RESIDENCE

 
Kinds of Residences

A residence is an authorization of temporary or permanent stay in the country with freedom of employment within Costa Rica, an authorization usually related with professional work. There is many circumstances under which an applications for residence is valid, some of them being:

  1. Special permit for students, volunteers, academics or researchers

    Should you want to remain in Costa Rica as a student, volunteer, academic or researcher, you must request a provisional visa in the Consulate. For this, you must present the following documents:

    1. Provisional visa request letter or application form for students (link) under the special category of student, academic, volunteer, or researcher that includes the following information regarding the applicant:
      • Full name
      • Nationality
      • Passport number
      • Country of residence
      • Profession or trade
      • Exact address while in Costa Rica
      • Date and place of birth
      • Email to receive notifications
      • Date and signature
    2. Birth certificate translated to Spanish duly legalized or with apostilled.
    3. Police records/Certificate of Delinquency translated to Spanish duly legalized or with apostille. If the student is under 18 years old he/she shall present an authorization to travel of his/her parents certified by a public notary and duly translated and legalized, instead of the police records or certificate of delinquency.
    4. Original and copy of the entire passport or travel document. Please note that said document must be valid for at least six months.
    5. Acceptance letter to a public or private educational institution recognized in Costa Rica that confirms the applicant as a student, academic, volunteer or researcher. This document must also include the period the applicant is expected to remain in the institution.
    6. Proof of sufficient monetary means to finance the applicant’s stay in the country.
    7. Three passport sized pictures with light gray background.
    8. Proof of payment for all corresponding fees
      9. Once the corresponding authorities have verified you fulfill all the requisites, the Consulate will issue a provisional visa for entry to Costa Rica, and the applicant will receive the documents he/she must present in the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens in Costa Rica to continue with the process of registering under the special category of student, academic, volunteer, or researcher.
  2. Temporary residence as rentiers
    Those people who wish to apply for a temporary residence in Costa Rica as annuitants or rentier must fulfill the following requirements before the Consulate:
    1. Visa request letter in which the applicant indicates the reasons for his/her residence request. This letter must also include the following information regarding the applicant:
      • Full name
      • Nationality and age
      • Passport number
      • Country of residence
      • Profession or trade
      • Date and place of birth
      • Address or other means by which notifications can be sent
      • Date and signature
    2. Birth certificate translated to Spanish with apostille.
    3. Police records/Certificate of Delinquency translated to Spanish and legalized or with apostille.
    4. Original and copy of the entire passport or travel document. Please note that the document must be valid for at least six months.
    5. Proof by means of official documents that, for a period not shorter than two years, the applicant will receive a stable and permanent income of at least two thousand five hundred dollars (US$2,500.00) a month, currency of the United States of America or its equivalent to the Costa Rican colon based on the exchange rate established by the Central Bank of Costa Rica. If the income is received from abroad, the documents must have an apostille.
    6. Three passport sized pictures with light gray background.
    7. Proof of payment of any required fees.
  3. Temporary residence for retirees Those people who wish to apply for a temporary residence in Costa Rica as retirees must fulfill the following requirements before the Consulate:
    1. Visa request letter in which the applicant indicates the reasons for his/her residence request. This letter must also include the following information regarding the applicant:
      • Full name
      • Nationality and age
      • Passport number
      • Country of residence
      • Profession or trade
      • Date and place of birth
      • Address or other means by which notifications can be sent
      • Date and signature
    2. Police records/Certificate of Delinquency translated to Spanish legalized or with apostille.
    3. Original and copy of the entire passport or travel document. Please note that the document must be valid for at least six months.
    4. Proof by means of official documents that he/she has been granted a lifelong pension with a monthly payment of at least one thousand dollars (US$1,000.00), currency of the United States of America or its equivalent to the Costa Rican colon based on the exchange rate established by the Central Bank of Costa Rica. If the documents are issued abroad, they must be legalized or have an apostille.
    5. Three passport sized pictures with light gray background.
    6. Proof of payment of any required fees.
      7. Important:
      • The translation of foreign documents to Spanish can be done through the services of official translators in the UAE (in which case, the document must be translated before being legalized) or in Costa Rica. The most important aspect is that the document is already translated and legalized or with an apostille when presented at the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens.
      • Certifications must be valid and have been issued no more than six months ago.
      • If a person enters Costa Rica as a tourist and, during his/her legal stay, he/she presents a request of temporary residence directly to the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens, he/she will have to pay an additional fee of US$200 for the change in migration category.
  4. Other migration categories (Spanish only)
 
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