Costa Rica Golden Visa

Costa Rica combines political stability, a well-established property market and one of Central America’s most attractive lifestyles. Its natural beauty, territorial tax system and proximity to the United States make it popular with investors, families and retirees.

Costa Rica Golden Visa

Costa Rica offers temporary residence through its Investor Visa, commonly described as the Costa Rica Golden Visa. Applicants can qualify through an investment of at least US$150,000 in real estate, registrable assets, an active Costa Rican company, securities or an approved productive project. Investors seeking immediate permanent residence in the same region may prefer the Panama Qualified Investor Visa. Panama currently offers permanent residence through qualifying real estate from US$300,000, without an annual minimum stay requirement.

Costa Rica Investor Visa

The Costa Rica Investor Visa provides temporary residence for two years and can be renewed for further two-year periods while the qualifying investment is maintained.

Costa Rica Golden Visa Benefits

• Renewable two-year temporary residence
• Several qualifying investment options
• Residence for eligible dependents
• Permanent residence eligibility after three years
• Potential pathway to Costa Rican citizenship

The permit can include eligible dependents but does not generally authorise salaried employment in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica Citizenship by Investment

Costa Rica does not offer citizenship by investment. Most foreign nationals may apply for naturalisation after seven years of official residence. The period is reduced to five years for eligible nationals of Central American, Ibero-American countries and Spain. Applicants must meet the separate language, integration and eligibility requirements. Those seeking direct citizenship without several years of residence may instead consider the Grenada Citizenship by Investment program, available from US$235,000 plus fees. Several other Caribbean Citizenship by Investment programs also provide direct routes to a second passport.

Costa Rica Passport Strength & Ranking

Costa Rica ranks 78th out of 199 passports in the La Vida Passport Value Index. Its passport provides access to 194 of the world’s 227 destinations, representing 48.7% of global GDP and 83.5% of the worldwide visitor market. These passport benefits cannot be obtained through direct investment.