It doesn’t matter if you have been traveling for a while in Costa Rica and thinking of staying a little longer. Or maybe you are planning from your home country how to visit Costa Rica for an extended period. You both have very similar questions about staying for a more extended period in Costa Rica. Here is where the “Digital Nomad Costa Rica Visa” enters the equation.
At Your Costa Rica Adventure, we are no legal experts, but we reached out to some of them. The guys from Legal Costa Rica explained plenty of things about this to us. We will make a summary of things here, but if you want to learn and even request their help, you can visit their website here: Legal Costa Rica.
What is a Digital Nomad Visa in Costa Rica?
The Costa Rican government created this Visa to increase the number of long-term tourists. By applying for this Visa, you will stay for one year. If you want to stay longer, you can use every six months to extend that period.
Benefits from Costa Rica’s Digital Nomad Visa?
- Legal permit to stay in Costa Rica for up to 12 months or even 24 months if you extend your Visa.
- You will be able to open bank accounts.
- Use your country’s driver’s license during your complete stay in Costa Rica.
- You won’t have to pay your income tax during the time of your Visa.
- Chance to really visit the entire country, learn more about the culture and who knows, maybe be a tico or tica in the future.
- You don’t pay import taxes on your business equipment.
Main Requirements
Well, we all hate paperwork. The good thing here is that you won’t have to do much. The most important thing here is to get proof of minimum stable income (between 3,000 USD to 4,000 USD, depending on the size of the family) for the previous year. This value must be consistent during the whole year.
The second paperwork you need is proof of medical insurance. This medical insurance should cover you for at least 12 months.
Since this is a relatively new Visa, chances are they might add new requirements, so in case you are wondering, here is the phone of the office in Costa Rica in charge of this (+506) 2299-8100. But if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact Legal Costa Rica.
How long does it take to do the process?
It depends on how fast you can put together the main requirements. But after submitting the paperwork, it typically takes up to 15 days for the country to approve or deny your application.
So, there you have it! You can stay in this beautiful country more time than the usual tourist and get to know the authentic culture of Costa Rica during that time. And in the future, once you have your Costa Rican Digital Nomad Visa, don’t forget to come back and learn about new places you can visit!
