Costa Rica digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)

Legal framework

Law 10008, 'Ley para atraer trabajadores y prestadores remotos de servicios de carácter internacional' (enacted 2021, regulated July 2022), administered by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME); supplemented by Law 9996 for longer-term investor/rentista/pensionado residency

The Costa Rica digital nomad visa

Costa Rica's Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos (remote-worker visa) lets remote workers live in Costa Rica while working for an employer or clients based abroad.

Visa

Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos (remote-worker visa)

Issued by

the Dirección General de Migración

Income requirement

US$3,000/month (US$4,000 with dependents)

Duration

1 year, renewable for a second year with 180+ days of presence

Cost

around US$100 plus card fees

Tax

foreign-source income is tax-free for remote-worker visa holders

Visa rules and thresholds change often; confirm the current figures with the official source before applying.

Key points: digital nomad & residency in Costa Rica

1. 01Dedicated Remote-Worker Visa (Law 10008)

   Law 10008 ('Ley para atraer trabajadores y prestadores remotos de servicios de carácter internacional') established the digital nomad sub-category. It targets foreign nationals who provide paid services remotely using digital/telecom technologies exclusively for employers or clients located outside Costa Rica, whether as employees, freelancers, or business owners.

   pgrweb.go.cr migracion.go.cr asamblea.go.cr

2. 02Income & Insurance Requirements

   Applicants must demonstrate a minimum net monthly income of $3,000 USD (individual) or $4,000 USD (with dependents) from foreign sources via 12 months of bank statements, plus international health insurance with at least $50,000 in coverage valid for the full authorized stay.

   visitcostarica.com migracion.go.cr

3. 03Duration, Renewal & Presence Requirement

   The visa is valid for one year and renewable once for a second year (maximum two years total). Renewal requires proof of at least 80 days of physical presence in Costa Rica during the initial authorized period and continued satisfaction of income requirements.

   visitcostarica.com migracion.go.cr

4. 04Tax Exemption on Foreign-Sourced Income

   Visa holders are fully exempt from Costa Rican income tax on earnings sourced abroad. Law 10008 also grants duty-free importation of personal computing and IT equipment needed for remote work.

   pgrweb.go.cr visitcostarica.com

5. 05No Direct Path to Permanent Residency; Alternative Routes via Law 9996

   The digital nomad visa does not convert to permanent residency. After two years, holders must depart or separately apply for long-term residency, e.g., Rentista (fixed passive income of $2,500/month for two years guaranteed) or Inversionista ($150,000 minimum investment), both governed by Law 9996.

   dentons.com migracion.go.cr

6. 06Application Process & Fee

   Applications are submitted digitally via the official Trámite Ya platform or in-person at a DGME office (appointment required via the DGME portal, selecting 'Estancia Nómadas Digitales'). The non-refundable fee is $100 USD per applicant paid to Banco de Costa Rica; DGME has 15 calendar days to issue a decision.

   migracion.go.cr visitcostarica.com

Costa Rica digital nomad visa: FAQ

Timeline of decisions

1. 1 Jul 2024Law
   Law 10493 Immigration Procedural Reforms Take Effect

   DGME implemented sweeping changes under Law 10493: approved residents may enter without a consular visa, applicants may now apply for temporary residence from abroad or beyond their authorised stay, while police-clearance and consular-registration requirements were tightened. The reforms materially altered how all residency categories — including digital nomads — interact with immigration authorities.

   Fragomen

2. 5 Jun 2024Law · official
   Law 10493 Enacted, Amending General Immigration Law 8764

   The National Assembly enacted Law 10493, the most significant amendment to Costa Rica's 2009 General Immigration Law, modernising DGME procedures, addressing processing backlogs, and adjusting documentation requirements across all residency pathways. Most provisions took effect July 1, 2024.

   Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (SCIJ)

3. 1 Sept 2022Guidance · official
   DGME Issues General Visa Directives Circular DG-0027

   Published as Alcance No. 207 to La Gaceta No. 185 (Year CXLIV), Circular DG-0027 consolidated DGME's visa-application guidelines and incorporated the newly operational digital nomad sub-category. The circular, updated by addenda through at least 2025, remains the operative visa-procedure framework for all categories.

   Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME)

4. 8 Jul 2022Law
   Executive Decree 43619 Publishes Digital Nomad Regulation, Opening Applications

   President Rodrigo Chaves signed Executive Decree 43619-H-MGP-TUR, the implementing regulation for Law 10008, published in La Gaceta. The decree codified the $3,000/month income threshold ($4,000 with dependents), mandated private health insurance, set a 15-day DGME review window, and launched applications via the Trámite Ya digital platform — activating the visa nearly eleven months after the law's enactment.

   EY Tax Alert (Costa Rica)

5. 14 Jul 2021Law
   Law 9996 Published: Five-Year Incentive Package for Investors, Rentistas, and Pensionados

   Signed July 5 by President Alvarado and published in Official Gazette No. 135, Law 9996 granted a five-year incentive window to new temporary residents in the investor, rentista, and pensionado categories: duty-free import of household goods and up to two vehicles, a 20% reduction on real estate transfer tax, and income-tax exemption on foreign earnings. Explicitly framed as post-COVID economic stimulus, it made existing residency categories significantly more attractive.

   Dentons

6. 1 Mar 2010Law · official
   Law 8764 (General Law on Migration and Foreign Nationals) Enters into Force

   Costa Rica's foundational modern immigration statute took effect, having been enacted August 19, 2009. It established DGME as the primary regulatory authority, institutionalised the pensionado, rentista, and inversionista temporary-residency categories, and created pathways to permanent residency (three years of temporary residence) and citizenship (seven years total). It superseded the prior Law 8487 of 2005.

   UNHCR Rights Mapping and Analysis Platform (RIMAP)

7. 19 Aug 2009Law · official
   Law 8764 Enacted: General Law on Migration and Foreign Nationals

   The National Assembly enacted Ley No. 8764, the comprehensive overhaul of Costa Rica's immigration framework. The law declared migration a matter of state, created DGME, formally defined all immigration categories including temporary-residency streams for financially independent foreigners, and built the legal scaffolding on which subsequent digital nomad and fiscal-incentive legislation would be constructed.

   UNHCR Refworld

Sources

1. 1.migracion.go.cr/nomadas-digitales/
2. 2.visitcostarica.com/digital-nomads/requirements
3. 3.visitcostarica.com/digital-nomads/benefits
4. 4.visitcostarica.com/digital-nomads/renewal
5. 5.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/Normas/nrm_texto_completo.aspx?nValor1=1&nVal
6. 6.asamblea.go.cr/sd/referencia_cedil/Inv_03_22DatosCovid/L10008.pdf
7. 7.dentons.com/en/insights/articles/2021/july/22/costa-rica-law-9996-to-attract-inve