Requirements
Costa Rica Residency Requirements for U.S. and Canadian Citizens (2026)
To get residency in Costa Rica you need to fit one of four categories, each with a financial threshold, and then file a fixed set of documents: an apostilled birth certificate, an apostilled criminal record check less than six months old, proof of your income or investment, a passport copy, photos, consular registration and two government fees. This page lists every requirement as written in the law and Migración's 2024 procedural rules, with the details that get American and Canadian files rejected.
Updated September 15, 2026 · Meridian Residency
- Categories
- 4
- Pensionado, rentista, investor, nomad
- Lowest threshold
- $1,000/mo
- Lifetime pension
- Criminal record
- ≤ 6 months
- From issue date, not apostille
- Fees at filing
- $250
- $50 + $200 change of status
Step one: the category and its threshold
Costa Rica does not have a general residency application. You apply under a category, and the category sets the financial requirement. For Americans and Canadians without a Costa Rican spouse or child, there are four.
| Category | Threshold | Proof | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensionado | $1,000 USD/month lifetime pension | Letter from the paying institution stating the pension is for life | Pensionado requirements |
| Rentista | $2,500 USD/month stable income for at least 2 years | Bank letter or Costa Rican CPA certification; the $60,000 deposit is the bank-practice version | Rentista requirements |
| Inversionista | $150,000 USD invested in Costa Rica, in your own name | Registro Nacional, CPA and municipal certifications | Investor requirements |
| Digital nomad (stay permit, not residency) | $3,000 USD/month remote income from abroad ($4,000 with family) | 12 months of bank statements or a CPA certification | Digital nomad requirements |
The first three are temporary residency: two years, renewable, permanent after three years, citizenship after seven. The fourth is a two-year permit that leads nowhere on its own.
A fifth route, residency by marriage to a Costa Rican, has no financial threshold but requires a marriage registered in Costa Rica's Registro Civil, a joint interview, and annual renewals for three years. It is outside the scope of this page.
Step two: the documents everyone files
Whichever category you choose, the Reglamento (arts. 88, 99, 100) and Migración's 2024 procedural resolution require the following. Every document from abroad must be apostilled and officially translated into Spanish.
| # | Document | What Migración checks | U.S. and Canadian specifics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Application form (formulario de filiación) and application letter | The letter must state the exact category requested, your particulars, your address in Costa Rica and a means of notification, and be signed before the receiving official or authenticated by a Costa Rican attorney. A letter missing the category or an authenticated signature is rejected without appeal. | — |
| 2 | Birth certificate | Long-form, showing both parents' names; apostilled. Accepted even if issued more than six months ago. Names must match the passport exactly; any discrepancy must be explained with supporting documents. | U.S.: certified copy from state vital records, apostilled by that state's Secretary of State. Canada: provincial certificate, apostilled by the province (ON, QC, BC, AB, SK) or Global Affairs Canada. |
| 3 | Criminal record check | From your country of origin, or the country where you lived the last three years. Valid six months from the issue date. Convictions for intentional crimes in the last ten years bar residency. | U.S.: FBI Identity History Summary only, apostilled by the U.S. Department of State. Canada: RCMP certified check with fingerprints, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada. State or provincial checks are refused for federal-system countries. |
| 4 | Proof of income or investment | Per category, above | — |
| 5 | Passport | Notarized copy of the photo page (and visa page if any). Copies of every page are no longer required. Original presented at the card stage. | — |
| 6 | Photos | Two recent passport-size (one for investors) | — |
| 7 | Consular registration | Certificate that you are registered at your embassy or consulate in Costa Rica. Required at filing since 1 July 2025, except for filings at consulates abroad. | U.S. citizens register via the State Department's STEP program and request a letter from the embassy in San José; Canadians via the Registration of Canadians Abroad and the embassy. |
| 8 | Fee receipts | $50 application fee (Ley 8764 art. 255) and $200 change of category (art. 89), paid to Banco de Costa Rica in the applicant's own name | — |
| 9 | Stamp duty | ₡125 plus ₡2.50 per page of the file | — |
| 10 | Marriage certificate | Only when a spouse applies as dependent; apostilled; issued within six months if the marriage was abroad | — |
Dependents (spouse, children under 25, adult children with disabilities) each file items 1 to 9 for themselves.
What is no longer required at filing
Two items appear on most older checklists and are now handled after approval:
- Fingerprint registration (registro de huellas) at the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública: since Migración's 2024 resolution it is required at the documentation stage, when you collect your card.
- CAJA enrollment: applied for after the approval resolution, but it must be in place before the DIMEX is released, and it must then be continuous through every renewal.
The rules that get files rejected
Defects are not correctable. Since July 2024, Migración distinguishes between omitted documents, for which you get ten working days, and defective documents, which cause rejection "without appeal." A missing apostille, an apostille that does not cover the right signature, a translation by a non-official translator, a pension letter without the word "lifetime", or a signature not authenticated, all count as defects. The consequence is a new filing, new fees, and a new criminal record check if the old one has aged out.
The six months run from issue, not apostille. Order the FBI or RCMP check last. The State Department apostille alone takes about five weeks by mail.
Names must match. A birth certificate with a middle name the passport omits, or a married name on one and a maiden name on the other, needs a linking document (marriage certificate, name-change order) in the file.
Payments in your own name. Fee deposits paid from someone else's account are refused.
File before the stamp expires. In-country applications must be filed within the stay granted at entry, up to 180 days for Americans and Canadians. Overstayers may still file but pay $100 per month of overstay.
Where and how to file
- In person at Migración's Plataforma de Servicios in La Uruca, San José, without appointment for first-time filings, or at a regional office.
