Citizeo
Pathway

Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa

Costa Rica Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Costa Rica's digital-nomad program is a non-resident stay for people providing paid remote services to a person or company outside Costa Rica. It requires at least USD $3,000 a month from abroad, or USD $4,000 when applying with dependents, plus medical coverage for the full authorized stay.

Type
Remote-work non-resident stay
Work setup
Remote workers whose job or clients stay abroad
Core requirements
Remote work, foreign income, insurance, and funds
Local work
Usually does not allow ordinary local employment
Duration
1 year
Renewal / path
One renewal; at least 80 days in Costa Rica during year one

Summary

Costa Rica's digital-nomad program is officially the Stay for Remote Workers and Service Providers (Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos y Prestadores de Servicios). It is a special non-resident stay, not temporary or permanent residence.

The program is for a foreign national who performs paid work remotely, using digital or telecommunications tools, for a person or organization outside Costa Rica. The applicant must show foreign-source remote-service income received during the previous year of at least USD $3,000 a month, or USD $4,000 a month when asking for qualifying dependents to receive status too.

An initial approval is for one year. It may be renewed once for one additional year if the applicant still meets the requirements and was physically present in Costa Rica for at least 80 days during the first authorized year.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The principal applicant needs to show all of the following:

The official application instructions normally use bank statements covering the prior year, accompanied by the required sworn declaration. They also describe an alternative professional certification. Do not assume that a current salary alone is enough if the required prior-year payment record is missing.

The USD $4,000 family threshold is not an extra USD $4,000 for each dependent. The current statutory and official application materials use a family-group threshold, but the principal applicant still needs to document the permitted income and the dependents must meet the relationship and document rules.

Medical insurance may come from an eligible international insurer or a Costa Rican insurer regulated by the General Insurance Superintendency. A short policy that expires before the authorized stay, a policy that excludes Costa Rica, or coverage below USD $50,000 does not meet the published rule.

What This Route Allows

Approval allows the holder to stay in Costa Rica for the period stated in the immigration decision while continuing the approved foreign-facing remote work. Qualifying dependents can receive linked permission if they were included and documented.

Law 10008 gives program beneficiaries specific benefits. Qualifying foreign-source income connected with the approved remote services receives the law's Costa Rican income-tax treatment. The law and official portal also address bringing necessary work equipment, opening a Costa Rican savings account subject to financial-compliance rules, and recognition of a foreign driving license during the authorized stay.

Those benefits are limited by their exact statutory wording. They do not decide the person's tax residence or obligations in another country. A holder who is a citizen or tax resident elsewhere may still have filing or payment duties there.

The application can be made through the government platform or through the physical process described by the authority. Official guidance says the immigration office has 15 calendar days to decide a complete application. If information is missing, it may issue one notice within five calendar days, and the applicant normally has eight working days to cure or clarify the filing.

What This Route Is Not

This is not authority to take a Costa Rican job, serve Costa Rican clients as ordinary local work, or move the paying business into Costa Rica. The core rule requires paid services for a person or company outside Costa Rica and remuneration from abroad.

It is not permanent residence and is not described in Law 10008 as time that automatically counts toward a permanent-residence or citizenship period. A person who wants a longer-term immigration path must independently qualify for another category; approval under this program does not guarantee that change.

It is not an automatic two-year visa. The first decision covers one year. The second year requires a renewal application, continued income and insurance, and at least 80 days of presence in Costa Rica during year one.

It is also not safe to rely on the general promotional portal's occasional shorthand. The official requirements page and the current law use USD $3,000 for an individual and USD $4,000 when applying with dependents. Use the route-specific requirements rather than an inconsistent marketing summary.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm that the employer, client, or other service recipient is outside Costa Rica and that payments will continue from abroad.
  2. Review the prior 12 months of payment records. Check the actual monthly evidence against the USD $3,000 or USD $4,000 threshold; being “close” is not enough.
  3. Decide whether to include dependents at the start and collect the civil records proving each relationship.
  4. Obtain a policy for every applicant that covers the full planned authorized period, Costa Rica, and at least USD $50,000 in medical expenses.
  5. Read the current official requirements and select the correct online or physical application form. The principal applicant or properly authorized representative must sign it.
  6. Prepare the passport copy, entry record if already in Costa Rica, income evidence and sworn declaration or accepted certification, visa evidence where required, and payment receipt.
  7. Submit through Trámite Ya or the current DGME physical channel. Track the file closely because a request for missing information has a short response deadline.
  8. After approval, complete the immigration-document process within the stated deadline and pay only the amounts in the official decision and current instructions.
  9. If seeking the second year, keep proof of at least 80 days in Costa Rica and apply for renewal with updated income and insurance evidence before the first authorization expires.
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Sources