Costa Rica grants 2 year status to Colombians in Sept. 1 asylum update

A two-year status for Colombians stuck in Costa Rica's asylum backlog

Costa Rica reactivated a special temporary complementary category that hands Colombians with pending or rejected asylum cases a two-year legal status and unrestricted work rights, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) confirmed through Resolution DG-0064-05-2026. The measure was published in La Gaceta on May 29, 2026 and enters into force Sept. 1, 2026, with a one-year filing window closing Sept. 1, 2027.

The category covers four nationalities already inside Costa Rica's refugee system: Colombians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Cubans. It replaces an earlier complementary category that had lapsed, now with Colombia explicitly added.

Who the category reaches and who it skips

The route targets Colombians who filed for refugee status in Costa Rica between June 1, 2014 and May 7, 2026, have stayed in the country continuously since filing and whose case is pending, denied in a final decision or declared manifestly unfounded.

It does nothing for tourists, new arrivals or remote workers planning a move. Costa Rica's separate stay for remote workers and service providers, the country's digital nomad track, runs under ordinary migration law and is unaffected. Foreigners already holding rentista, pensionado, investor or family-based residency are also outside the scope, as are applicants with any other approved status or a separate regularization file open.

Holders get a two-year permit, renewable in two-year blocks, with permission to work as employees or self-employed across any sector and standard exit-and-reentry rights.

Filing window, fees and proof

Applications open Sept. 1, 2026 at DGME. The filing fee is $25.

Applicants will need to show:

• A Colombian passport or identity document.
• Proof of the original asylum filing and its status.
• Evidence of continuous presence in Costa Rica, such as CCSS social security records, school enrollment for children or medical files.
• A clean criminal background check, with DGME running national and international database screens.
• Active affiliation with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, required both to complete the process and to keep the status at renewal.

Read our full Colombia guide for the complete picture and track more visa updates as the September window approaches.