Residency For Retired People
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Costa Rica is a popular destination for retirees looking for a quiet and beautiful place to spend their golden years. The country offers a special residency category for retirees who wish to live in Costa Rica. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about obtaining residency as a pensionado in Costa Rica.
What is the Pensionado Residency?
The pensionado residency is a temporary residency category that allows pensioners to live in Costa Rica. This category is designed for people who receive a pension or retirement from their country of origin and wish to relocate to Costa Rica.
Eligibility requirements
- Fixed monthly income: Must receive a minimum pension or retirement of $1,000 USD per month.
- Residence in the country: Must spend at least one day per year in Costa Rica to maintain immigration status.
- Economic solvency: Must demonstrate economic solvency to remain in the country.
Documentation required
- Pension or retirement certificate showing that you receive at least $1,000 USD per month.
- Criminal record certificate from the applicant’s country of origin or place of legal residence for the past three years, duly legalized and certified or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
- Proof of financial solvency.
Advantages of residency
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Enrollment in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS), which gives access to health services.
- Possibility to travel within the territory of Costa Rica and other countries in the region.
Our Services
We provide numerous services to assist your relocation to Costa Rica, such as:
This type of residency is for people who receive a pension or retirement from a reliable and recognized source. It is a precursor to obtaining permanent residency in Costa Rica, which can be applied for after maintaining temporary residency for three years.
Permanency requirements:
The applicant must be in Costa Rican territory at least one day per year to maintain regularized immigration status.
Documentation Required:
- Pension or retirement certificate issued by a financial or governmental institution, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
Proof of monthly pension income of at least $1,000 USD.
Applicant’s birth certificate issued in the applicant’s country of origin, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
Criminal record certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor, although generally this type of residency does not allow working as an employee.
The Residency for People on a Fixed Income, commonly known as the “Rentista” category, is designed for individuals who have a guaranteed, stable income from abroad. This type of residency is ideal for retirees, annuitants, or other individuals who receive a fixed monthly income but are not necessarily retired.
Permanency Requirements:
The applicant must reside in Costa Rican territory for at least one day per year to maintain their immigration status.
Documentation Required:
- Proof of a stable income of at least $2,500 per month for a period of at least 24 months, or a $60,000 deposit in a Costa Rican bank.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in their country of origin and duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal Record Certificate of the applicant from their country of origin or the place where they have been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of Residency:
- Ability to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
- Freedom to work as an employee or to develop an independent business or company.
The Investor Residency category is designed for individuals who wish to invest in Costa Rica. Like other types of residency, this is a precursor to permanent residency, which can be applied for after three years of temporary residency.
Permanency requirements:
The applicant must reside in Costa Rican territory at least one day per year to maintain regularized immigration status.
Documentation required:
- Minimum investment of 200,000 USD in Costa Rica.
- Certification of the investment made in Costa Rica, issued by a financial or governmental entity, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal record certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS), if applicable.
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
- Possibility to work as an employee or to develop an independent business or company.
Residence by Marriage is a special category for foreigners married to Costa Rican citizens. This procedure is a preliminary step to obtaining permanent residency, which can be applied for after three years of temporary residency.
Permanency requirements:
The applicant must reside in Costa Rican territory at least one day per year to maintain his/her regularized immigration status.
Documentation Required:
- Marriage certificate duly registered in the Civil Registry of Costa Rica.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin and duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal Record Certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
- Possibility to work as an employee or to develop an independent business or company.
The Parental Residency is a special category for parents of Costa Rican citizens. This type of residency is a fast track to permanent residency in Costa Rica.
Permanency requirements:
To maintain immigration status, the applicant must reside in Costa Rican territory at least one day per year.
Documentation Required:
- Birth certificate of the Costa Rican child.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin and duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal Record Certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has resided legally during the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
- Possibility to work as an employee or to develop an independent business or company.
The Residence for Self-Employed or Entrepreneurs is designed for individuals who wish to settle in Costa Rica to engage in independent business or professional activities.
Residency requirements:
The applicant must reside in Costa Rican territory at least one day per year to maintain his/her immigration status.
Documentation Required:
- Proof of investment or capital in a Costa Rican company.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin and duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal Record Certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
- Freedom to work as an employee or to develop an independent business or company.
The residency for foreign workers is intended for individuals who wish to work in Costa Rica under a work contract with a local company.
Permanence requirements:
The applicant must spend at least one day per year in Costa Rican territory to maintain his/her immigration status.
Documentation Required:
- Employment contract with a Costa Rican company, duly registered with the Ministry of Labor.
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin and duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Criminal record certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
Benefits of residency:
- Possibility to open bank accounts in Costa Rica.
- Registration in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS).
- Exercise of labor rights before the Ministry of Labor.
Naturalization is the legal process by which a foreign citizen acquires Costa Rican citizenship. This process is subject to a series of legal requirements and procedures.
Residency requirements:
The applicant must have resided in Costa Rica for a minimum period of time, which varies depending on the type of naturalization. For example, naturalization by residence requires a minimum of 5 years of continuous residence in the country.
