.Are you married to a Costa Rican citizen? If so, you may qualify for Residency For Spouses Category. Foreigners who marry a Costa Rican resident are eligible for Temporary Residency, according to current immigration laws. Your marriage must be registered with the Civil Registry (Registro Civil).
Not married yet? No worries, we can assist you with the ceremony as well. The process is fast and straightforward. All you need is the presence of 2 witnesses at the ceremony and be ready for an interview performed at the Immigration Department. A lawyer registers the marriage with Costa Rica’s National Registry, which issues an official marriage certificate after the ceremony. Civil marriages legally conducted in Costa Rica are valid worldwide.
Click HERE for more information about getting married in Costa Rica.
What do you need to get your Residency as a Spouse of a Costa Rican citizen?
Requirements:
• Must provide documentary proof of the marriage’s validity (photos of the wedding and other events, proof of cohabitation, and communication between spouses – phone records, e-mails, etc.);
• Must be in Costa Rica at least 1 day per year.
Specifications:
• Temporary Residency for Spouses – valid for 1 year, renewable;
• Can apply for permanent residency without conditions after 3 years;
• Can work as an employee or independent worker;
• Can own a company and receive dividends.
Documents*:
- Criminal Background Check;
- Birth Certificate;
- Marriage Certificate;
- Application Form and Cover Letter (CRIE will complete this for you);
- Consular Registration (we will do it for you);
- Fingerprints (we can assist you with this);
- Eight passport-size photographs;
- Three copies of the Costa Rican spouse’s national ID (cédula de identidad) front and back.
* – All the documents should be apostilled in your country of origin (if your home country is not part of the Apostille Convention, the documents should be authenticated or legalized in the Embassy of Costa Rica in your country of origin).
Fees & Expenses
$1850 (primary applicant),
$850 (child)
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).
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), and Caja Registration).
For the details, click HERE
*Taxes are not included in the price
*All prices are 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).