How to buy a home in Costa Rica? Steps you must follow
Costa Rica is a stunning nation to visit, and it might be a great place to live. If you’ve ever seen Costa Rica on vacation, you know about the beaches, mountains, exceptional climate, and kind people who make it an excellent destination. But what happens when your holiday spot becomes your permanent home?
Houses of Costa Rica will provide you with a step:
1. Residency Status Determination:
The following are the categories of residency in Costa Rica: The Law #8764 on Immigration divides them into the following subcategories:
- Permanent residency (Articles 77-78)
- Temporary residency (Article 79-86)
- Unique category residency (Articles 93-97)
2. Permanent Residency Category:
If you want to permanently stay in the United States, you must first become a lawful permanent resident. Permanent residency is only available to non-citizens under two circumstances:
- A foreigner with a close family relationship with a Costa Rica citizen. This generally includes first-degree relatives such as the parent of a Costa Rica citizen, their minor children, and adult siblings under age 18 who have a disability or disabilities.
- Foreigners who have been living in Costa Rica for at least three years may apply to switch their temporary residency status to permanent residency. As I shall describe further below, the Temporary Residency Category is the most common way for initial applicants for residence in Costa Rica to qualify.
3. Temporary Residency Category:
The majority of applications for Costa Rican residency will be considered under Article 79 of the Immigration Law’s Temporary Residency category, which is governed by Article 79. The following subcategories are available.
- A Costa Rican citizen’s spouse as defined in Article 73 of the legislation.
- Those religious orders are sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Culture’s authorized accreditation body for religions, the Catholic Church.
- Executive, managerial, and technical personnel for corporations formed in the country. This may include freelance workers with specialist know-how who do not work under the Immigration Department’s criteria but require specialized skills.
- Investors
- Experts in science, professional and specialist occupations.
- The National Council on Sports and Recreation recognizes sporting figures.
- International Press Correspondents
- Renters
- Pensioners
4. Special Category Residency:
The Special Category is for those who do not meet the temporary or permanent residency requirements. This category is entirely at the discretion of Immigration. In most situations, the applicant must demonstrate that the work they want to perform in Costa Rica is beyond the capabilities of a Costa Rican citizen.
- Professional and invited technicians, Sportsman, artists, Public Entertainer, Professional Technicians
- A person who works for himself or a company that has been adequately incorporated.
- Dependents of Students. Self-employed agricultural, construction, or service workers in the Agricultural or Construction or Services sectors
- Researcher, Educator, and Volunteer are all titles that have been given to me.
- Workers are linked to a Specific Project or Public Interest project.
- International Employee
- I was asked to attend the Government or any of its institutions for public security reasons as a guest.
- It would be best to have a Costa Rica passport to link your F.G.L. account.
- Employee at Home
- Ties to a local Guardian or Executor
- Working with a Physical Person Is the Most Common Work Role
- visitor
- Workers who work with legal entities are known as lawyers.
5. Gather all the documents that will assist you with your case:
When you apply for residency, you must submit supporting papers as part of your application to support it. The following documents are required by immigration law:
- Birth Certificate: You must submit a notarized copy of your birth certificate and that of any dependents.
- Marriage Certificate: If you’re married and your spouse will be applying with you, you’ll also need to submit a certified copy of your marriage certificate.
- Justification for the Request: If you’re applying for one of the temporary residency programs like Pensionado, Rentista, or Inversionista that requires proof of funds, document your income source. For example, if you want to apply for Pensionado residency, you’ll need a letter from the U.S. social security administration confirming your earnings.
For United States citizens: The United States embassy in San José provides this letter to those receiving Social Security benefits. You must make an appointment online because they do not take walk-ins. To apply, go here: U.S. Embassy Federal Benefits Verification.
6. To use foreign documents in Costa Rica, you must first authenticate and apostille them:
All supporting papers needed to accompany your residency application must be confirmed in your home country, or they will not be accepted as authentic documents. This is highly significant. Because it won’t, don’t suppose that your certified official copy from your nation will be recognized in Costa Rica. You must then go one step further to have your verified or Apostilled document authenticated. Costa Rica is a signatory of The Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign Documents, which permits foreign documents that have been Apostilled in their native country. If your nation is a member, have your certified papers apostilled in your country of origin by the Government. After that, your document can be used in Costa Rica without further authentication procedures if it has been Apostilled in your home country.
7. To obtain a Costa Rican residency, you must complete the Resident Residency Application:
You’ve figured out which residency category you fall under and have all the required documentation to submit for permanent residency in Costa Rica, so now it’s time to apply. You can either represent yourself or hire an Attorney to assemble the application and guide you through the approval process. If you want to apply for a green card but don’t want to spend much time tracking the progress of your application, then you should choose “Every other week.” If you don’t want to deal with Immigration yourself, it’s best if you hire a lawyer. In the conclusion of this section, we’ll look at the overall cost of applying.
8. The Application document:
It’s essential to remember that Costa Rica immigration does not have a single standard application form. Instead, the applicant creates the application, ensuring that it meets all legal requirements. The following items must be included in the application:
- Name and nationality of the applicant, as well as their job.
- Status of your Marriage
- Name of your mother and father
- Date of Birth and place
- Point of Entry into Costa Rica
- The telephones in Costa Rica and address
9. Fill out and submit the residency application:
Once you have gathered all of your supporting documents and completed the residency application, it’s time to submit it. So, where and when should you go to file your application? You can submit your application at the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería headquarters in La Uruca or one of the other approved offices.
Migration is open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m on Saturdays and Sundays (depending on the season). Every month, the La Uruca Migracion Office is closed for the last Friday of the month.
The Department of Immigration is only receiving clients who have made a previous appointment due to Covid-19 limitations. Go to the Department of Immigration website and create an account before applying for a new application or reviewing an existing file to obtain a license.
10. Acceptance or Denial of Resident Status:
If you are accepted, the Department of Immigration will issue you with a formal resolution stating that you have been authorized to begin the final phase of the process to receive your picture identification card, known as the Cedula de Residencia.
11. With the “Caja,” you can get your Health Insurance Card:
All foreigners who reside in Costa Rica are required by the Immigration Law (Law # 8764) to contribute to the Costa Rican Social Security Medical Health Care System (C.C.S.S.), known as “C.A.J.A.” To begin, you must obtain your immigration approval first. You may then schedule an appointment at your local Caja Costar. The amount you pay is based on the income you reported in your residency application, which was the basis for your residency procedure. The percentage of the payment you declared during your residency application is between 6% and 12 percent. During the calculation, your living expenses will be considered, known as “Caja,” which means “cheque”. More information on Social Security registration may be found in my article on Costa Rica’s Mandatory Registration with Social Security.
12. Pay your Post Approval Fees to the Costa Rican Government:
After approval, you must pay a government guarantee bond, immigration services fee, and residency card processing fee. Depending on your situation, you may expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $800.
13. Make an appointment to have your residency card processed:
Once you’ve completed the residency application, you have three options for obtaining your final residency card. You can submit it straight to the Department of Immigration or mail it in at certain branches of Costa Rica’s Post Office (Correos de Costa Rica). You can also send it in at specific Banco de Costa Rica components.
You can contact the Department of Immigration’s Call Center at 1311 to schedule an appointment for your identification card after paying the bond and residency card costs. They may set up appointments for you with the Department of Immigration or any nearby authorized Post Office. If you want to deal with Banco de Costa Rica directly, call them at +(506) 6302-9198 | info@housesatcostarica.com