Costa Rica Investor Visa | A Complete Guide

What Is Costa Rica Investor Visa?

Costa Rica’s Investor Visa (Inversionista Residency) is a residency by investment program offered by the Costa Rican government to foreign investors in exchange for residency.

For a considerable period, the minimum investment requirement for Costa Rica’s investment residency was $200,000. However, in mid-2021, due to the impact of the pandemic, the local government reduced the minimum investment requirement to $150,000.

Currently, applicants for the Costa Rica investment visa can choose between two main investment paths:

1. General Path: This path requires you to invest no less than $150,000 in Costa Rica’s commercial sector. You can choose to buy property, run a company, or acquire shares in local companies or publicly traded stocks.

If you choose this path, the Costa Rica investment visa requires you to focus on a single investment area. This means you can invest $150,000 in buying property or running a business locally to obtain investment residency. However, if you spread your investment, such as $100,000 in buying property and another $100,000 in stocks, it does not meet the legal requirements and you cannot apply for the Costa Rica investment visa.

2. Forestry Industry Path: If you invest in the local forestry industry (including logging, protection, and reforestation), the minimum investment requirement can be reduced to $100,000.

However, for forestry industry investments, you must first obtain approval from the Costa Rican local government’s municipal office and the environmental protection department SETENA before proceeding with the investment and visa application process.

In addition to the financial requirements, investors must also meet basic conditions such as being in good health, having no criminal record, and not engaging in salaried work locally.

Application Process:

The application process for the Costa Rica Investment Visa must be conducted entirely within the country and in person.

If you wish to apply, you first need to enter Costa Rica with a valid visa, complete your investment, gather all the required documents, and then submit your application in person at the local immigration department (General Directorate of Immigration).

Required documents for this program include:

• Applicant identification documents: This includes passports for all primary and secondary applicants, one 2-inch by 2-inch photo, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other documents proving the relationship between the primary and secondary applicants.

• Application form: You need to fill out an application form that covers the primary applicant’s basic personal information, as well as a letter expressing your intention to invest and live in Costa Rica.

• Proof of investment: You need to complete your investment and obtain proof of investment before applying for the residency visa.

• Criminal record certificate.

• Local permanent address.

All documents from outside Costa Rica must be notarized; non-Spanish documents need to be translated into Spanish.

Before the residence permit is issued, all primary and secondary applicants must provide fingerprint information, register locally, and obtain a social security number.

When applying for the investment residency permit, the primary applicant must pay a government fee of $2,815, while the fee for each secondary applicant is $1,685.

Dependents:

Costa Rica Investment Visa allows the primary applicant’s spouse, children under 18, and financially dependent children aged 18 to 25 to accompany the primary applicant and settle in the country as dependents.

Visa Validity：

Costa Rican Investor Visa is initially valid for 2 years. After the initial 2-year period, the visa can be renewed indefinitely as long as the visa holder spends at least 72 hours in the country each year.

Foreigners who have legally resided in Costa Rica for at least 3 years (spending more than 180 days each year) can apply for permanent residency. Permanent residency in Costa Rica must be renewed every 5 years. One of the conditions for renewal is that the permanent resident spends at least 72 hours within Costa Rica each year.

Citizens of non-Spanish speaking countries who have legally resided in Costa Rica for 7 years, passed Spanish language and Costa Rican history/culture tests, and have two local references attesting to their good character can apply for naturalization.