Résident Rentier

This regime is applicable to residency requests based on receiving a specific monthly income in a permanent, stable and irrevocable manner.

Upon approval of the residency, the beneficiary may get involved in business activities but not be hired as an employee.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RESIDENCY

Fingerprinting, background check and Interpol:

The first step for obtaining residency -before filing any of the application documents- is getting fingerprinted. This requirement applies to the main applicant and its dependents twelve years or older.

Fingerprinting starts a local investigation to check that the applicant has a clean criminal record, and a request for INTERPOL to conduct an international search as well. INTERPOL generally takes up to one month to respond, thus it is very advisable to get fingerprinted as soon as you have decided to apply for your residency.

The request for fingerprints is made on a form which must be pre-approved by Immigration. Our firm will guide you through this step at Immigration and at the Police Offices.

Registration Before The Consulate Of The Country Of Citizenship In Costa Rica:

All applicants must register before the Consulate of their country of citizenship in Costa Rica. Each Consulate has its own requirements for this registration and they change from time to time so it is recommendable to establish direct contact to be acknowledged of current conditions. This requirement is waived in case the country of citizenship does not have a Consulate in Costa Rica.

Registration Before The Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS):

All applicants must register before CCSS after the filing of the residency application. This registration will require a meeting with a CCSS inspector, the determination and payment of a monthly fee and obtaining social security cards with the local clinic (EBAIS). Specific requirements vary from the CCSS branch on which the registration is made and from time to time so we suggest to consult with us upon the specific moment of registration for current conditions.

Application By The Interested Party:

Our firm prepares the application once all required information and documents are received, which our firm will deliver as a complete package at Immigration. One application per family member is required.

Monthly Income:

A US$2,500.00 monthly income is required for a family group, which can include the applicant’s wife or husband and their children younger than 25 years old. The income may come from a local or foreign bank.
The income must be documented by a letter from the bank certifying its obligation of giving the applicant the monthly amount of US$2,500.00 for a term of no less than two years, in a permanent, stable and irrevocable manner.
This letter must include the applicant’s name and personal data -full name, marital status, passport number, indication of domicile and occupation- and it is imperative for it to have exactly the above-mentioned wording (suggested letter format is attached at the end of this document).
The chosen bank must appear listed at Polk’s Bank Directory (we will check this listing for the applicant).
Once the income letter is ready, we recommend for it to be faxed to our office for verification of its acceptability by Immigration before it is legalized by the Consul and sent to Costa Rica.

Police Certificate:

A clean criminal record certificate for the applicant and for its dependents fifteen years or older to be included in the regime, if any, is required. It must be issued by the local police bureau of the place where the applicant has lived during the last three years before the application. This document is valid only for six months after its issue date and must be authenticated by the Costa Rican Consulate nearest to the place of issue or apostilled in the country of issue if such country is part of the Hague Convention.

Birth Certificate:

A birth certificate for the applicant and his/her dependents (if any) is required. This document must be issued by the appropriate authorities at the place of birth. This document is valid only for six months after its issue date and must be authenticated by the Costa Rican Consulate nearest to the place of issue or apostilled in the country of issue if such country is part of the Hague Convention.

Marriage Certificate:

Required only for applicants that wish to include their spouse under the regime. This document is valid only for six months after its issue date and must be authenticated by the Costa Rican Consulate nearest to the place of issue or apostilled in the country of issue if such country is part of the Hague Convention.

Copy Of Passport:

Required for both the applicant and his/her dependents to be included in the regime. It must comprise all pages (including blank pages).

Photographs:

Six front passport-size photographs are required.

Important!

All documents originating abroad require authentication by the Costa Rican Consulate located in the country of issue or apostilled in the country of issue if such country is part of the Hague Convention. Documents must then be sent to Costa Rica for authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if they are not apostilled (this step is met through our Firm).
Costa Rican Consulates are divided into jurisdictions. In the majority of cases, Consuls will not legalize or authenticate documents issued by authorities out of their jurisdiction. In the United States, specific Consulates serve certain States and the one in Washington DC has jurisdiction over the whole country. Consult the Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document for procedures, office hours and fees for each specific document.
All documents in languages other than Spanish must be translated in Costa Rica by an official translator (this step is met through our Firm).
After granting of residency, the beneficiary must not be absent from the country for more than six consecutive months in order to maintain the status.
After granting of residency, the beneficiary must prove that the required income (US$2,500.00) was converted into Colones in one of the National Banking System banks before the end of each anniversary of the granting of the residency. In practical terms, it is feasible and recommended to make one conversion per year, for the full amount corresponding to twelve months.

Please see Bank Model Letter click here.