Guides to moving to Costa Rica

Start with the order of the steps, then read about the residency option that fits you.

• 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.
• Living in Costa Rica as an American: what daily life is likeThe pros and cons, and how everyday things work: weather, money, roads, language and bureaucracy.
• Best places to live in Costa Rica for AmericansSix regions compared on climate, cost, healthcare, access and community.
• Cost of living in Costa Rica for AmericansTypical monthly budgets, rent by area, and what costs more than people expect.
• Retiring in Costa Rica: residency, healthcare and where people settleResidency on a pension, healthcare without Medicare, receiving Social Security, and where retirees live.
• Healthcare in Costa Rica for Americans: the Caja and private careHow the public system (the Caja) works, what private care costs, and how residents combine the two.
• Is Costa Rica safe to live in?What kind of crime affects foreign residents, where it is concentrated, and the precautions people take.
• Buying property in Costa Rica as an AmericanForeigners can own titled property outright. How beachfront concession land differs, the steps in a purchase and what to check first.
• Schools in Costa Rica for American familiesPublic, private bilingual and international schools: calendars, costs, where they are and how to choose.