Costa Rica Golden Visa: Investor Residency and the Route to Permanent Residency (2026)

Costa Rica has no stand-alone golden visa law. Investor residence is one of the temporary-residence subcategories listed in Article 79 of Law 8764, alongside executives, scientists and others. DGME may grant these permits for more than 90 days and up to two years, renewable for equal periods^[2]. Law 9996 of 2021, passed as a post-pandemic recovery measure, set the current investment level and created a preferential DGME service window for investors, rentistas and pensionados^[1][4]. Its regulation, Executive Decree 43926-MGP-H-TUR, was published in Alcance 28 to La Gaceta on 23 February 2023^[5][22]. It grants investor residence for two years, renewable for equal periods, provided the investment has been kept continuously^[22].

The investment can be made in real estate, registrable movable assets (such as vehicles or boats), shares, securities, productive projects or projects of national interest. Law 9996 also allows venture-capital funds and sustainable tourism infrastructure projects, and Decree 43926 lets you combine several qualifying investments to reach the minimum^[1][7][22]. The amount is measured in US dollars at the Central Bank's official selling rate^[1].

The status is open. DGME continues to accept investor applications. What is unsettled is the minimum for new filings, not whether the category exists. The route leads to permanent residency after three years and, much later, to naturalisation, which is covered on our Costa Rica citizenship guide.

Real estate is the route most foreign investors choose because it is the easiest asset to prove. Since Decree 43926, property counts only if the foreign applicant is the registered owner at the National Registry^[6]. Many foreign buyers hold Costa Rican property through a sociedad anónima for liability or estate reasons, and that structure does not qualify for residence. You also need a municipal certificate, no more than three months old, showing the property's taxable value and that municipal taxes are paid. A mortgage is allowed, but only if your own down payment is at least US$150,000 (alone or combined with other qualifying investments), so the loan cannot fund the qualifying amount^[22][6]. Some advisers say the property must be mortgage-free; the decree does not require that^[11].

Foreigners can own titled land on the same terms as Costa Ricans, with one important exception. The first 200 metres from the high-tide line form the maritime-terrestrial zone. The inner 50 metres are public, and the outer 150 metres can only be held under a municipal concession, which is not freehold title^[14]. Article 47 of Law 6043 bars concessions to foreigners with less than five years' residence and to entities more than 50% foreign-owned^[3]. Whether a concession can count towards the investor threshold is not addressed in the sources we found, so buyers should rely on titled property outside the zone.

Budget about 3.5–5% on top of the price for closing costs: 1.5% transfer tax on the higher of the price or registered fiscal value, roughly 0.5–0.8% in stamps and registry fees, and notary fees of 1–2% plus VAT^[14][17]. Use an escrow agent registered with SUGEF and have a licensed surveyor check the registered plan^[14].

There is no separate business visa for investors. Investing in a company or project is simply another way to meet the inversionista threshold. The investment can be in shares of a Costa Rican company, a productive project, or a project declared of national interest^[1]. DGME expects a certification from a Costa Rican authorised public accountant (CPA) showing that you made the investment in your own name, plus the company's legal-status certificate and tax registration^[11].

Investor residence does not give an automatic right to take a job. Under Article 80 of Law 8764, temporary residents may only carry out paid or profit-making activities that DGME authorises^[2]. For investors the rule is stricter: Article 13 of Decree 43926 (like Article 93 of the older Reglamento) says investor residents and their dependants may not carry out any paid manual or intellectual work^[22][21]. In practice investors earn from their own investment as owners. If you plan to draw a salary from an operating company, discuss it with your lawyer before applying. Managers and technical staff of companies established in Costa Rica have their own temporary-residence subcategory^[2].

The main requirements for a new investor application are:

• Proof of the investment at the required level: National Registry certificate showing you as owner, municipal valuation, or CPA certification for shares and projects^[6][11].
• Apostilled birth certificate and, for a spouse, an apostilled marriage certificate, with official Spanish translations^[11].
• Police certificate from your country of origin or wherever you legally lived for the last three years (an FBI check for US citizens)^[22]. Documents are generally accepted only within six months of issue^[11].
• Passport copy (photo page) certified by a notary, a photograph and the US$50 and US$200 fee receipts^[22]. Some advisers also list consular registration, which the older Reglamento required^[11][21].
• Good standing with the CCSS and the tax authority if you are already registered with them^[22].
• Fingerprinting at the Ministry of Public Security for local and Interpol checks, according to practitioners and the older Reglamento^[11][21].
• Caja enrolment once approved. Temporary residents must keep CCSS cover uninterrupted from the grant until each renewal^[2].

To keep the permit you must maintain the investment continuously and renew every two years^[22]. DGME can cancel temporary residence if you no longer meet the conditions on which it was granted, if you stay out of Costa Rica for more than two consecutive years without a justified reason, or if you fail to renew within three months of expiry^[2]. There is no statutory minimum-stay rule, but lawyers advise visiting at least once a year^[12][10]. Some advisers mention a six-month limit on absences; we found no legal basis for it in Law 8764, so treat it as a practitioner rule of thumb^[11].

