Plan your move to Costa Rica
Answer a few questions and get a move plan: which residency options may fit you, and introductions to local attorneys, movers, agents and insurers when you need each one.
Takes about five minutes. Free for you, because providers pay us.
A sample move plan
A couple retiring to the Central Valley in about nine months
- NowRelocation plannerMaps the whole move with you and lines up the rest.
- NowImmigration attorneyConfirms which residency option you qualify for.
- 5 months beforeReal estate agentLines up a rental for your first year.
- 3 months beforeInternational moverSurveys, quotes and books a shipping date.
- 2 months beforeHealth insuranceCover that starts the day you land.
- Moving dayYou move to Costa Rica
- After you arriveUS expat tax preparerYour first return from abroad.
How it works
Tell us about your move
Who is moving, when, where to, and how you will support yourself. Rough answers are fine.
Get your move plan
You see which residency options may fit, and a timeline of who you need and when you need them.
Meet providers when it's time
We introduce you to up to 3 local providers for each service you asked for. You choose who to hire, or nobody.
Help with each part of the move
Most moves need several specialists, at different times. Read what each one does, then ask for an introduction.
- Relocation plannerOne person who plans the move with you and coordinates everyone else.
- Immigration attorneyResidency applications, renewals and the change to permanent status.
- Real estate agentRentals for your first year, or a purchase once you know the area.
- International moverShipping household goods and vehicles by sea, with the customs paperwork.
- Pet relocationHealth certificates, vaccinations, flights and arrival for dogs, cats and other animals.
- Health insurancePrivate and international cover, and how it fits with the public system.
- US expat tax preparerUS returns from abroad, foreign account reporting and how Costa Rica's territorial tax works.
Where people settle in Costa Rica
Not sure yet? That's a normal place to start. The intake has a "not sure" option.
Central Valley and San José
Mild weather at altitude, the main hospitals and the main airport, in towns such as Escazú, Atenas and Grecia.
Guanacaste and the Gold Coast
The dry, sunny northwest: beach towns such as Tamarindo and Nosara, with its own international airport at Liberia.
Central Pacific
Jacó and Manuel Antonio, the beach towns closest to San José.
Southern Zone
Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal, where rainforest hills meet the Pacific. Quieter, wetter and further from the city.
Caribbean coast
Puerto Viejo and Cahuita: Afro-Caribbean culture, a slower pace and rain in every month.
Arenal and the northern lowlands
La Fortuna and the towns around Lake Arenal: green, breezy and cooler than the coast.
Guides to read first
- Moving to Costa Rica from the US: the steps in orderWhat to do, in what order, from a first scouting trip to your resident card and your first tax return abroad.
- Costa Rica residency for Americans: requirements and how to get itThe residency categories, what each requires, and the steps from apostilled documents to your resident card.
- Costa Rica pensionado visa: requirements and stepsResidency for retirees with a lifetime pension of at least $1,000 a month: what counts, what to bring and how to apply.
- Costa Rica rentista visa: requirements and how the deposit worksResidency for people without a pension: $2,500 a month of unearned income for two years, or a $60,000 deposit.
- Costa Rica digital nomad visa: requirements and how to applyA one-year stay for remote workers earning at least $3,000 a month from outside Costa Rica, renewable once.
- Costa Rica residency by investment: the inversionista routeResidency for people who invest at least $150,000 in property, a business or other approved assets.
- Costa Rica permanent residency: who qualifies and how to applyHow temporary residents move to permanent status after three years, and what changes when they do.
- Costa Rica citizenship for Americans: how naturalisation worksNaturalisation after seven years of residency, or sooner through marriage, and how dual citizenship works.
Ready to see your plan?
Five short sections. You can stop at any point, and nothing is shared until you agree to it at the end.