The four most
common types of applications and their corresponding qualification
Requirement are:
Retiree
("Pensionado")
This
program applies to any person who is already retired
from his/her usual Occupation and who is already receiving
pension benefits.
Income Requirement:
Must show proof of monthly income from a qualified pension plan
Of at least US$1,000 per month.
A Pension plan can include
amongst others: local, state/provincial and Federal government
pensions from most countries, Canadian Old
Age Pension System, U.S. Social Security Administration benefits,
private pension plans, 401K plans, school district pension, etc.
To be a qualified plan, the pension must be payable to the resident
applicant “for life.” Many annuities can also qualify
as a pension.
If receiving U.S. Social Security or Canadian Government Pensions
(including Old Age), the appropriate pension income letter can be
easily obtained from the U.S. or Canadian embassies.
Currency Exchange Requirement:
Once approved, the resident agrees to exchange the US$1,000 per
month (or $12,000 per year) into Costa
Rican currency, “colones,” at the official dollar-colon
exchange rate in effect at the time of the exchange.
Please note that a married couple needs to show proof of only one
(1) monthly pension of at least US$1,000 for both husband and wife
to apply for residency. The pension recipient can be either spouse.
Additionally, please note that Costa Rica does not recognize same
gender marriages or unions even when legally married in the country
of origin. Same gender couples must apply for residency independently
from the partner and each partner must meet the income and other
requirements on his/her own.
In-Country Requirement: Once approved, the resident agrees to live
in Costa Rica for at least 121 days (4 months) per year. The days
lived in Costa Rica do not have to be consecutive.
Type of residency: Temporary. The resident can apply for permanent
residency after being a temporary resident for three (3) years.
Legal resident
("Rentista")
This program applies to individuals who are not yet retired but who
do not need to work while in Costa Rica, who are receiving guaranteed,
unearned income from investments or other sources, and who can prove
that the non-earned income is guaranteed to be received for 60 months
(5 years).
Income Requirement: The new requirement applies to any type of applicant,
be it a single person, a married couple, or a married couple with
dependent children.
Regardless of the applicant’s
civil status or number of dependents, the primary applicant must
show proof of at least US$2,500 monthly
income from interest or dividends or from unearned income, and
that the $2,500 monthly payment to the applicant is guaranteed
for the
next 60 months (5 years).
The most common method used to prove the income is by means of a
notarized letter from the bank or financial institution indicating
the applicant has on deposit at least US $150,000 on a long term
account such as a Certificate of Deposit, and that the applicant
agrees to transfer to Costa Rica at least US$2,500 per month. The
amount on deposit must be at least US$150,000 ($2,500 times 60 months).
Please note that it
is not mandatory that the bank account be held in Costa Rica.
The account can be held in the U.S., Canada or practically
anywhere in the world provided the financial institution is listed
in the Thomson’s Bank Directory®.
Currency Exchange Requirement:
Once approved, the resident agrees to exchange the US$2,500 per
month (or $30,000 per year) into Costa
Rican currency, “colones,” at the official dollar-colon
exchange rate in effect at the time of the exchange.
In-Country Requirement: Once approved, the resident agrees to live
in Costa Rica for at least 121 days (4 months) per year. The days
lived in Costa Rica do not have to be consecutive.
Type of residency: Temporary. The resident can apply for permanent
residency after being a temporary resident for three (3) years.
Business/Investor
(Inversionista")
An Inversionista is an individual who makes an investment in Costa
Rica of at least US$200,000. The investment can be made in any type
of business, or under current Migracion guidelines, in real estate
such as a primary home.
In order to apply, the applicant must prove that the amount already
invested (not the current value) equals or exceeds $200,000. If using
real estate as the basis for the investment, the property must be
registered with the Costa Rican Real Property Tax Assessor with a
value of at least $200,000.
Currency Exchange Requirement: None.
In-Country Requirement: Once approved, the resident agrees to live
in Costa Rica for at least 183 days (6 months) per year. The days
lived in Costa Rica do not have to be consecutive.
Type of residency: Temporary. The resident can apply for permanent
residency after being a temporary resident for three (3) years.
Married to
or Relationship to Costa Rican Citizen - "Vínculo" Program
The non-Costa Rican applicant
must prove that he/she is in a relationship in the first degree,
either by marriage or by birth, with a Costa
Rican citizen, and the Costa Rican citizen must be willing to
sponsor the applicant’s residency. The Vínculo Program
includes applications for a spouse, son, daughter, father, mother,
and unmarried
siblings (brothers or sisters), but the program does not include
grandparents, uncles or aunts.
• Vínculo
by Marriage:
In-Country Requirement: Once approved, the resident agrees to live
in Costa Rica for at least 1 day (one day) per year. The marriage
must be officially recorded with the Registro Civíl
in Costa Rica and the Registro must be able to issue a certified
copy of
the marriage certificate.
Issue to consider: Early
in 2010 Migración issued an internal
memorandum announced that the applicant needs to prove that the
marriage is not a sham when the couple has been married for less
than 2 years
on the date the application is filed. The announced did not indicate
the method required to prove that the marriage is, indeed, legit.
Type of residency: Temporary if the couple has been married for
less than two years. However, the residency is likely to be granted
as a permanent residency if the couple has been married longer than
2 years. The temporary resident can apply for permanent residency
after being a temporary resident for three (3) years.
Work permit: Undetermined
- Pending issuance of Guidelines by Migracíon.
Until recently all vínculo applications were granted permanent
residencies with a work permit. However, Migración is
now issuing temporary residencies when the couple has been married
for
less than 2 years. It is not clear at this time if those less
than two-year old marriages are granted a work permit. There
is a presumption
that if the couple has been married longer than 2 years that
the marriage is not a sham and those residencies would have a
work permit.
• Vínculo
by having a child born in Costa Rica
Vínculo applications based upon having a child born in Costa
Rica, and therefore a Costa Rican citizen, are approved as permanent
residents. The parent(s) and siblings (brothers and sisters)
of the Costa Rican citizen receive unrestricted residencies with built-in
work permits.
Work permit: Yes, built-in as a permanent resident.
Other
Programs- Temporary residency:
Residency
in Costa Rica can also assist you with the preparation,
organization and submission of the documents required
to obtain your temporary residency in Costa Rica as:
member of the clergy, employee or representative of foreign
company working in Costa Rica, including: executive level
personnel, technical and professional staff.
Please note that in order to obtain a work permit requires that
the applicant have a bona fide job offer and that the company offering
the job must provide a certain amount of documents regarding the
company itself, the job offer and a certification of the reasons
the non-Costa Rican employment candidate is uniquely qualified for
the position.
Basic Documents Required for All Applications
