General Information
Foreigners seeking to work for a Costa Rican company must enter Costa Rica with a tourist visa - if they require one - because Consulates of Costa Rica do not issue business visas.
Your tourist visa will allow you to enter Costa Rica and stay either for 30, 60, or 90 days. Once you enter Costa Rica as a tourist, you will have two choices:
1. Conduct your business until your tourist permitted stay expires.
Business people who want to enter Costa Rica to do business for a short period of time (less than 90 days) usually enter Costa Rica with a tourist visa and conduct business without getting a temporary residency permit due to time constraints.
If your business will require you to stay in Costa Rica a bit longer than your permitted stay, you can cross the border into one of Costa Rica's neighboring countries (ensuring that the port of exit official stamps your passport with the exit seal), and come back into the country. When you re-enter Costa Rica you will be granted another 30, 60, or 90 days to stay as a tourist.
If you are a business person who requires visa issuance authorization to get a visa to enter Costa Rica and want to stay longer to finish your course or study of more than 30 days you file for an extension of stay at the Immigration Department of Costa Rica.
2. File for an Employment Temporary Residence Permit (TRP).
The employment TRP is granted to upper management executives, business people, board memebers of a foreign or international company, ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers, technicians, scientist, professionals, or people who intend to work for a Costa Rican company or an international company with offices in Costa Rica. You will be required to leave Costa Rica upon labor contract expiration.
The company must be accredited by the Immigration Department of Costa Rica. The company will be 100% responsible for your stay as well as for your departure. It takes between 90 and 180 days to process your temporary resident permit request.
Business Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) Required Documents
- Be enrolled as a full-time student in an "academic" educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program, accredited by the Immigration Department of Costa Rica;
- Be proficient in Spanish or be enrolled in courses leading to Spanish proficiency;
- Show proof of sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study; and
- Maintain a residence abroad which he/she has no intention of giving up.
Student Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) Required Documents
1. A passport valid for at least six months
2. Academic Degrees or equivalent *
3. Original Birth certificate *
4. Police record *
5. Personal letter addressed to the Director of the Department of Temporary Permits & Extension of Stays at the Immigration Department stating your name, last names, nationality, passport number, current address, area of work specialization, name of your employer (person or company), your job description, your expected salary. The letter must be authenticated by an attorney or you must sign it in front of the person receiving your application at the Immigration Department.
6. Complete employment temporary residence permit application issued by the Department of Temporary Residence Permits.
7. A recent face forward view passport sized photograph (Enclose four original photographs; Costa Rican passport size photographs are 4.5 cm high X 3.5 cm wide (1.77 in. high X 1.37 in. wide).
8. A receipt of Finger prints issuance (if older than 10 years old) taken at the Archivo Policial del Ministerio de Seguridad Publica (Police Department at the Ministry of National Security). They are open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.and are located at the Centro Comercial del Sur (Sur Shopping Center). You must bring your passport and two frontal passport size photographs.
9. Labor contract according to the Labor Code Article 24.
10. An employer letter stating the reasons why he/she wants to hire you.
11. Copy of the employer tax ID.
12. Certified copy of all pages of your passport. Each copy must bear the stamp and signature of the attorney who authenticated them.
13. Copy of all professional degrees authenticated and legalized **
14. Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Social Security Administration) certification stating that the employer is registered with them and it is current with his/her dues.
15. Additional documents may be requested at the Immigration Department's own discretion.
Once your temporary residency permit is approved you will be required to make a guarantee deposit equaled to $100.00US, then take the receipt to the Immigration Department to pick up your temporary residency permit.
If you are a professional, you will be required to register with the proper professional association in Costa Rica.
* Document is not required. However, in some cases the Immigration Department of Costa Rica will require you to submit it. Document must be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica prior to coming to Costa Rica, translated into Spanish (either in your home country by a Registered translator, by a Costa Rican translator certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, or by a Costa Rican Notary Public who speaks the language and certifies the translation), issued thirty days prior to your arrival in Costa Rica, and be no more than six months old after its issuance date.
** Document must be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica prior to coming to Costa Rica, translated into Spanish (either in your home country by a Registered translator, by a Costa Rican translator certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, or by a Costa Rican Notary Public who speaks the language and certifies the translation), issued thirty days prior to your arrival in Costa Rica, and be no more than six months old after its issuance date.
Required entry documents vary for citizens of Canada and the United States of America.
To find out if you need a visa to enter Costa Rica, please access our Visa Resource Center.
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