Permanent residency

Requirements and application procedures

Only those whose parents, children or sibblings are Costa Rican, or those who have a temporary residency for more than 3 years can apply for it. If your Costa Rican sibblings or children are disabled, you must prove so with a medical examination and a curatorship certificate. 

Residencia Permanente

Residency applications are governed by the Costa Rican Department of Immigration. Applications should in general be filed at the Costa Rican Consulate or Embassy in your country of residence.
If you enter Costa Rica with a tourist visa, you must pay 200$ for changing categories and 50$ for the application. However, if you enter with a visa of possible residency, you must only pay 50$ for the application.
The requirements are the same as for the permanent residency but you need the following documents as well:

• Authenticated criminal records from your country of origin or the place where you have been living for the past 3 years. If they are not in Spanish, you have to provide the sworn translation as well.
• Proof that you are legally staying in that country by providing a certified copy of the migration document received in the indicated period