Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa

Costa Rica's digital nomad visa is officially the Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios, a stay for people who work remotely for employers or clients abroad and are paid from abroad. It's set by Law 10008, as interpreted by Law 10208, and handled by the immigration agency, DGME.

• Status: active
• Income: at least $3,000 a month, or $4,000 a month for a family group
• Length: up to 1 year, with one extension; 2 years at most
• Fee: $100 per applicant
• Tax: foreign remote-work income is exempt from Costa Rican income tax

The Costa Rica guide compares it with the residence categories that lead to permanent residence.

• Work: paid remote work, as an employee or independently, for a person or company outside Costa Rica, with the pay coming from abroad (DGME).
• Income: at least $3,000 a month, as stable monthly pay or the average over the last year. With family members included, the household needs $4,000 a month in total, and a spouse's income can count.
• Health insurance: a medical policy covering at least $50,000 for the whole stay, for the applicant and each family member, from an insurer registered with SUGESE or an international insurer.
• Entry visa: nationalities that need a consular or restricted visa to enter Costa Rica must hold a valid one.

Family: Yes. A spouse or de facto partner, children under 25, children of any age with a disability and older adults living with the applicant can be included (Law 10008, Article 11).

DGME runs a criminal and police record check through the databases it can access, and may take biometrics.

DGME lists:

1. The application form, signed by the applicant or a legal representative.
2. Proof of payment of $100 to the government for each applicant.
3. An image of the passport's photo page and, for applicants already in Costa Rica, the entry stamp.
4. A valid entry visa, for nationalities that need one.
5. Bank statements showing the income over the last year, with a sworn statement that they came from the bank, or a certification by a public accountant or notary. Only that certification needs an apostille or legalization.
6. The health insurance policy.

Family members file items 1 to 4 plus proof of the relationship: a marriage certificate or proof of a de facto union issued within the last six months, or a birth certificate for children. Documents in other languages need an official Spanish translation.

• Government fee: $100 per applicant, including each family member (DGME).
• Bank charges: the fee must arrive in full. Banco de Costa Rica charges $15 to receive an international transfer, and the sending bank may charge too, so a wire usually costs more than the fee. The $15 isn't a government fee.

Other costs: health insurance with at least $50,000 of cover, the accountant or notary certification if used, apostilles and translations. The identity document and any deposit DGME asks for at documentation are charged separately.

Where to apply: Online through the DGME Tramite Ya platform (tramiteya.go.cr/dgme) or in person at a DGME office by appointment.

1. Pay $100 per applicant into the government account at Banco de Costa Rica listed by DGME, one transfer per person.
2. File online through Trámite Ya or at a DGME office with the documents.
3. DGME has 15 days to decide, counted from filing. The clock stops while a request for missing documents is open.
4. After approval, complete the documentation step, where the passport has to be shown.

• Length: up to 1 year.
• Extension: One extension of one more year, allowed only if the holder spent at least 180 days in Costa Rica during the first year.
• Maximum: 2 years in total.
• Residence: No direct path; before the stay expires the holder may apply to change to a residence category if they meet its requirements.

Nomads who want to stay for good can switch to a residence category before the stay runs out, such as the rentista category for people with steady income. Time as a nomad is non-resident time.

Law 10008 (Article 16) sets the tax rule: Holders are fully exempt from Costa Rican income tax on their foreign remote-work income and are not treated as tax residents; the exemption does not extend to family members.

The exemption covers the remote-work income the stay is based on. Income from Costa Rican sources, such as rent from a local property, falls under the normal rules, since Costa Rica taxes Costa Rican-source income (Law 7092, Article 1). Holders should also check how their home country treats time abroad, as the Costa Rican exemption doesn't end tax duties elsewhere.