The Costa Rican General Immigration Office (DGME) provides different migratory regularization options so that any foreign citizens who wish to lawfully live in the country may do so the right way and according to the option that best suits their needs.

Below you will find some of the visa categories on which ImmigrationCR may assist and process your applications, based on your specific case:

  • Temporary resident visa: this type of resident visa may be granted through a number of options:
    • Being legal representative and/or executive of a company.
    • Being an investor, renter or pensioner.
    • A relationship with a Costa Rican citizen, which is the only temporary resident visa allowing a foreign individual to freely work in the country, along with a two-year validity term, extendable for an additional two-year period.
    • Qualified worker, which will depend on the specific criteria and recommendations from the Labor Immigration Department.

    • Permanent resident visa: you may opt for this category if you meet the following criteria:
      • Living in the country for 3 consecutive years.
      • Relationship with a Costa Rican son or daughter.

      • Special categories: This category provides foreign citizens with a wide range of options to which they may access depending on their different needs;it is granted for one year and it is extendable on a yearly basis. The followingpersons may opt for this visa category:
        • Students, researchers, teachers and volunteers.
        • Domestic workers.
        • Special category for supplementary protection of Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan immigrants: this new category is granted for persons of Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan origin, who have been fully denied their refuge regime in the country between January 1st, 2010 and before March 18, 2022, and who also do not meet the requirements to opt for any of the other categories offered by the General Immigration Office.

        • Short-stay visa: it is a migratory option allowing foreign citizens to validly stay in the country; it is granted for one year and extendable for another one-year term.
          • Medical treatment: specific for foreign citizens requiring specialized medical treatment at a renowned hospital.
          • Business: this visa allows a Costa Rican company to hire a foreign citizen without conditioning its approval to the opinion of the Labor Immigration Department.
          • Digital nomads: As from August 2021, a new migratory door has been opened for foreign citizens working remotely; this category has been established under the “Law to attract teleworkers and remote providers of international services”, which allows these persons to opt for a visa under the non-resident immigration category.

          • Registered Companies: Companies registered with the DGME (General Immigration Office) under a COMEX Agreement (Ministry of Foreign Trade) across its different visa categories for qualified companies to validly bring their foreign workers into the country. Below is a list of the different categories of companies for this type of visa:
            • Class A: Companies operating or in process of beginning operations under special exports promotion regimes.
            • Class B: Companies exporting goods or services beyond the special exports promotion regimes or engaged in research and development activities.
            • Class C: Companies operating in the tourism sector in Costa Rica.
            • Clase D: Companies operating in the financial sector in Costa Rica.
            • Class E: Companies in process of setting up their operations or already operating in the telecommunications sector in Costa Rica.
            • Clase F: Companies that do not fall into any of the previous categories, characterized by being multinationals, which parent company decided to set up a subsidiary in Costa Rica.
            • Clase G: Specific for national or foreign companies that
              • are already operating or intend to operate in Costa Rica and have been awarded a public contract.

            • Citizenship: There are a number of choices for a foreign individual to apply for the Costa Rican citizenship, including any individuals meeting the following requirements:
               
              • 5 years of residence in the country.
              • Being married to a Costa Rican citizen for at least 2 years.
              • By lineage: when parents are in process of becoming citizens.
              • Registration of a child of a Costa Rican citizen born abroad.