Many expats and immigrants ultimately take the final step of immigration to Costa Rica and become naturalized citizens. First, you need to pass through Temporary and then Permanent Residencies before applying for Citizenship (Naturalization). By the way, if you have a Costa Rican parent or a child, you skip the Temporary step in this case. A good thing about getting Citizenship – you don’t need to renew it, like Temporary or Permanent Residency status. Moreover, you get your Costa Rican passport, have your guarantee deposit back, can come and leave the country without any restrictions, etc. Above all, Costa Rica permits dual Citizenship!
To get more information about the benefits of Citizenship, please click HERE.
Citizenship by Residence
• 7 years living in Costa Rica as a legal resident (5 years if you are a citizen of a Central American country, a citizen of certain Latin American countries, or a Spain citizen by birth);
• You must prove you have lived in Costa Rica for the accumulated time through the record of immigration entries and exits;
• 2 character witness declarations;
• Financial means of living proof, such as an income certification from a CPA;
• Birth certificate from home country, Apostilled or Legalized (in most cases, you can omit this requirement if it is in your immigration file);
• A Criminal Record Check from the home country, Apostilled or Legalized, issued within the last 3 months.
• Completion of citizenship test – Spanish and social studies (applicants aged 65 and over are exempt from this test).
Citizenship by Marriage
• 2 years living in Costa Rica, married to a Costa Rican citizen;
• Proof that you have lived in Costa Rica for the accumulated time through the record of immigration entries and exits.
• Birth certificate from home country, Apostilled or Legalized;
• A Criminal Record Check from the home country, Apostilled or Legalized, issued within the last 3 months.
Fees & Expenses
$1750 (per applicant),
$1450 (seniors 65+)
Apart from our service fees, please keep in mind that there will be Government Fees and some additional expenses (such as translations into Spanish, Immigration Appointment, Local Fingerprints Appointment, ID card – DIMEX, Guarantee Deposit (refundable), Caja Registration).
For the details, click HERE
*Taxes are not included in the price
*All prices subject to change without notice
TIME EXTENSION FOR SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS
You have 90 days to submit all required documents to Immigration (DGME) once an application case file is opened. Let’s say a residency applicant has difficulties obtaining documents within the allotted 90-day period, and we can help. In this case, CRIE can request 1 extension of time to submit the documents (at the cost of $100 USD per time extension request).
IMPORTANT:
If we need to submit a time extension request on your behalf, you must pay for it promptly or risk having your case file thrown out by Immigration (DGME).