Documentation required:
- Birth certificate of the applicant, issued in his/her country of origin and duly legalized and certified or apostilled.
- Criminal record certificate of the applicant from his/her country of origin or the place where he/she has been legally residing for the last three years, duly legalized and authenticated or apostilled.
- Valid passport.
- Proof of continuous residence in Costa Rica (such as utility bills, rental contracts, etc.).
Benefits of naturalization:
- The right to vote in national elections.
- Ability to work in the public sector.
- Access to all the rights and benefits enjoyed by Costa Rican citizens, including medical care through the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).
The legalization of documents is a process by which the authenticity of a document issued in a foreign country is certified to be legally valid in Costa Rica. This process is essential for several procedures, including immigration, marriage and business, among others.
Types of legalization:
- Apostille: For documents issued in countries that are part of the Hague Convention.
- Consular Legalization: For documents issued in countries that are not part of the Hague Convention.
Commonly legalized documents:
- Birth, marriage and death certificates.
- Criminal records.
- Academic degrees and transcripts.
- Business documents such as articles of incorporation, powers of attorney, etc.
Legalization Process:
- Document Verification: The first step is to verify the original document to ensure that it meets the necessary requirements.
- Translation: If the document is in a foreign language, it must be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator.
- Notary Certification: In some cases, a notary certification is required before proceeding with the legalization.
- Legalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Consulate: The document is taken to the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the consulate of the issuing country for legalization.
The application process for Individuals on a Retired People Category in Costa Rica typically spans a duration of 12 to 15 months. This timeframe is contingent upon the review period of the Directorate General of Immigration and Foreigners of Costa Rica (DGME), which generally allocates approximately 9 months for the evaluation of each application.
Our expert team will guide you through the entire process, from the initial stages to the finalization, which includes enrollment in the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) and the acquisition of the Foreigner Identification Document (DIMEX).
– Proof of Major Requirement. Depending on the category for which you are applying, you may be required to provide documentation to support your eligibility under that category. For example, people applying under the retirement category must provide a letter confirming retirement income; people applying under the investment category must provide proof of investment, whether in real estate or in a business; people applying for residency through marriage must provide a Costa Rican marriage certificate.
– Background check. This document should be issued by a national authority. For example, in the case of US citizens, it should be issued by the FBI. For Canadian citizens, it should be issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. For UK citizens, it should be issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
– Birth Certificate. A recent copy of your birth certificate, no more than six months old, is required.
– Marriage certificate: Required if you are applying with a spouse; must also be notarized and translated into Spanish.
– Application form. We complete this for our clients.
– Cover Letter. We complete this for our clients as well. It contains certain information about you.
– Fingerprints. These are taken at a police station. We will coordinate with you to obtain these, assist you in San José or Liberia by driving you from our office to the appropriate location, and handle the appropriate forms.
– Certified Passport Copy. We will certify your passport copy.
– Consular Registration: Registration with the consulate of your country in Costa Rica.
– Six passport size photographs: Must meet DGME specifications.
– Government fees: Payment of all applicable fees is required at the time of application.
– All foreign documents must be notarized for use in Costa Rica. Documents from certain countries require an apostille.
– Birth certificates and background checks (and any other documents from abroad) must be issued within six months prior to the application. Therefore, the original birth certificate issued at the time of birth is not valid for immigration purposes in Costa Rica.
– Background checks must be from the countries where you have lived legally in the last three years. Living legally excludes people who have lived as tourists, it only applies to people who have lived legally in a foreign country.
Once our team has compiled all of the required documents, we perform a final review and submit the application to the DGME. The application must be submitted prior to the expiration of the tourist stamp on your passport (usually valid for 90 days) or the expiration of the documents.
We must file a copy of your passports, including your entry stamps, since you must have legal status when applying for residency. Therefore, a visit to Costa Rica and the necessary border crossings (exits and re-entries to obtain a new entry stamp), if applicable, are mandatory to even file.
By law, the DGME should process the application within 90 days. However, based on recent processing times, the DGME is currently taking between 9 and 12 months to process applications. During this time, we regularly check the status of the application to ensure that the case is progressing as expected.
During the review period, you may remain in Costa Rica. Border crossings are only necessary if you plan to drive, as you must have a valid entry stamp to drive.
The DGME will issue an approval notice via email, and once the approval notice is received, we will contact you to schedule the next steps.
Once your application has been approved by the DGME, you will be required to pay a refundable deposit to the DGME based on the estimated cost to cover return travel to your home country, should it be necessary. As the deposit varies by nationality, we do not include this cost in our quoted fees and expenses.
Once the application is approved, we will proceed with your mandatory registration with the CCSS for the Social Security System (also known as CAJA). In addition, we will obtain the Alien ID (DIMEX aka Cédula) and schedule an appointment with you to complete each of these processes in the GAM (San José Metro Area) or Liberia. Additional fees apply for DIMEX and CCSS appointments at offices outside of the GAM (San Jose Metro Area) or Liberia.
Your DIMEX will arrive in the mail one or two weeks after it has been requested. Then you’ll officially be a resident of Costa Rica, with an ID card to prove it.
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