the paperwork on your own (which is a real hassle and time consuming)  meaning you can fill out the forms and gather the necessary documents yourself, and, as some do, hire and/or  pay a tramitador to stand in line for you. You will be doing a lot of that!   The whole process may be much easier if you start it in your home country, working with the nearest Costa Rican consulate, but do not expect it to happen overnight – the process it will take you months and in some cases over a year “

Whether you’re applying for permanent or temporary residency, much of the process is the same and you must be able to proof that you have  reside a minimum of 4 (four)  months a year in the country. You’ll need:

1. An application that is filled out and filed with the Costa Rican consulate in your country of origin, or directly with the Department of Immigration in Costa Rica if you’re in the country.

2. If not within Costa Rica at the time of the application, you must appoint a representative and grant special authority to this representative (apoderado). You’ll need to provide a San José address where the representative will receive mail pertaining to your residency application.

3. Birth certificate, marriage license if you’re married (if you’ve divorced and remarried, no divorce papers are required), copies of academic or professional degrees (if you plan to practice your profession in Costa Rica), and a police certificate of good conduct from the last place you’ve lived for at least two years. The police certificate should be obtained last, as it is only good for six months and may expire while you wait for your other documentation to come through.

Note: All of the documents in Item 3 must be translated into Spanish (by the office of the Costa Rican consulate), then submitted to and authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate officer in the country where the documents are issued. Having your documents authenticated by a Costa Rican consulate is not the same as having them notarized. Documents that are not “public documents” must be certified by a notary public of the state where the documents were issued. Public documents (those issued by a governmental institution) do not need to be notarized.

Authorization means that the consulate makes sure the documents are valid and belong to you; the consulate will also make sure the notary who notarized your documents is fully certified. There is, of course, a fee for each document authorized, at present about US$40 per document.

4. An authenticated copy of your passport (every page).

5. Authenticated copies of dependents’ birth certificates (spouse and/or children) if they are to be included in the residency application. You’ll also need police certificates of good conduct for dependents over 18 that you’re including in your application.

6. Four passport-sized photos.

7. Your fingerprints—the Ministry of Public Security will run them through Interpol, who will do an international background check on you.

8. You may be asked to provide proof of a doctor’s exam. There are laws on the books allowing Costa Rican officials to refuse entry into the country to people with AIDS, (although I’ve never heard of that happening) and other and any other diseases like TB.

9. Proof of income. This is the most important part of your application. The more income, the better; the government wants to be sure you have enough money to support yourself while in Costa Rica.

If you’re going for pensionado or rentista status, you’ll need a letter from your financial institution saying that you will be receiving at least US$1000 a month (for pensionados) or US$2,500 a month (for rentistas).

The financial institution must be an “internationally recognized entity,” listed in Polk’s International Banking Directory. If your income is from a brokerage or insurance company, you’ll need to submit a copy of its annual report along with your residency application. The letter issued by your financial institution is supposed to say that your income is “permanent and irrevocable” for at least the next five years. Since it is the client who ultimately controls the investments, some financial institutions balk at using the phrase “permanent and irrevocable.” The usual way around this is to have them add in their letter a line that states, “in the event the funds invested or on deposit are reduced in any manner, the bank shall notify the Costa Rican Tourism Institute,” which, along with the Department of Immigration, has a say in residency issues.

For inversionista applications, you’ll be submitting business rather than personal financial records. If you invest in an already existing business, you’ll need to provide balance sheets and profit-and-loss information along with your residency application. For a new business, especially if you’re hoping your enterprise will qualify as “priority” and thus allow you to invest US$50,000 rather than the usually required US$200,000, the forms and documents needed are beyond the scope of this book. You will also need to prove that you are living 6 months per year in Costa Rica, however you do not need to prove that you have a regular income.

A good accountant and a lawyer familiar with the Costa Rican business world will be your best resources. Starting a business in Costa Rica need not be bound up with a residency application. Many people start businesses with far less than US$50,000, and do so while here on a 90-day tourist visa. This is perfectly legal but, you have to leave the country every 90-days for 72hrs and then come back, so most will go to Central’s Americana’s, Panama and/or Nicaragua for a short visit.

Whatever category of residency you’re after, the application and supporting documentation are submitted to the Department of Immigration (when you apply from your country of origin, you apply at the consulate, which sends your documents to the Department of Immigration in San José). The Department of Immigration issues a receipt of filing to the applicant. If all is in order and the application is complete, it is forwarded to the Immigration Council, where it may languish for months or even years. While they consider your application (or let it sit on someone’s desk), you are legally allowed to remain in the country.

For permanent residency, the applicant (or her lawyer) will eventually receive a resolution (resolución) detailing the finding of the Immigration Council. If the resolution is approved, authorities will issue a residency card (cédula de residencia). Before the applicant can pick up this card, she must pay the government US$300 for its trouble. Residency must be renewed each year, but is usually a matter of going into an office and getting a new stamp.

You can hire a reputable lawyer, or go through the ARCR (Association of Residents of Costa Rica), which has a very good reputation and has helped many an expat through the residency maze. Right now it charges about US$735 for processing pensionado or rentista applications, and about  US$1,000 to process an inversionista application. If you’re applying with dependents, spouses will cost an additional US$365, and each child will be US$155.

Important Note: Don’t be Scammed – there are no laws, rules, organizations or groups who certify these residency experts. There have been MANY scams where people passed themselves off as attorneys and promised residency without the hassles and promised speed. Don’t be fooled.

More info go to Costa Rica Law

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