Residence permit in Costa Rica by investment

What documents are required to obtain a Costa Rican residence permit

When applying for a resident card, the foreigner will need to provide the following documents:

• Birth certificate
• Certificate of no criminal record
• Marriage certificate
• Confirmation of fingerprint entry into the database
• Original and certified copy of the entire passport (together with blank pages)
• Two passport-sized photographs with a white background
• Receipt for payment of registration fees
• Document of registration at the consulate located in the country of residence
• Document with a detailed description of the investment
• Documents confirming the fulfilment of the programme’s conditions
• Power of attorney (if a third person will handle the residence permit)

Copies of documents must be certified by the local consulate or legalised with an apostille.

Investor’s costs in Costa Rica

Previously, the minimum investment to participate in the programme was USD 200,000, but it was temporarily lowered to USD 150,000 during the pandemic. The timeline for raising the threshold again back to its previous level is currently unknown.

Costs for Costa Rican investors vary on a case-by-case basis. For example, the dividend tax is 5%, the real estate tax is 0.25% and the corporate income tax is 30%.

You also need to consider the associated costs of applying for the card, such as government fees, document translation, fingerprinting, etc.

Countries whose citizens can obtain a residence permit in Costa Rica

Citizens of any country can apply for Costa Rican residency. There are no nationality restrictions for participation in the programme at the official level.