Moving to Costa Rica: Full Relocation Guide

Guides · Costa Rica

Choosing Your Residency Category

Moving to Costa Rica for good starts with one decision: which residency category fits you. The immigration law, Ley 8764 of 2009, splits foreigners into temporary residents, permanent residents and special categories.

The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, the immigration service known as the DGME, decides every file. Three financial categories carry most arrivals: pensionado, rentista and inversionista.

A fourth route, vínculo, is open to close relatives of Costa Ricans and of legal residents. Digital nomad status sits outside the residency categories altogether.

Article 81 of Ley 8764 sets the pensionado test at a permanent monthly pension of not less than US$1,000. Article 82 sets the rentista test at US$2,500 a month.

The investor threshold is US$150,000, under article 4 of decreto 43926-MGP-H-TUR, the regulation to Ley 9996. The older US$200,000 rule in article 87 of the Reglamento de Extranjería was repealed on 23 February 2023.

That repeal sits in article 31 of the same decree, which also struck articles 88 to 93. What expired on 14 July 2026 was the law’s tax and customs package, not the investment figure.

Temporary residence runs from more than 90 days up to two years and is renewable, under article 79. Article 78 opens permanent residence after three consecutive years as a temporary resident.

Residency Application Process and Fees

Article 255 of Ley 8764 sets the first application fee at US$50, and no file moves without proof of payment. Articles 89 and 125 charge US$200 to change category.

On approval, article 252 charges US$30 for the cédula de extranjería and article 253 another US$30 for the residence document. Article 33 adds US$25 for the Fondo Social de Migración, at grant and at every renewal.

Foreign documents need an apostille, or consular legalisation where the issuing country is outside the Hague Convention, plus an official Spanish translation. Articles 8, 9 and 11 of the Reglamento de Extranjería set that out.

Article 27 of that regulation gives the DGME a maximum of three months to resolve a complete file. Article 28 gives an applicant ten working days to complete an incomplete one.

In August 2026 the Defensoría de los Habitantes, the national ombudsman, reported about 25 officials holding roughly 1,500 pending files each. Omer Badilla, deputy interior minister and DGME director, said those figures dated from 2025.

Badilla told Costa Rican media the backlog had since fallen by 80 percent. Either way, plan the first stretch on a tourist entry rather than on a granted residency.

Shipping, Customs and the Menaje de Casa

The duty-free household-goods route foreigners hear about comes from Ley 9996 of 2021. That law was written to attract investors, rentistas and pensionados, and its regulation is decreto 43926-MGP-H-TUR.

Article 17 of that decree exempts the menaje de casa from import taxes once only, alongside professional and scientific instruments. The beneficiary has to justify that the quantity matches the family’s circumstances.

Article 21 cuts up to 20 percent from the property transfer tax on a home bought while the law ran. Authorisation for all of it goes through Hacienda’s EXONET exemption system.

Article 22 limits those benefits to the law’s first five years. Ley 9996 was published in La Gaceta 135 on 14 July 2021, so the window closed on 14 July 2026.

The investor, rentista and pensionado categories themselves survive, because article 22 caps only the tax and customs side. The residency you can still obtain no longer carries the free container.

Goods imported outside an exemption clear as ordinary imports. Customs duties run from 1 to 15 percent ad valorem, and value-added tax is 13 percent.

Those rates come from the US International Trade Administration country guide, updated on 23 June 2026. Under CAFTA-DR, most goods originating in the United States have entered duty free since 2015.

Colón figures here use a rate of 451.86 to the US dollar. That is the Banco Central reference selling rate, published by the Ministerio de Hacienda on 23 September 2026.

Whether to ship now turns on freight and duty rather than on a waiting exemption. Quotations vary by origin, volume and carrier, so price the duty and the freight together.

Importing a Vehicle

Ley 9996 also let its beneficiaries bring in up to two vehicles free of import taxes and value-added tax. That benefit ran on the same clock and closed on 14 July 2026.

Outside an exemption, imported vehicles carry an excise charge of 30 to 50 percent depending on the model. The US International Trade Administration gives that range, with a five-year partial exemption for electric vehicles.

