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Costa Rica · Residence-based status

Costa Rica Permanent Residence after Three Years of Temporary Residence

15 facts quoted from the official source

Conversion to permanent residence after three consecutive years as a temporary resident.

Route type
Residence-based status
Can bring
—
Not stated in the official source
Requirements
12
each quoted below
Who qualifies

Who this route is for

Every item below is the government’s own wording, quoted from the official source. Whether you personally qualify depends on your full profile.

12 requirements quoted from the official source.

The conditions that decide it
  • Birth CertificateA legalised or apostilled foreign birth certificate is required.
  • Character and securityA legalised or apostilled criminal-record certificate from the country of origin or legal residence during the last three years is required.
  • Consular RegistrationProof of consular registration is required.
  • Conversion RequestThe temporary resident must request conversion to permanent residence.
  • Fiscal StampsThe regulation requires the applicable fiscal-stamp payment.
  • Lawful Status When FilingThe applicant must use the filing route and maintain the immigration position required by the regulation.
  • Passport PagesAll pages of the valid passport must be supplied as a certified or authority-compared copy.
  • PhotographTwo recent passport-size photographs are required.
  • Temporary Residence YearsThree consecutive years of temporary residence are required.
  • Written RequestThe residence procedure requires a signed written request stating the applicant's details, claim, address and notification channel.
  • Fingerprints Over AgeApplicants older than twelve must provide the Public Security fingerprint record.
  • Qualifying Family IncludedThe statutory conversion also covers the temporary resident's spouse and first-degree relatives where applicable.
Also stated by the source
  • Eligibility summaryArticle 78 permits a temporary resident to request permanent residence after three consecutive years.
  • Official source basisArticle 78 permits a temporary resident to request permanent residence after three consecutive years.
  • Report summaryArticle 78 permits a temporary resident to request permanent residence after three consecutive years.
Family

Who you can bring

— Not stated in the official source. The official page for this route does not address dependent-family rights, so we do not publish a claim either way.
How it works

From here to a yes

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Apply with the official sourceThe application itself always happens with the government — the enacting authority linked below. The report points you straight at it.
FAQ

Straight answers

01Who qualifies for this route to Costa Rica?
The official source states: Conversion to permanent residence after three consecutive years as a temporary resident.

Every answer is quoted from the official pgrweb.go.cr page for this route, last read 2026-07-26.

We checked 15 points against the official source; 15 are quoted on this page. The other 0 are either not addressed by the source or not yet backed by a quote — we would rather show you the edge of the record than fill it with a plausible guess.

See the 0 open points

Fees, validity and processing time are not published in the official source for this route. We publish a number only when the official text states that number.

Not stated in the official source — the official source names no exclusion for this route.

The source

Where every quote comes from

Official government source pgrweb.go.crLast read 2026-07-26 Every quote on this page is from this Costa Rica government page.
Compiled from official sources · pending independent re-check · Last checked 2026-07-26 · Our methodology
 · Compiled by António Mira · How we verify · Not legal advice — rules change; confirm with the official source before deciding.
Same category, same country

Other residence-based status routes to Costa Rica

1 other residence-based status route to Costa Rica.

Permanent Residence Granted by the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission
Same category, elsewhere

Residence-based status routes in other countries

186 other countries publish at least one residence-based status route. Nearest first.

Panama2 residence-based status routes Belize1 residence-based status route El Salvador1 residence-based status route Guatemala1 residence-based status route Honduras1 residence-based status route Nicaragua1 residence-based status route

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