Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements, Cost, Taxes and Renewal

Who qualifies

Law 10008 (2021) created the category of trabajador o prestador remoto de servicios for foreigners who provide services remotely, as employees or independently, for individuals or companies outside Costa Rica, and who received over the last year "a stable monthly remuneration, fixed income, or average monthly income" of at least:

• $3,000 USD per month applying alone
• $4,000 USD per month applying with dependents (family income may be combined)

The income must come from abroad. A salaried remote employee of a U.S. company, a freelance developer invoicing foreign clients, a consultant paid by a Canadian firm, all qualify. A retiree living on a pension does not: pensions are not remuneration for remote services, and that person should read the pensionado page.

The three documents

The digital nomad file is the shortest of the four paths (Decreto 43619 art. 5):

1. The application form on Migración's Trámite Ya platform, signed by you or your attorney-in-fact
2. A copy of your passport photo page (and of your Costa Rican entry stamp if you are already in the country)
3. Proof of income, in one of two forms:
   • twelve months of bank statements showing the foreign income, with a sworn declaration that they were obtained from the bank; or
   • a certification by a CPA or notary (Costa Rican if you file from Costa Rica; a foreign professional's certification is accepted if apostilled)

Plus the $100 fee (Ley 8764 art. 256) and a consular visa if your nationality requires one (Americans and Canadians do not). Everything in a foreign language is officially translated.

What is not required, unlike the residency categories: an apostilled criminal record check, an apostilled birth certificate, fingerprinting at filing, or a consular registration at filing. Migración runs its own security check through its databases.

Insurance

At the card stage you must present a medical insurance policy covering the entire authorized stay with at least $50,000 USD of medical coverage in Costa Rica, from an insurer registered with SUGESE or a valid international policy. Each family member needs their own. Typical cost for a healthy adult is $500 to $1,500 per year; travel-insurance products with a $50,000 medical limit and a twelve-month term are the usual choice.

There is no CAJA obligation for digital nomads, which is the main reason the permit is cheaper to hold than rentista residency.

Family

Dependents (Ley 10008 art. 11) are your spouse or registered de-facto partner, children under 25 or with disabilities, and elderly adults who live with you. Proof: a marriage certificate or union recognition issued within six months, birth certificates for children, a medical opinion for disability, and a sworn declaration for elderly relatives, all translated. Dependents may not work either, and the tax benefits do not extend to them.

What the permit gives you

• One year in Costa Rica, renewable once for a second year
• Full exemption from Costa Rican income tax on the qualifying foreign income, and no tax residency while the permit is valid
• Duty-free import of your work equipment (computer, phone, tablet, camera, audio recorder) as luggage
• Your home driver's license remains valid for the duration
• The right to open a savings account at a Costa Rican bank

What it does not give you

• A path to permanent residency. The permit is a non-resident estancia. Ley 8764 counts only temporary residency toward the three years needed for permanent status.
• Work in Costa Rica. Any paid work for a Costa Rican source cancels the permit and triggers repayment of the taxes exempted.
• A third year. After the single renewal you must leave, or change to a residency category before it expires.

For someone planning to stay, the comparison is with rentista: $2,500 a month of stable income for two years, apostilled documents, CAJA contributions of roughly $344 a month, but a residency that becomes permanent after three years. Many remote workers do a year on the nomad permit while they assemble a rentista file.

Cost

Whether the $43 article 251 fee is charged on top of the $90 or included in it is not stated in the published sources; the difference is $43 and we confirm it at documentation.

Timeline and filing

You may file from abroad or from inside Costa Rica, and the rule that residency applications must be filed before your tourist stay expires does not apply to this category. Migración may issue a single request for corrections, with eight working days to respond. If you do not complete the documentation appointment within three months of approval, cancellation proceedings begin.

Renewal

The permit is granted for one year and renewed once, for one more year, on two conditions: you spent at least 180 days in Costa Rica during the first year, and you still meet the income requirement. Before the second year ends you must apply to change category if you want to stay.

Sources and legal basis

1. Ley 10008, Ley para atraer trabajadores y prestadores remotos de servicios de carácter internacional, arts. 2–4, 7, 10–11, 13–16, 19–20. La Gaceta 168, 1 September 2021.
2. Reglamento a la Ley 10008, Decreto 43619-H-MGP-TUR, arts. 4–10, 13–14, 19. Alcance 141 to La Gaceta, 8 July 2022. Summary by Consortium Legal.
3. Ley 8764, arts. 78, 88, 256. Official text.
4. DGME Resolución D.JUR-220-05-2024-JM-ABM on filing rules for remote workers, Alcance 109 to La Gaceta 106, 12 June 2024.
5. Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, Digital Nomads (states $5,000 for families; the law says $4,000).