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Costa Rica Stay for Remote Workers and Service Providers

Costa Rica's digital nomad route lets foreign remote workers and service providers stay under the immigration sub-category of Stay for Remote Workers and Service Providers, with a one-year stay, renewal option, income-tax exemption, and required medical insurance.

Full guide · Last verified 2026-07-013 official-source linksCore fields complete

Decision guide

Quick verdict

Costa Rica is a strong fit if you earn foreign-source remote income of at least USD 3,000/month, or USD 4,000/month when applying with dependents under the detailed requirements page.

The public digital-nomad overview says the program extends a 90-day tourist visa to a full year with an option to renew for an additional year.

The route is attractive for tax-sensitive nomads because the tourism board states digital nomads are exempt from income tax, but home-country tax residency still needs separate review.

Key takeaways
  • Best fit: remote workers and service providers paid from outside Costa Rica.
  • Main hurdle: proving stable foreign-source income over the previous year and maintaining medical insurance for the full authorized stay.
  • Application can be submitted online through Tramite Ya or in person through DGME offices, according to the requirements page.
  • Documents issued in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish.

What matters most for this visa

For Costa Rica, the recorded headline requirements are USD 3,000 net / month in income, up to 12 months of stay, and yes remote-work proof. Renewal, dependents, Schengen rights, and tax-residency risk matter just as much as the headline requirement.

Source conflicts to verify

Do not skip this before applying

Costa Rica has several official pages that describe the same visa from different angles. Where they disagree, this page shows the conflict instead of hiding it behind one number.

Dependent / family income threshold

Visit Costa Rica overviewUSD 5,000/month for families

The overview page uses a higher family threshold in its short program summary.

Visit Costa Rica requirements pageUSD 4,000/month when requesting family group stay

The detailed requirements page uses this lower dependent/family threshold in the application requirements.

Store the individual USD 3,000/month threshold and disclose the dependent threshold conflict until the DGME regulation or current form resolves the difference.

Requirement dashboard

What to verify first

Use these fields to decide whether this route is worth deeper application work before reading every document rule.

Income requirementUSD 3,000 net / month practical threshold

Source amount: USD 3,000 net / month. Costa Rica's detailed requirements page states USD 3,000/month from outside Costa Rica, or USD 4,000/month if applying with dependents. The overview page uses USD 5,000 for families, so this record stores the individual threshold and discloses the family-threshold source conflict.

Stay length12 months

Maximum recorded stay length for this program.

RenewalYes

Visit Costa Rica states the one-year stay can be renewed for an additional year. The renewal page repeats the income evidence requirement for the renewal sub-category.

Processing time-

Processing time is not recorded in this thin verified record.

Tax treatmentSpecial regime

Visit Costa Rica states income-tax exemption for digital nomads, but applicants should separately check home-country tax residency and any Costa Rica-source activity.

Path to PRNo

This program is not recorded as a direct permanent-residence route.

01

Check fit

Start with income, stay length, remote-work proof, insurance, and renewal uncertainty.

02

Prepare evidence

Map each requirement to documents before choosing a consulate or application channel.

03

Verify route

Open the official source and confirm fees, deadlines, forms, and location-specific rules.

04

Plan risk

Check tax treatment, dependents, renewal, and residence consequences separately.

Evidence ledger

Source-backed requirements snapshot

These are the facts Nomad can show from the current record. Pending values stay visible instead of being converted into fake precision.

Government fee
Application government payment: USD 100 / Immigration document issuance payment: USD 90
Requirements page lists a US$100 government payment for the application. The immigration-document issuance page also lists a US$90 payment for legal stay documents and related issuance/fund fees after approval.
Application time
-
Remote work proof
Yes
Health insurance
Yes
Official source
Open official source
Secondary source
Open source notes
Additional source
Open additional source

Before applying

Manual checks this page cannot replace

Use this list to turn the source-backed facts into an application decision for your nationality, current residence, family situation, stay length, and tax setup.

