Costa Rica · Retire or live on savings
Costa Rica Pensionado residence
Income needed: $1,000+ a month
Residente temporal — Pensionado (Ley 8764 art. 81)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Pensionado residence is a retire or live on savings route for Costa Rica. Applicants need income of $1,000+ a month. You can stay 2 yrs, renewable. Local work: limited. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Money needed
- $1,000+ a month
- Government fees
- $50 · $25
- Processing
- 3 months
- First stay
- 2 yrs
Cost, time and long term
To apply: 2 government fees listed below; income to show $1,000+/mo; decision: 3 months. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Government fees$50 · $25
- $50Admissibility payment that must accompany a first application for temporary or permanent residence (Reglamento de Extranjería art. 42); payable in colones at the BCCR reference rate.
- $25Payment of USD 25 to the Social Migration Fund when residence is granted and again at each renewal (Ley 8764 art. 33(4)); the Reglamento de Extranjería lists it as an annual payment.
Shown, not spent$1,000+/mo
- $1,000 a monthPermanent and stable monthly pension from abroad, or equivalent.
RenewalRenewable
Temporary residence is granted for more than 90 days and up to 2 years, and can be renewed for equal periods.
Defensoría de los Habitantes / Dirección General de Migración
Permanent residenceAfter 3 years of residence
Temporary residents (and their spouse and first-degree relatives) can apply for permanent residence after 3 consecutive years of temporary residence.
Defensoría de los Habitantes / Dirección General de Migración
CitizenshipGeneral rule: 7 years of residence
Naturalisation needs 7 years of official residence for most nationalities, or 5 years for Central Americans, Ibero-Americans and Spaniards by birth.
Processing3 months
Migration must decide within a maximum of 3 months once all requirements are met.
Where to applyAbroad or in-country
Apply within the stay you were granted on entry, or file the application through a consulate abroad or a regional office.
Presence rulesStay rule
Temporary residence can be cancelled if you are away from Costa Rica for more than 2 consecutive years, unless a proven exception such as health, study or family applies.
Defensoría de los Habitantes / Dirección General de Migración
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Work rights are limited
What you'll need
Who can apply2
- The pension must come from abroad and be monthly, permanent and stable.
- Spouse, children under 25 and adult children with disabilities can be included as dependants.
What you must show1
- Pension of at least US$1,000 per month, or its equivalent.
Documents2
- A document from the competent authority proves the lifelong pension; foreign certificates are legalised or apostilled.
- Criminal-record certificate from the country of origin or of legal residence in the last three years, legalised or apostilled.
Steps1
- Applications are filed through Costa Rican consular officials abroad or at the Dirección General offices in Costa Rica.
After you arrive2
- Residents must be insured with the CCSS to renew.
- A renewal request requires the conditions of the grant to be maintained and CCSS enrolment.
When you become tax resident
How Costa Rica decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Foreign-source income
Territorial
Costa Rica taxes profits of persons domiciled in the country that come from lucrative activities with Costa Rican source, meaning income generated exclusively in the national territory; foreign-source passive income is taxed only for taxpayers classed as non-qualified entities.
- Regime tied to this route
Fiscal benefits for investors, rentistas and pensionados · Tax relief
The window to opt in to the Ley 9996 benefits ran for five years from 14 July 2021 and closed on 14 July 2026 under the law as published, so a new applicant today does not get these exemptions.
All tax rules for Costa Rica Tax records checked
What you need to arrange
- Certified translation
A document from the competent authority proves the lifelong pension
- Police certificate and civil documents
Criminal-record certificate from the country of origin or of legal residence in the last three years, legalised or apostilled
Taken from this route's requirements above. The authority's own list is the one that counts.
Full official text
Temporary residence for foreigners with a permanent, stable monthly pension from abroad. 1 2 3 4
What you must show and pay
- Income of at least $1,000 a month · Permanent and stable monthly pension from abroad, or equivalent. 1
- A fee of $50 · Admissibility payment that must accompany a first application for temporary or permanent residence (Reglamento de Extranjería art. 42); payable in colones at the BCCR reference rate. 3
- A fee of $25 · Payment of USD 25 to the Social Migration Fund when residence is granted and again at each renewal (Ley 8764 art. 33(4)); the Reglamento de Extranjería lists it as an annual payment. 4 3
Requirements
- The pension must come from abroad and be monthly, permanent and stable. 1
- Spouse, children under 25 and adult children with disabilities can be included as dependants. 3
- Pension of at least US$1,000 per month, or its equivalent. 1 3
- A document from the competent authority proves the lifelong pension; foreign certificates are legalised or apostilled. 3
- Criminal-record certificate from the country of origin or of legal residence in the last three years, legalised or apostilled. 3
- Applications are filed through Costa Rican consular officials abroad or at the Dirección General offices in Costa Rica. 1
- Residents must be insured with the CCSS to renew. 1
- A renewal request requires the conditions of the grant to be maintained and CCSS enrolment. 1
Stay
- Temporary residence: authorisation for more than 90 days and up to 2 years, renewable for equal periods.
