At Costa Rica Immigration Experts, we’d love to be able to help you set up your file right and enjoy residency as quickly as possible. This shortlist of the general Residency Requirements is common to most forms of residency applications in Costa Rica.
Residency Requirements:
- Residency Application
We’ll be gathering all your required documents from you and contacting the Director-General of Immigration to initiate your process.
. - Birth Certificate
.
Must be full (LONG FORM), ORIGINALS ONLY.
Must be Apostilled. Or, if your home country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, submitted to the corresponding Costa Rican consulate in the country of origin, then authenticated at the Foreign Affairs department in San Jose.
. - Criminal Record Check (ORIGINALS ONLY)
..
It is required of all applicants over the age of 12. Remember that this document must not be older than six months unless the document specifies otherwise. It will be issued by your home country or where you have legally resided for the past 3 years.
Must be Apostilled. Or, if your home country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, submitted to the corresponding Costa Rican consulate in the country of origin, then authenticated at the Foreign Affairs department in San Jose.
Please note that if your home country’s criminal record contains incidents, Costa Rican Immigration reserves the right to reject your application due to your criminal history. That is entirely outside of the control of CRIE.
- Color photocopy of the passport
.
If applicable, photo/info page and pages with an entry stamp and visa.
It must be notarized. All applicants, including minors, must comply with this requirement.
. - Eight recent passport-sized photographs
.
It is required for an applicant, spouse, and any dependent children.
Eligible individuals can claim their spouses and children aged 24 and under who are single as dependents and older children with disabilities. In the case of a family group, an individual file is required per member. Parents should sign applications on behalf of minor children.
1) Spouse;
2) Minor or older children with disabilities;
3) Children aged 24 and under who are single;
4) Parents and younger or older siblings with disabilities who are financially dependent on the holder of immigration status.
PLEASE NOTE:
Immigration WILL KEEP ALL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS submitted with your residency application (including marriage certificates). When requesting your documents, consider ordering additional copies of these documents if you need them for other reasons (not related to your residency application).
If there is a sufficient reason that justifies the impossibility of presenting certain requirements, such as a birth certificate or a criminal record check, an affidavit stating a reason for impossibility may be submitted.
All foreign documents must be original documents only and must either be Apostilled or Legalized by the Costa Rican Consulate if your home country is not a party to the Apostille Convention. Read HERE for more information on the Apostille Convention and if your home country is a party to it or not.
All documents not in Spanish must be translated into Spanish in Costa Rica ONLY by an Official Translator registered with the Costa Rica Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At CRIE, we help you get the documents you need to complete your application and ensure that they meet the requirements of the Costa Rica immigration department.