The taxable value tightened in 2026. Decreto ejecutivo 45920 was announced by the Ministerio de Hacienda on Friday 28 August 2026.

It compares the declared invoice value, including freight and insurance, with the ministry’s recorded value for an identical vehicle. The higher of the two is used.

Víctor Julio Carvajal, deputy revenue minister, presented the decree as a measure against under-invoicing. It applies to new and used vehicles alike.

A car already in the country pays the annual marchamo, the circulation permit sold by the state insurer INS. Collection for the 2027 marchamo opens on 2 November 2026.

Finding Housing

Renting first is the common advice, and six to twelve months is the usual stretch. Residential leases fall under Ley 7527 of 1995, the urban tenancy law.

Article 70 sets a minimum term of three years, and treats a shorter or unstated term as three years. Article 72 lets the tenant end the lease on three months’ notice, unless the contract says otherwise in writing.

Articles 67 and 68 cap the annual increase on a residential lease and make any adjustment above the cap void. Where the rent is agreed in a foreign currency, the sum stays fixed for the whole term.

Landlords commonly ask for identification and proof of income, which is easier once the DIMEX card is in hand. Visiting a neighbourhood in person before signing is worth the trip.

Opening a Bank Account

Banks set their own onboarding rules, and a new arrival without local identification or an address history will find the door heavy. A DIMEX card makes banking, Caja enrolment and utility contracts easier.

SINPE Móvil, the national instant-transfer service, needs a colón account at a participating institution and an active mobile line. The Banco Central lists those conditions, and each institution may add its own.

Ask about monthly charges and minimum balances before choosing a bank. Terms are set by each institution rather than by a regulator.

Getting DIMEX and Caja Number

The DIMEX is the identity document for foreigners, and its price depends on the migratory category. Banco de Costa Rica lists US$128 for permanent residents, pensionados, rentistas and investors.

Family-link, student and digital-nomad categories pay US$133, and some special categories US$138. The published span runs from US$73 to US$138.

On top of the card price the bank charges a US$15 commission and ¢5,198 (about US$12) for postal delivery. Those prices took effect on 1 January 2025, under resolution DJUR-0596-11-2024-JM.

Every resident category must join the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, the public health and pension system. Proof of cover forms part of the DIMEX documentation set.

Contributions are not flat. They are a percentage of declared income, set by the Caja’s contributory scale for independent and voluntary members.

From January 2026 the affiliate share runs from about 7.05 percent in the lowest band to 19.11 percent in the highest. The minimum contributory base for health cover is ¢346,789 (about US$767) a month.

Driving Licence Conversion

Converting a foreign licence, homologación, is run by the Dirección General de Educación Vial at the transport ministry, MOPT. It is personal, in person and by appointment only.

Appointments are booked free through the Sistema de Acreditación de Conductores, with no payment and no credentials needed to book. MOPT states that no minimum period of residence in the country is required.

The requirements are an official translation of the licence, a certification of it, up-to-date migratory status and a medical report. Applicants also need their home-country identity document and no unpaid traffic fines.

The card is printed at Banco de Costa Rica for ¢5,000 (about US$11) plus the bank’s commission. That happens on the day of the bank appointment, at one of the 13 offices MOPT listed on 3 November 2025.

Ley 10591, published on 2 December 2024, lets a foreign licence be used for the whole authorised stay. It removed the old three-month cap and allows homologación to start on the filing receipt.

Schools for Children

The Ministerio de Educación Pública, the education ministry known as MEP, sets the school calendar and recognises foreign study. Lessons in 2026 began on Monday 23 February and the second period ends on 9 December 2026.

Recognition of foreign qualifications goes through the Dirección de Gestión y Evaluación de la Calidad. It asks for an apostille and an official Spanish translation, and takes five working days.

Technical specialties take twenty working days. United States qualifications need an extra certification from the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano confirming the institution’s accreditation.

Private international schools publish their own fees. Country Day School, at San Rafael de Alajuela, charges US$20,352 for grades one to five and US$22,015 for grade twelve in 2026-27.

The British School of Costa Rica, in Pavas, lists ¢6,547,590 (about US$14,490) for years one and two in 2026. Years nine to twelve cost ¢8,438,850 (about US$18,677).

