Costa Rica Investor Residency

Costa Rica's investor category (inversionista) is temporary residence for people who invest in the country. It's handled by DGME and its rules come from Law 9996 and its regulation.

• Status: active
• Investment: $150,000 under Law 9996, but see the note below on what applies after July 14, 2026
• Length: 2 years, renewable in equal periods
• Fees: $50, plus $200 when changing status inside the country
• Next step: permanent residence after three years

The Costa Rica guide compares it with the rentista, pensionado and nomad routes.

Investment amount: Article 8 of Law 9996 set the minimum at $150,000 for the period the law provides, and the DGME requirements page still showed $150,000 in June 2026. That period ended on July 14, 2026. Before Law 9996 the regulation set $200,000, and DGME hasn't said whether that figure now applies, so investors should confirm the current amount with DGME before committing money.

What counts: real estate or registrable movable property, shares, securities, productive projects, projects of national interest, venture capital funds or sustainable tourism infrastructure (DGME).

• Family: Yes. A spouse, minor children, adult children with a disability and unmarried dependent children under 25 can apply as dependents.
• Local work: No. Temporary residents can do only the paid work DGME authorizes.

Figures of $100,000 on some sites aren't the current rule.

DGME points investors to the regulation of Law 9996 for the documents that prove each type of investment, such as property records or share certificates (DGME).

General documents for temporary residence, from the DGME regularization page:

• A signed application giving personal details, the request, current address and a way to receive notices, signed in front of a DGME official or authenticated by a lawyer.
• Two recent passport-size photos.
• A birth certificate from the country of origin, apostilled or legalized.
• A criminal record certificate from the country of origin, or from where the applicant legally lived for the last three years, apostilled or legalized. Nationals of countries with local and federal records, such as the United States, Canada, Mexico or Brazil, need a check by name, ID number and fingerprints where available.
• Certified copies of the passport's identity page, entry stamp and any entry visa.
• A fingerprint record from the Ministry of Public Security and proof of consular registration.

Foreign public documents need an apostille or consular legalization, and anything not in Spanish needs an official translation.

Dependents add proof of the relationship, such as an apostilled or legalized marriage certificate.

• Application: $50 per applicant.
• Change of status: $200 for applicants who file inside Costa Rica as non-residents.

Both are paid to the government at Banco de Costa Rica (DGME). The investment itself isn't a fee. The DIMEX card, a guarantee deposit, CCSS contributions, property transfer taxes, apostilles, translations and any lawyer are extra.

Where to apply: DGME in Costa Rica, at the central office or a regional office (DGME).

1. Make the investment and gather the proof the regulation asks for.
2. Gather the general documents, with apostilles and Spanish translations.
3. Pay $50 and, for applicants already in Costa Rica as non-residents, $200 into the government account at Banco de Costa Rica.
4. File at DGME. After approval, enroll with the CCSS and get the DIMEX residence card.

No official processing time is published.

• Length: 2 years.
• Renewal: Renewable for further two-year periods if the investment has been kept continuously since the permit was granted.
• Permanent residence: After three consecutive years of temporary residence the holder, spouse and first-degree relatives can apply for permanent residence.

Five-year permits described on some sites don't match the DGME rule of two years renewable in equal periods.

Costa Rica taxes income from Costa Rican sources, so foreign income is generally outside Costa Rican income tax (Law 7092, Article 1). Tax residence follows days in the country: more than 183 days, continuous or not, in the fiscal period (Ministry of Finance). Residents with local income, such as rent from a Costa Rican property, file on that income.

Law 9996 incentives: Law 9996 gave rentistas, pensionados and investors duty-free import of household goods, up to two vehicles and a 20% exemption on property transfer tax. Applicants could opt in only during the five years from July 14, 2021, so the window closed on July 14, 2026 and no extension has been found. People who opted in keep the benefits for 10 years; new applicants don't get them.

Income the investment earns in Costa Rica, such as rent or dividends from a local company, is Costa Rican-source income and taxable there.