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Costa Rica · Residence-based status

Costa Rica Permanent Residence Granted by the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission

15 facts quoted from the official source

Exceptional permanent residence where the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission grants it under its statutory authority.

Route type
Residence-based status
Can bring
—
Not stated in the official source
Requirements
11
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.

11 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.
  • Commission DecisionA favourable decision of the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission is indispensable.
  • Consular RegistrationProof of consular registration is required.
  • Exceptional AssessmentThis is an exceptional authority-led assessment rather than a generally claimable points route.
  • 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.
  • 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.
Also stated by the source
  • Approval DiscretionaryNo approval is automatic without the Commission's exercise of its statutory power.
  • Eligibility summaryArticle 78 allows permanent residence to a foreign person to whom the Commission grants that status.
  • Official source basisArticle 78 allows permanent residence to a foreign person to whom the Commission grants that status.
  • Report summaryArticle 78 allows permanent residence to a foreign person to whom the Commission grants that status.
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: Exceptional permanent residence where the Restricted Visas and Refuge Commission grants it under its statutory authority.

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 after Three Years of Temporary Residence
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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