- Online via Trámite Ya, Migración's digital platform. A file started online must be finished online, and vice versa. Investor files get preferential handling only when filed digitally.
- At a Costa Rican consulate in the U.S. or Canada; the three-month legal clock starts when the file reaches headquarters in San José.
Once filed, you may remain in Costa Rica while the application is pending (Ley 8764 art. 33), and you may travel; you re-enter as a tourist.
After approval: the documentation stage
Your approval resolution sets an appointment to be documented: fingerprints, the refundable guarantee deposit, the card fees (about $103 to $133), proof of CAJA enrollment, and your original passport. The DIMEX card follows; since March 2026 Banco de Costa Rica branches can print it the same day for applicants whose biometrics are on file. Costs for every step are in the cost guide; realistic durations are in how long residency takes.
Sources and legal basis
- Ley 8764, arts. 33, 69–70, 78–82, 89, 198–200, 255. Official text.
- Reglamento de Extranjería, Decreto 37112-GOB, arts. 8–12, 16, 20–28, 31–32, 60, 88, 99–100, 183–184. Official text.
- DGME Resolución D.JUR-220-05-2024-JM-ABM (in force 1 July 2024; second stage 1 July 2025), Alcance 109 to La Gaceta 106, 12 June 2024.
- DGME Directrices Generales de Visas, Alcance 148 to La Gaceta 216, 17 November 2025 (180-day stays for U.S. and Canadian nationals; "residency in process" not accepted at the border).
- FBI Identity History Summary Checks; U.S. Department of State authentications; RCMP criminal record checks; Canada and the Apostille Convention.
Questions
Questions, answered plainly.
What are the requirements to get residency in Costa Rica?
Qualify under a category (a $1,000 lifetime pension, $2,500 monthly income for two years, a $150,000 investment, or $3,000 monthly remote income for the nomad permit), then file: an apostilled birth certificate, an apostilled criminal record check issued within six months, proof of the qualifying income or investment, a notarized copy of your passport photo page, two photos, a consular registration certificate, the application form and letter, and the $50 and $200 fees. All foreign documents must be officially translated into Spanish.
What are the Costa Rica residency requirements for U.S. citizens specifically?
The same categories and documents as everyone else, with two U.S. specifics: the criminal record check must be the FBI Identity History Summary (a state-level check is not accepted), and it must be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, not by a state Secretary of State. Birth and marriage certificates are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Americans enter Costa Rica visa-free for up to 180 days, within which the residency application must be filed.
What are the requirements for Canadians?
Identical categories. Canadians provide an RCMP certified criminal record check based on fingerprints, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada (federal documents) since Canada joined the Apostille Convention in January 2024. Provincial birth and marriage certificates are apostilled by Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta or Saskatchewan, or by Global Affairs Canada for the other provinces.
How long is a criminal record check valid for Costa Rica residency?
Six months from the date it was issued, not from the date of the apostille. If your file is delayed past that, or is rejected and refiled, you need a new check. Order it last among your documents, and file promptly.
Do documents need to be apostilled and translated?
Both. Every document issued outside Costa Rica must carry an apostille (or consular legalization) covering the issuing official's signature, and every document in a language other than Spanish, including the apostille page itself, must be translated by an official translator accredited by Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by a Costa Rican notary certified in the language.
Can I be in Costa Rica while my residency is processed?
Yes. Filing a change-of-category application before your tourist stay expires lets you remain legally while it is pending. You may also leave and return; you re-enter as a tourist, and the pending file continues. Officers do not accept 'residency in process' papers as proof of residency at the border.
Do I need a lawyer to apply for residency in Costa Rica?
No law requires one. The application can be filed by you in person at Migración in La Uruca or online through Trámite Ya. Since 2024, files with defective documents are rejected without a chance to correct them, which is the main practical reason people hire help.
What changed in Costa Rica residency requirements in 2025 and 2026?
Since 1 July 2025 the consular registration certificate must be filed with the application rather than later. Since 2024, only the passport photo page is required (not every page), fingerprinting moved to the card stage, birth certificates older than six months are accepted, and the FBI or RCMP fingerprint-based check is mandatory for Americans and Canadians. Law 9996's tax benefits closed to new applicants on 14 July 2026.
Related
Keep reading
- How Much Does Costa Rica Residency Cost in 2026?Every cost of Costa Rica residency in 2026: government fees, the refundable deposit, DIMEX, apostilles, translations, attorney fees and CAJA, by path.
- Costa Rica Pensionado Visa: Requirements, Cost and TimelineCosta Rica's pensionado residency needs a $1,000/month lifetime pension. Every document, the pension letter wording, costs and timeline.
- Costa Rica Rentista Visa: Requirements, the $60,000 Deposit and CostCosta Rica rentista residency requires $2,500/month of stable income for two years, or a bank deposit. Bank-letter wording, documents, costs and timeline.
- Costa Rica Investor Visa (Inversionista): $150,000 Rules, Requirements and TimelineCosta Rica's inversionista residency: what counts as a $150,000 investment, why it must be in your name, the July 2026 Law 9996 change, documents and cost.
- Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements, Cost, Taxes and RenewalCosta Rica's digital nomad visa needs $3,000/month earned abroad, $50,000 health insurance and a $100 fee. Documents, taxes, renewal, and its limits.
- How Long Does Costa Rica Residency Take? Real 2026 TimelinesCosta Rica residency takes 8–14 months for pensionado and rentista, 5–9 for investors and 2–8 weeks for digital nomads in 2026. Stage by stage.
- Can You Apply for Costa Rica Residency Yourself? DIY vs AttorneyYes, you can apply for Costa Rica residency without a lawyer. What it involves, what it costs ($600–1,150), where DIY files fail, and when to hire help.