- First stay: up to 24 months, decided case by case.
- Visa validity: 24 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Work
Authorised paid activities only with Dirección General permission.
Family
Dependants (spouse, children under 25 or disabled children of any age) can be included under the same income.
Official sources
- Ley General de Migración y Extranjería 8764, arts. 77-105 (original 2009 text) · Defensoría de los Habitantes / Dirección General de Migración · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2009-08-19
- Ley 9996 — Ley para la atracción de inversionistas, rentistas y pensionados (La Gaceta 135, 14 July 2021) · Imprenta Nacional · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2021-07-14
- Reglamento de Extranjería, Decreto 37112-G (art. 87 investors) · Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones · checked 2026-10-12
- Ley General de Migración y Extranjería 8764, Título IV (art. 33: payments of USD 25 and USD 5) · Defensoría de los Habitantes (text of Ley 8764) · checked 2026-10-12
- Naturalización por Residencia (Ley 1155) · Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica · checked 2026-10-11
Pensionado residence and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensionado residence | Needs income of $1,000+ a month | 2 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Rentista residence | Needs income of $2,500+ a month | 2 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Retiree permanent residence Mexico | Needs income of MXN 134k+ a month ≈ $7,310 | – | Yes |
| Pensioner visa M Colombia | Needs income of COP 5.3M+ a month ≈ $1,640 | 3 yr | Yes |
| Pensioner residence Argentina | Needs income of ARS 2M+ a month ≈ $1,290 | 3 yr | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Pensionado residence?
Income of at least $1,000 a month. Permanent and stable monthly pension from abroad, or equivalent. A fee of $50. Admissibility payment that must accompany a first application for temporary or permanent residence (Reglamento de Extranjería art. A fee of $25. Payment of USD 25 to the Social Migration Fund when residence is granted and again at each renewal (Ley 8764 art.
How long can I stay on the Pensionado residence?
Temporary residence: authorisation for more than 90 days and up to 2 years, renewable for equal periods.
How long does the Pensionado residence take to process?
Migration must decide within a maximum of 3 months once all requirements are met.
Can I work on the Pensionado residence?
Limited. Authorised paid activities only with Dirección General permission.
Can I bring my family on the Pensionado residence?
Dependants (spouse, children under 25 or disabled children of any age) can be included under the same income.
Does the Pensionado residence lead to permanent residence in Costa Rica?
Time on the Pensionado residence counts toward permanent residence in Costa Rica, which the rules allow after 3 years of residence. The general rule for citizenship is 7 years of residence.
Is there a tax break for Pensionado residence holders in Costa Rica?
Fiscal benefits for investors, rentistas and pensionados (Ley 9996): The window to opt in to the Ley 9996 benefits ran for five years from 14 July 2021 and closed on 14 July 2026 under the law as published, so a new applicant today does not get these exemptions. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Fiscal benefits for investors, rentistas and pensionados (Ley 9996)
Tax relief
Details
- On: Amounts declared as income to qualify
The window to opt in to the Ley 9996 benefits ran for five years from 14 July 2021 and closed on 14 July 2026 under the law as published, so a new applicant today does not get these exemptions. Investors, rentistas and pensionados who opted in before then keep the import and transfer-tax exemptions for ten years from the grant and are not automatically treated as tax residents; sums declared as income to qualify are exempt from income tax.
Taxed on
Amounts declared as income to qualify; Costa Rican-source income from local investments remains taxable under Ley 7092.
Who it applies to
- Only investors, rentistas and pensionados who opted in during the first five years from the law's entry into force on 14 July 2021 (art. 12); the benefits last ten years from the date they were granted.
Exclusions
- New applicants after 14 July 2026: the law as published no longer lets them opt in (art. 12).
- Costa Rican-source income from investments remains taxable.
- Renouncing the status or its cancellation requires paying the exempted taxes.
Tax residence
Not automatically a tax resident (art. 6); tax residence requires meeting the income-tax law and regulation tests.
Visas
Applies to the investor, pensionado and rentista temporary residence categories.
Other taxes
Includes 20% exemption of the property-transfer tax and duty-free household goods and up to two vehicles. The consolidated text of the law on the government legislation site could not be opened on 12 October 2026, so a later extension of the five-year window is not ruled out.
Checked against official sources on , some details partly verifiedChange log
More in Costa Rica
Retirement and live-on-savings visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 5 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Ley General de Migración y Extranjería 8764, arts. 77-105 (original 2009 text) · Defensoría de los Habitantes / Dirección General de Migración · checked 2026-10-10
- Ley 9996 — Ley para la atracción de inversionistas, rentistas y pensionados (La Gaceta 135, 14 July 2021) · Imprenta Nacional · checked 2026-10-12
- Reglamento de Extranjería, Decreto 37112-G (art. 87 investors) · Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones · checked 2026-10-12
- Ley General de Migración y Extranjería 8764, Título IV (art. 33: payments of USD 25 and USD 5) · Defensoría de los Habitantes (text of Ley 8764) · checked 2026-10-12
- Naturalización por Residencia (Ley 1155) · Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.