Securing a visa lets you stay in Costa Rica legally. ExpatDen’s Visa Guides show you how to apply for the right visa, the documents needed, and where to get one.
Temporary residency is the first real step to living in Costa Rica without the 180-day tourist shuffle. This guide covers the pensionado, rentista, investor, and marriage categories, the apostilled paperwork, and the 2026 DIMEX shift that routes your card through a BCR branch, with issuance still running a few months behind the 30-day target.
After three years as a temporary resident, you can upgrade to permanent residency and stay in Costa Rica for good. This guide covers the request letter, the US$50 and US$200 government fees, the caja rule, and the 2026 DIMEX shift that routes your card through a BCR branch, with issuance still running a few months behind the 30-day target.
How to get the right visa for your situation and stay in the country either short or long term.
Costa Rica has three distinct legal paths for long-term expats in 2026: the Digital Nomad Visa, Pensionado, and Rentista. Picking the wrong one can cost you years on the clock toward permanent residency.
Costa Rica’s pensionado visa lets you retire there with just US$1,000 a month in pension income and no minimum age, as long as the pension is lifelong. Here is how eligibility, dependents, costs, and the path to residency work.
Retiring in Costa Rica offers world-class healthcare, a Pensionado visa for those with a US$1,000 monthly pension, and a slow-paced lifestyle that draws thousands of retirees from North America each year.