Article 6 of Decree 43926 lists the investor's dependants: a spouse, minor children, adult children with a declared disability, and unmarried children under 25 who are studying and financially dependent (shown with a sworn statement of single status and proof of studies)^[22][6]. Law 8764 uses a similar definition for rentistas: spouse, children under 25, and adult children with disabilities^[2]. Some advisers say dependent parents can be added in some cases, but the decree does not list parents^[10][22].

One investment covers the family, but each person needs their own application, DIMEX card and Caja enrolment, so the government fees, card fees and health contributions apply per person. Dependants may study, but Article 13 of Decree 43926 bars investors and their dependants from paid work^[22]. Each family member files separately for permanent residency after three years^[13].

Most applicants use a Costa Rican immigration lawyer, because documents must be apostilled, translated and filed in Spanish.

Residence and tax residence are separate. Article 6 of Law 9996 says investors, rentistas and pensionados are not automatically tax resident^[1]. You become tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Costa Rica in a tax year, counted continuously or not^[16].

• Territorial system: Costa Rica taxes Costa Rican-source income. Foreign income of individuals is currently not taxed, whatever their residence status^[15].
• Local income: progressive rates up to 25% for self-employment income, and 15% withholding on Costa Rican dividends and interest^[15]. Rental income is taxed at 15% on 85% of gross receipts, and capital gains on Costa Rican assets at 15%^[14].
• Property: 1.5% transfer tax on purchase, 0.25% annual property tax, and the solidarity tax on higher-value homes^[17][14].
• VAT: 13% standard rate^[17].
• No net-wealth, inheritance or gift tax appears among the individual taxes PwC lists for Costa Rica^[17].

Two changes matter. Investors approved after the window closed on 14 July 2026 do not get Law 9996's income-tax exemption or the 20% transfer-tax cut^[1][9]. And bill 25.796, presented on 22 September 2026, would tax Costa Rican tax residents at 15% on foreign passive income (dividends, interest, rents, royalties and capital gains), after deducting foreign tax paid, while active foreign income stays untaxed^[25]. It may change before any vote, and it is not clear how it would treat existing Law 9996 beneficiaries^[18][19]. US citizens remain taxable in the US on worldwide income.

Article 78 of Law 8764 lets a foreigner, their spouse and first-degree relatives apply for permanent residence after three consecutive years of temporary residence^[2]. You file a Spanish-language request, pay US$50 plus US$200 per person, and show current Caja payments and DIMEX^[13]. Practitioners report that once permanent status is granted, the investment no longer has to be maintained, which frees you to sell; confirm this with your lawyer before selling^[10].

Permanent residence is much easier to keep. DGME can cancel it only after more than four consecutive years outside Costa Rica without a justified reason, compared with two years for temporary residents^[2]. Permanent residents still renew their DIMEX periodically and keep Caja cover^[13].

Beyond permanent residency, naturalisation requires seven years of official residence for most nationalities (five for Central Americans, Spaniards and Ibero-Americans by birth), plus Spanish and history exams. A realistic timeline is about 9–11 years from investment. The details are on our guide to Costa Rican nationality for investors, and the programs with the fastest route to a second passport compare faster options.

It suits buyers who want a home in Costa Rica anyway and are happy to hold it for at least three years: retirees with capital rather than a pension, remote business owners, and families who want a low-cost foothold in Central America. If your income is stable, the rentista route (US$2,500 a month, or a US$60,000 deposit in a Costa Rican bank) or the pensionado route (at least US$1,000 a month of permanent pension) can be cheaper than investing^[2][12].

Look elsewhere if you need permanent residence from day one, if you want to hold property through a company, if you need certainty on the investment amount before you buy, or if you want EU access. Investors who want permanent status immediately may prefer Panama, while those looking for a lower investment may consider Paraguay.

• Panama's Qualified Investor residence: permanent residence from the start. Since 16 September 2026, first-sale property qualifies from US$300,000; resale property, securities and state-bank deposits need US$500,000.
• Paraguay residency by investment: the Investor Pass launched in April 2026 gives permanent residence directly for US$150,000 in tourism or US$200,000 in real estate or securities, and a US$70,000 productive route that creates five jobs is also available.
• Uruguay residence: legal residence needs no investment; investment thresholds matter only for the tax-residence and tax-holiday rules.
• Mexico temporary residency: based on financial solvency rather than an investment.
• Colombia's investor visa and Belize residency options, two more Latin American routes worth comparing on cost.

For a ranked view by budget see our lowest-cost golden visa ranking, and for the difference between buying residence and buying a passport, read residence by investment versus citizenship by investment. All programs are listed on the golden visa hub.