Costa Rica

Special category for foreign personnel providing contracted after-sales installation, maintenance or technical service.

Special category for a person domiciled near the border who enters Costa Rica to work in an authorised border area.

Special category for personnel transferred within the same corporate group to a Costa Rican operation.

Special category for a specific-occupation employee sponsored by a Costa Rican legal entity.

Special category for a specific-occupation employee hired by a Costa Rican natural person.

Employer-backed special category for temporary work within authorised occupations and labour-market conditions.

One-year renewable category for a worker attached to a specific project or project declared to be of public interest.

Temporary residence for a specialised worker hired as a dependent employee in Costa Rica.

Temporary residence for a specialised technician whose technical activity and sponsoring organisation satisfy the published requirements.

Employer-backed temporary residence for an executive, representative, manager or qualifying technical employee.

Temporary residence for a person maintaining at least USD 150,000 in a qualifying Costa Rican investment.

Special category for a person carrying on a qualifying business activity on their own account.

Special category for independent work in a sector specifically authorised by the migration and labour framework.

Temporary residence for a specialised worker who will provide qualifying services independently.

Up-to-one-year renewable non-resident estancia for a person whose special relevance is accepted by the migration authority.

Up-to-one-year renewable estancia for qualifying foreign media personnel on a defined assignment.

One-year renewable special category for qualifying artists, athletes, public performers, distinguished professionals or important invitees.

Special category for a foreign researcher attached to a recognised Costa Rican institution or research programme.

Special category for a foreign teacher attached to a recognised Costa Rican educational institution.

Temporary residence for a foreign press correspondent accredited to carry out journalistic work in Costa Rica.

Institution-backed temporary residence for a scientist, professional or intern whose activity qualifies under article 79.

Special category for a foreign intern participating in a qualifying educational or cultural programme.

Special category for a foreign student enrolled in a recognised Costa Rican educational programme.

Permanent residence for the parent, minor or disabled adult child, or qualifying minor or disabled adult sibling of a Costa Rican citizen.

Derived special category for qualifying dependants of a foreign student.

Spouse and qualifying dependent children of a researcher, teacher, professional or volunteer in the recognised special category.

Adult children up to age 25 and single adult siblings up to age 25 who are economically dependent on a Costa Rican citizen.

Minor or disabled adult whose guardian or curator is Costa Rican or holds permanent or temporary residence.

Spouse, judicial partner, parent, minor child or economically dependent child up to age 25 of a permanent resident.

Economically dependent parent or adult child up to age 25 of a temporary resident.

Derived temporary residence for a qualifying dependent of a temporary resident.

Temporary residence for a foreign spouse or judicially recognised de facto partner of a Costa Rican citizen.

Temporary residence based on a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000 per month.

Temporary residence based on stable monthly income of at least USD 2,500 for two years.

— No eligibility summary published for this route yet

Conversion to permanent residence after three consecutive years as a temporary resident.

Exceptional permanent residence where the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission grants it under its statutory authority.

Special category for a foreign volunteer participating in a recognised volunteer programme.

Temporary residence for qualifying religious personnel attached to an accredited religious organisation in Costa Rica.

Up-to-one-year renewable estancia for a qualifying foreign business agent or delegate.

Special non-residence category for a qualifying business visit that does not amount to ordinary local employment.

Single-entry consular-visa visit for a Group Three national, initially for up to 30 days and extendable to 90 days.

Restricted single-entry visa visit for a Group Four national after Commission approval.

Visa-exempt non-resident visit for a Group One national, normally for up to 180 days.

Visa-exempt non-resident visit for a Group Two national, initially for up to 30 days and extendable to 90 days.

Confidential refugee-status procedure for a person in Costa Rica or at its border who fears persecution or meets another applicable refugee definition.

Protection for a person granted diplomatic or territorial asylum, followed by free-condition special status.

Family-unity procedure for qualifying relatives of a recognised refugee in Costa Rica.

Minor under PANI legal representation and a public, private, institutional or family protection arrangement who cannot use another definitive or temporary route.

One-year renewable discretionary regularisation for an exceptionally vulnerable person whose immigration status is necessary to address the situation.

Temporary protection and immigration status for a person accredited as a trafficking victim after the competent technical recommendation.

Recognition procedure for a person who is not considered a national by any state under its law, followed by Costa Rican special documentation.

Announced two-year complementary status for qualifying Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, Cuban or Colombian refugee applicants meeting the resolution's filing-history and residence conditions.

Up-to-one-year renewable estancia for a person receiving medical treatment in Costa Rica.

Temporary residence for a foreign athlete supported by the relevant Costa Rican sports body or organisation.

Airport-transit visa for Group Four and specified Group Three nationals passing through a Costa Rican international transit zone.

Short non-resident transit through Costa Rica, including the statutory border-transit category.

Non-resident admission for crew and personnel of international passenger or goods transport.

One-year renewable special category for a person with fixed domicile in a defined border area who will not perform paid manual or intellectual work.

Child of an accredited diplomatic, consular or international-organisation official who loses derivative status on reaching age 25.

Institution-led short-stay special category for an invited educational or cultural participant.

Authority-led special status for a state guest, a person requested for public-security reasons, or a necessary complainant or witness.