Working remotely from the beach has always been a possibility in Costa Rica but now it’s becoming more convenient. Previously you could stay in Costa Rica as long as your money held out AND you did a border run to renew your tourist visa at least every 90 days.
Now, if you have income from another country a full year “digital nomad” visa for remote work is on the way.
get a digital nomad visa | requirements | advantages | perpetual tourist
Requirements for Costa Rica’s Remote Work Visa
Basically the only requirements are proof of minimum stable income of $US3,000 per month ($4,000 for a family) for the previous year and proof of health insurance for the year you’re applying for. There will also be a significant fee for the visa but the amount is yet to be determined and it’s not clear whether it’s an application fee or only charged once you are granted admission.
The visa became law in October of 2021 but there are still some kinks to work out in the wording and implementation.
For example, the law was written with a steady paycheck in mind. The law does allow for proof by bank statement vs paycheck but many (most?) digital nomads have variable income and depending on when projects pay out might have $10k, $0 and $8k income for a three month period. That would be triple the required amount but the way the law is written would not qualify.
“Stable” may prove problematic as well since qualifying workers may not have a long term contract or position within a corporation.
Another technicality that may cause some techno expats difficulty is the requirement to prove a year of prepaid health insurance. Most coverage is paid monthly, or quarterly at most.
get a digital nomad visa | requirements | advantages | perpetual tourist
Advantages of Costa Rica’s Digital Nomad Visa
The main benefit of the new visa is eliminating the “border runs” that were previously required to maintain perpetual tourist status. Foreign drivers license validity is extended along with the permission to remain.
The other specific benefits listed in the law were always informally available but it now spells out that you can bring your computer and other work tools duty free, open a bank account and that your foreign income will not be subject to local income tax.
The visa can be extended to a second year as long as the holder has spent at least 180 days of the first year in Costa Rica.
get a digital nomad visa | requirements | advantages | perpetual tourist
How to Get a One Year Digital Nomad Visa
There is no application or review process currently in place and as mentioned above there are a few details to work out. It is not possible to actually obtain a digital nomad visa.
The General Migration and Immigration No 10008 “Law to Attract Workers and Remote Providers of International Services,” legislation was approved some time ago and the minister of immigration targeted the end of October for implementation. We’re hoping for January 2022.