Costa Rica Nomad Visa

What is the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?

It is a special immigration status for people who work remotely for employers or clients outside Costa Rica. The law that created it, Law 10008 of 2021, calls it a stay for remote workers and service providers, and the immigration authority (DGME) runs it under the non-resident category.

The status is granted for up to one year and can be renewed once for another year. It comes with an income tax exemption on your foreign earnings, duty-free import of your work equipment, and the right to drive on your home licence.

Who can apply for the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?

You qualify if you provide paid services remotely, as an employee or as a freelancer, using digital or telecommunication tools, for a person or company located outside Costa Rica, and you are paid from abroad.

• Your income must come from outside Costa Rica and keep arriving while you live there.
• You cannot take paid work from people or companies in Costa Rica.
• DGME runs a criminal and police record check through the databases it can access, and may take biometrics.

If you do not yet have a foreign employer or client, start with remote jobs open to Nigerians, because the income has to be in place before you apply.

How much income do you need for the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?

You need at least US$3,000 a month paid to you from abroad. If you want your family included, the figure is US$4,000 a month, and the law lets you combine your income with your spouse's to reach it.

You prove it with bank statements covering the last year, plus a sworn statement that you obtained them from your bank. Instead, you can submit a certificate from a public accountant or notary. If that certificate is issued outside Costa Rica, it must be apostilled or legalised. Every foreign-language document needs an official Spanish translation.

How long can you stay, and can you renew it?

The first grant is for up to one year. A 2022 law (Law 10208) confirmed that DGME can grant less than a year if you ask for a shorter stay.

You can renew once, for one more year. To qualify, you must have spent at least 180 days in Costa Rica during the first year, and you must again show the income, the insurance and the fees. Before the status ends, you can ask to change to another immigration category if you meet its rules.

How much does it cost?

The application fee is US$100, paid to the government account at Banco de Costa Rica. DGME warns that the full US$100 must arrive net of charges, and the receiving bank alone takes US$15 on international transfers, so add both banks' fees. Each family member needs a separate payment in their own name.

After approval you pay US$90 for the residence document (DIMEX), an amount stated in your approval resolution, and a one-off guarantee deposit for non-residents. DGME does not publish the last two amounts on the nomad page.

What documents do you need?

• Signed DGME application form, plus the informed consent form for the main applicant.
• Copy of your passport photo page, and of your Costa Rican entry stamp if you are already in the country.
• A valid Costa Rican entry visa if your nationality needs one (Nigerians generally do).
• Bank statements and sworn statement, or an accountant's or notary's certificate, showing the income.
• Receipt for the US$100 payment.
• For the residence document: health insurance covering you in Costa Rica for the whole stay, with at least US$50,000 of cover for illness. Each family member needs their own policy.

How do you apply from Nigeria?

The stay is approved by DGME in Costa Rica, not by an embassy, so the main step for a Nigerian is getting into the country legally first.

1. Check your entry route. Nigeria sits in Costa Rica's third visa group, which needs a consular visa. You can skip it if you hold a multiple-entry US or Canadian visa or residence, a multiple-entry Schengen C or D visa, or a residence permit from the UK or an EU country, subject to the validity rules in DGME's visa guidelines.
2. Gather your income evidence for the last 12 months and have any certificate apostilled and translated into Spanish.
3. Pay the US$100 fee from abroad or in Costa Rica, keeping the receipt.
4. Book an appointment through the DGME web appointment portal (option for digital nomads) and file in person at DGME in La Uruca or a regional office. The DGME page has said that online filing through Trámite Ya is suspended until further notice.
5. After approval, you have three months to book your DIMEX appointment, pay the remaining fees and show your health insurance.

If you want help putting the file together, Premium membership includes nomad visa assistance.

How long does processing take?

DGME has 15 calendar days from filing to decide. Within the first five days it can send you one written request for missing items, and you then have eight working days to answer. The clock restarts when you reply, and the file is refused if you miss that deadline.

Do you pay tax in Costa Rica on a digital nomad visa?

No Costa Rican income tax is due on the foreign income covered by the status. Law 10008 and its regulation say beneficiaries are fully exempt, are not treated as tax resident while the status is valid, and their income from abroad is not Costa Rican-source income.

The exemption covers the main applicant only. A family member who wants it must apply in their own right and meet every requirement. If the status is cancelled or you overstay, the normal tax residence rules can apply. You may still owe tax in Nigeria or elsewhere. This is general information, not tax advice.

Can you bring your family?

Yes. You can include a spouse or common-law partner, children under 25, children of any age with a disability, and older relatives who live with you. The household income threshold rises to US$4,000 a month.

Each person files their own form and payment and proves the relationship, for example with a marriage certificate issued in the last six months or a birth certificate.

What to know before you move

• Working hours: Costa Rica is on UTC-6 all year, seven hours behind Lagos. A 9am start in San José is 4pm in Lagos, which suits clients in the Americas better than clients in Nigeria or Europe.
• Banking: the law lets beneficiaries open savings accounts in Costa Rican banks, subject to anti-money-laundering checks.
• Driving: a valid licence from your home country is accepted for driving in Costa Rica for the length of the status.
• Equipment: you can bring a laptop, phone, tablet, camera and similar work gear without import taxes, as long as you hold the status. If you sell them while still on the status, the taxes become due.
• Insurance: the US$50,000 health cover must last the whole stay, so check the policy end date before you renew.

If Costa Rica's threshold is out of reach, compare Panama, Colombia and Brazil.