Costa Rica

Categoría Inversionista. Costa Rica’s investor residence; Law 9996’s temporary cut of the bar from $200,000 to $150,000 expired on July 14, 2026, so the minimum has reverted to $200,000 for applications filed after that date unless the Asamblea Legislativa renews the lower figure.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Categoría Inversionista

Renewable 2-year temporary residence, plus Law 9996 tax and import incentives.

Who qualifies

Applications filed on or before July 14, 2026 still qualify at the reduced $150,000 threshold; anything filed after that date is subject to the pre-2021 $200,000 minimum, since the law’s temporary reduction has expired and no renewal has been confirmed.
Ley 9996 sunset of the reduced investment threshold, July 14, 2026, summarized by Moray & Glesias
Minimum investment in real estate, registrable assets, securities, or a productive/national-interest project.
ECIJA, Reglamento de la Ley 9996
The investment must be maintained for as long as the residence status depends on it.
EY Costa Rica, alert on the Reglamento to Ley 9996

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

One question, from the program’s own rules.

Savings you could move or invest?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Investment: About $200,000.
Time: 3–6 months.
Cost: Modest government fees; the $200,000 investment itself dominates, plus $3,000–5,000 in legal and structuring fees.
The hard part: Applications filed after July 14, 2026 use the restored $200,000 threshold, so the qualifying asset must be structured and registered at that value before filing.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2036.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
2 years, renewable for 2 years at a time.
2029
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 2 years.
2030
Permanent residence
Three years in a row on temporary residence. Student and special categories do not qualify. Permanent residents must keep up their national health-insurance (CCSS) payments to renew the card.
2034
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2036
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 12–14 months.

Language: Speak, read and write Spanish, shown by passing the Education Ministry’s naturalisation Spanish exam or by Costa Rican schooling.
Civics: The Education Ministry’s Estudios Sociales exam on Costa Rican history and values; pass mark 70. Older adults are exempt.
Time away: Seven (or five) years of official, continuous residence. The TSE requires two witnesses who can attest to residence throughout and accepts social-security or medical records as additional proof.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Same road as Pensionado, as long as the investment is kept.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: Must enter at least once a year.
Tax: Territorial taxation; capital gains and rental income earned outside Costa Rica are generally untaxed there.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Structure and register a qualifying investment worth at least $200,000, then file the residence application with DGME.Open ecija.com ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of the funds to invest: about $200,000, and where they came from
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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