Costa Rica permanent residency: who qualifies and how to apply

Permanent residency lets you live in Costa Rica without proving a pension, a deposit or an investment again, and it lets you work. For most Americans it is the second step, three years after the first.

Who qualifies

There are two main routes.

Three years of temporary residency. Time as a pensionado, rentista or investor counts. So does temporary residency as the spouse of a Costa Rican. Time on the digital nomad visa or as a tourist generally doesn’t.

A first-degree family tie to a Costa Rican. Parents of a Costa Rican child and children of a Costa Rican can apply for permanent residency directly. A child born in Costa Rica is Costa Rican, which is how some foreign parents qualify.

Marriage to a Costa Rican doesn’t give permanent residency straight away. A spouse first gets temporary residency, renewed while the marriage continues, and can apply for permanent status after three years.

What changes

	Temporary resident	Permanent resident
Proof of income or investment	At every renewal	Not required
Work as an employee	No	Yes
Own a business	Yes	Yes
Caja membership	Required	Required
Renewal	About every 2 years	The card is renewed at longer intervals
Selling your qualifying property or ending the deposit	Affects your status	No effect

How to apply

1. Check your dates. The three years are counted from when temporary residency was granted. Your attorney can confirm the date on your file.
2. Make sure your temporary residency is current and your Caja payments are up to date. Apply before the temporary card expires.
3. Gather the documents. Expect to provide your current DIMEX, passport copies, proof of Caja payments and a recent criminal record check. Ask what immigration currently requires, since you may not need a new set of apostilled documents from the US.
4. File the change of category with the immigration department (DGME) and pay the fees.
5. Collect the new DIMEX once it is approved.

Keeping permanent residency

• Keep paying the Caja.
• Renew the card before it expires.
• Don’t stay out of Costa Rica for years at a time. Permanent residency can be cancelled after a long continuous absence, so ask about the limit if you plan to be away.

Dependents

A spouse and children who held temporary residency as your dependents apply for permanent residency as well. They can usually file at the same time as you, once they also have three years.

Permanent residency or citizenship

Permanent residency is enough for most people: you can live, work and own property with no end date. Citizenship adds a passport and the vote, and takes longer. You don’t have to choose between your US citizenship and either one.

For the stage before this one, start with the residency overview.

Common questions

How long does it take to get permanent residency in Costa Rica?

Most foreigners can apply after three years as a temporary resident, for example as a pensionado, rentista or investor. The application itself then takes some months to process.

Can I get permanent residency in Costa Rica without being a temporary resident first?

Only through a close family tie: generally being the parent of a Costa Rican child, including a child born in Costa Rica, or the child of a Costa Rican. Everyone else starts with temporary residency.

Can permanent residents work in Costa Rica?

Yes. Permanent residents can work as employees or on their own account without a separate permit.

Do permanent residents still pay into the Caja?

Yes. Membership of the public health system is required for permanent residents too, and you show that payments are up to date when you renew your card.