Residency overview · Last checked 2026-07-27

Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s temporary-residence framework includes family, employment, professional, investment, rentier, pensioner, and other defined subcategories. Some income and investment thresholds are stated directly in current law.

Research authority: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería

Residency routes: 11
Information available: Detailed country guide
Official sources: 5
Last checked: 2026-07-27

How the framework connects

Residence, permanence, and citizenship

Residence frameworkArticle 79 authorizes temporary residence for more than 90 days and up to two years, renewable for an equal period, for the listed subcategories.Permanent residencePermanent residence is a separate status. The applicable route can depend on family relationship or a qualifying period in temporary residence; the applicant should use the current migration checklist for the precise ground.Citizenship relationshipThe current TSE naturalization service distinguishes five years of official residence for Central American, Ibero-American, and Spanish nationals by birth, and seven years for other nationalities. Separate naturalization grounds have their own requirements.

Residency routes

Routes to investigate

11 currently listed

Official evidence

Sources for this guide

Review the official source before acting

Ley General de Migración y Extranjería — artículo 79Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica · ES · Last checked 2026-07-27 Ley 8764 — artículo 81, pensionadosSistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica · ES · Last checked 2026-07-27 Ley 8764 — artículo 82, rentistasSistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica · ES · Last checked 2026-07-27 Ley 9996 — atracción de inversionistas, rentistas y pensionadosSistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica · ES · Last checked 2026-07-27 Naturalización por residencia — Ley 1155Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones · ES · Last checked 2026-07-27

General planning information only—not legal, tax, or investment advice. A listed route does not determine eligibility. Requirements, fees, timing, work rights, physical-presence rules, permanent residence, and citizenship appear only when a current source supports the specific statement.

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Residence, permanence, and citizenship

Routes to investigate

Marriage or partnership

Other officially established ground

Local employment

General investment

Research or academic

Dependent

Passive income

Retirement

Special nationality or historical route

Sources for this guide