POSTERN

Costa Rica

Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos y Prestadores de Servicios. A one-year, once-renewable stay (not full residence) for remote workers and freelancers whose income and clients are entirely outside Costa Rica.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos y Prestadores de Servicios

One-year stay, renewable once for a second year; exempt from Costa Rican income tax on the qualifying income; can open a bank account and get a driver’s license.

Who qualifies

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

1

Does it fit your family?

3 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

2

What it takes.

Income
Steady income each month, rising with each person who moves.
Just you$3,000
2 people$4,000
4 people$6,000
Time
15–30 days official processing, though gathering documents typically takes 1–2 months.
Cost
About $500–1,500 including document legalization; the government fee itself is modest.
The hard part
Proving income is 100% foreign-sourced and that no Costa Rican client relationship exists at all.

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

3

This visa doesn’t lead to a passport.

  1. 2027
    First residence permit

    1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.

  2. 2028
    Renew the permit

    Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.

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.
  • Time on this program does not count toward permanent residence or citizenship; the family would need to switch to one that does.
  • A one-year stay renewable once, not residence; the time builds nothing toward permanence or citizenship. Switching to Rentista starts the clock.
The law behind these dates
4

Living there.

Time you must spend there
No minimum days in Costa Rica are required; this is a stay category, not a residence one that builds toward permanence.
Tax
The qualifying remote-work income is exempt from Costa Rican income tax.

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

5

Start today.

  1. Register on the DGME’s digital nomad platform and book an appointment.Open migracion.go.cr ↗
  2. Gather these documents.
    • Proof of steady income: at least $3,000 a month
    • Request your FBI Identity History Summary
    • Health cover for the move
6

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

Options open to you today →
7
ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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