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Costa Rica · Business & self-employment

Costa Rica Temporary Residence for a Specialised Self-Employed Worker

16 facts quoted from the official source

Temporary residence for a specialised worker who will provide qualifying services independently.

Route type
Business & self-employment
Can bring
—
Not stated in the official source
Requirements
14
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.

14 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.
  • Economic Activity PlanThe filing must identify the intended services and economic activity in Costa Rica.
  • Eligibility summaryThe regulation separately recognises specialised work performed on a self-employed basis.
  • 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.
  • Qualifications EvidenceThe applicant must establish the specialised qualifications or experience relevant to the activity.
  • Self EmployedThe activity is performed on the applicant's own account.
  • Specialised ActivityThe proposed independent activity must be specialised.
  • 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
  • Official source basisThe regulation separately recognises specialised work performed on a self-employed basis.
  • Report summaryThe regulation separately recognises specialised work performed on a self-employed basis.
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: Temporary residence for a specialised worker who will provide qualifying services independently.

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

We checked 16 points against the official source; 16 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 business & self-employment routes to Costa Rica

2 other business & self-employment routes to Costa Rica.

Special Category for Self-Employment in an Authorised Specific SectorSpecial Category for a Self-Employed Business Person
Same category, elsewhere

Business & self-employment routes in other countries

163 other countries publish at least one business & self-employment route. Nearest first.

El Salvador3 business & self-employment routes Nicaragua3 business & self-employment routes Belize2 business & self-employment routes Panama2 business & self-employment routes Guatemala1 business & self-employment route Honduras1 business & self-employment route

Does this route fit your numbers?

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