  1. Open the official source and confirm this page still matches the current government wording.
  2. Confirm that the linked application route accepts applicants in your current location or nationality situation.
  3. Confirm nationality, passport, and current-residence restrictions for the consulate or application channel you will use.
  4. Check whether applying from inside the country changes required documents, address registration, or fees.
  5. Verify tax residency and foreign-income treatment separately before planning your stay length.
  6. Check dependent rules against the official source if family members are applying with you.
Open official sourceHow verification works

Document readiness

Application readiness checklist

Use these groups as a preparation map. They are not a substitute for the current official form or consulate-specific instructions.

Application and identity

  • Signed application form for online Tramite Ya or in-person DGME submission.
  • Passport photo page and entry-stamp page if already in Costa Rica.
  • Nationality-specific consular or restricted visa documents if applicable.

Income proof

  • Bank statements with an affidavit showing foreign-source payment or remuneration during the previous year.
  • Alternatively, eligible accountant or notary certification; the requirements page says this certification is the component that needs legalization or apostille.
  • Individual threshold: USD 3,000/month. Dependent threshold has a source conflict in current official pages.

Insurance and post-approval

  • Medical-services insurance for the full authorized stay.
  • FAQ states at least USD 50,000 coverage and dependents must also be covered.
  • After approval, process the immigration accreditation document within the required period.

Planning notes

Decision notes before you start

These notes affect whether the route is worth pursuing, even when the headline requirement looks achievable.

Where to apply
Use Costa Rica's Tramite Ya DGME digital platform for online submission, or the physical DGME form path described by Visit Costa Rica.

Worth pursuing if

  • Remote workers seeking a one-year Costa Rica base with a renewal option.
  • Applicants with clear bank statements or professional certification proving foreign-source income.
  • People who value an official digital-nomad route with a published tax exemption claim.

Probably skip if

  • Applicants who cannot document the previous year's foreign-source remote income.
  • People who need Costa Rican local employment authorization from this route.
  • Applicants seeking a direct permanent-residence route from the digital-nomad stay alone.

Eligibility notes

Documents to prepare

Planning notes

Renewal
Visit Costa Rica states the one-year stay can be renewed for an additional year. The renewal page repeats the income evidence requirement for the renewal sub-category.
Dependents
Current official pages conflict on the family/dependent income threshold: the overview says USD 5,000/month for families, while the requirements page says USD 4,000/month when requesting family group stay. Verify current DGME forms before applying with dependents.
Source note. Verified against Visit Costa Rica digital nomads overview, requirements, forms/regulation, renewal, and immigration-document pages on 2026-07-01. DGME pages were linked by Visit Costa Rica but direct DGME access was blocked by Cloudflare during this review; family threshold conflict remains unresolved.

Application flow

  1. Prepare the application form for online Tramite Ya submission or physical DGME office submission.
  2. Pay the listed US$100 government application deposit.
  3. Prepare passport copy, entry-stamp page if already in Costa Rica, income evidence, translations, and any nationality-specific visa documents.
  4. Submit online through Tramite Ya or in person through DGME.
  5. After approval, request documentation within the required period and complete the immigration document issuance payment and appointment process.

Common questions

Search answers for this route

These answers mirror the structured data and stay visible for readers.

What is the income requirement for Costa Rica Stay for Remote Workers and Service Providers?

Official sources use conflicting wording for income and sufficient funds: Visit Costa Rica overview: USD 5,000/month for families; Visit Costa Rica requirements page: USD 4,000/month when requesting family group stay. Store the individual USD 3,000/month threshold and disclose the dependent threshold conflict until the DGME regulation or current form resolves the difference.

Is Costa Rica Stay for Remote Workers and Service Providers renewable?

Renewable status: Yes. Verify renewal, extension, and fresh-application rules with the official source before planning a stay.

Official next step

Verify the route before acting

First confirm the official application route and document requirements described above. Then use the official application page.

Open official visa form

Informational only, not immigration advice. Verify with the official source. Last verified: 2026-07-01.