Bringing Pets

Pets are handled by SENASA, the national animal health service, not by immigration or customs. Its instruction sheets IN-006 and IN-007 have applied since 19 July 2024.

A dog or cat travelling in the cabin or as checked baggage with its owner needs only the health certificate. It is presented at the border inspection post on arrival.

An animal shipped as cargo or arriving unaccompanied needs a prior import permit. The importer must hire a Costa Rican customs broker to obtain it before the animal arrives.

SENASA’s 2026 tariff prices that permit at ¢10,653 (about US$24), free of value-added tax. The tariff runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 January 2027, and a permit is resolved within 24 working hours.

The certificate must come from the official veterinary service of the country of origin, in Spanish or English. The clinical examination has to fall within two weeks of the departure date.

Treatment against internal and external parasites is required within fifteen days of export, with date, brand and active ingredient recorded. Dogs need distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis cover; cats need rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.

Dogs and cats over three months old need a rabies vaccination valid on the day of entry. Animals under three months must not be vaccinated against rabies, and carry an age-appropriate plan instead.

At the port of entry an animal with tumours, fresh or healing wounds or external parasites is refused entry. Neither sheet requires a notary or a Costa Rican consular stamp.

First 90 Days Checklist

Moving to Costa Rica rarely finishes inside 90 days, and there is no legal 90-day deadline. Immigration filing, legalisation, housing, banking, transport, schools and pets all compete for the same weeks.

A workable sequence is to file the residency application, legalise and translate documents, then secure housing. Banking, DIMEX and Caja, the driving licence, school places and the pet paperwork follow.

Article 172 of the Reglamento de Extranjería matters at the end of the process. After notification you must attend the documentation office, and after 90 days without appearing the granted status starts to be cancelled.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The commonest mistake in moving to Costa Rica is assuming every category carries the same tax and customs treatment. Exemptions differ by category and by statute, and the Ley 9996 package is now closed to new claims.

The second is shipping goods before an exemption is formally authorised, which invites duties, storage charges and delay. The third is having documents notarised at home when an apostille is what Costa Rica requires.

The fourth is expecting every bank, school or municipality to accept the same file. Local institutions apply their own onboarding rules on top of the national ones.

Official information sits with different bodies. DGME covers immigration, Hacienda covers imports, CCSS health, MOPT driving, MEP schools and SENASA pets.

Category	Basis	Threshold and source
Pensionado	Permanent pension	US$1,000 a month, Ley 8764 article 81
Rentista	Stable passive income	US$2,500 a month, Ley 8764 article 82
Inversionista	Qualifying investment	US$150,000, decreto 43926-MGP-H-TUR article 4
Vínculo	Family relationship	No income threshold set

Sources: Ley 8764 and the Reglamento de Extranjería; Ley 9996 and decreto 43926-MGP-H-TUR; Ley 7527; Ley 10591.

Also Ministerio de Hacienda, SENASA, MOPT, MEP, CCSS, Banco de Costa Rica, Defensoría de los Habitantes and the US International Trade Administration.

More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first step in moving to Costa Rica?

Choosing a residency category, because it sets what you must prove. Pensionado needs a pension of at least US$1,000 a month, rentista US$2,500 a month, and inversionista an investment of US$150,000.

Can I still ship my household goods duty free?

Not as a new claim, because the Ley 9996 exemption for household goods and two vehicles has expired. Article 22 of its regulation limited it to the law’s first five years, which ended on 14 July 2026.

What does it cost to bring a pet?

A dog or cat flying with its owner in the cabin or as checked baggage needs only a health certificate. An unaccompanied animal needs a SENASA permit, priced at ¢10,653 (about US$24) under the 2026 tariff.

Should I buy or rent when I arrive?

Rent first, for six to twelve months. Article 70 of Ley 7527 sets a three-year minimum term, which article 72 lets the tenant end on three months’ notice.

Can I move before residency is approved?

Most people do, and article 27 of the Reglamento de Extranjería gives the DGME three months on a complete file. The national ombudsman reported a heavy backlog in August 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief