# Costa Rica's digital nomad visa

> Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios (Ley 10008 — "nómadas digitales") for Costa Rica: $3,000 a month income requirement, 12 months initially, $100 fee, how to apply, what it means for tax, and the official page — checked 2026-08-18.

Source: https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/costa-rica/

Costa Rica · digital nomad visa · 2026

12 months

Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios Open · checked 2026-08-18 · migracion.go.cr

Costa Rica runs the Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios (Ley 10008 — "nómadas digitales"), an initial 12 months for remote workers earning $3,000 a month.

Next step

**How we know**

Every figure here is as migracion.go.cr publishes it, checked 18 August 2026. Where a number is our own arithmetic rather than a printed figure, the row says so.

Sources are listed further down the page.

## What to know before you apply

Source-access caveat: both migracion.go.cr and pgrweb.go.cr/SINALEVI block automated access (Cloudflare / JS-rendered), so the DGME page and the SCIJ text of Ley 10008 were read through Internet Archive captures of those exact official URLs (DGME capture dated 2025-08-29). Every figure above appears in both the DGME requirements page and the statute, which agree. Source disagreement: several law-firm write-ups state a US$5,000/month family threshold; the official DGME page and Ley 10008 art. 10(a) both say US$4,000 monthly, so US$4,000 is used. Renewal also requires re-proving the same income.

## What it means for your tax days

Ley 10008 art. 16: beneficiaries have 'exención total sobre el impuesto sobre las utilidades' (Title I of Ley 7092); they are in no case treated as habitual residents of Costa Rica for tax purposes, and income received from abroad is not treated as Costa Rican-source. The exemption applies to the principal beneficiary only, not to the family group. Art. 17: exemption from import taxes on basic personal computing/IT/telecoms equipment needed for the work. Art. 22: proven false documentation means immediate payment of exempted taxes plus a 25% penalty. A visa is permission to stay; tax residency follows the days. Costa Rica treats you as tax resident once you are present 183 days Individuals who stay in Costa Rica, continuously or discontinuously, for more than 183 days — including the days of arrival in and departure from the country — during the same fiscal period are considered tax resident. — though the system is territorial, so foreign income may fall outside it. Days are not the only test: The tax administration may count sporadic absences towards the 183-day period unless the taxpayer produces a tax residency certificate showing tax residence in another country. Each spouse is assessed independently; joint filing is not permitted. The full tests and the official source are on our [Costa Rica tax-day page](https://doastretch.com/tax-days/costa-rica/).

## Sources

- [migracion.go.cr](https://migracion.go.cr/nomadas-digitales/) — official source, checked 2026-08-18
- [pgrweb.go.cr](https://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/Normas/nrm_texto_completo.aspx?param1=NRTC&nValor1=1&nValor2=95085&nValor3=126839&strTipM=TC) (official), retrieved 2026-08-18

## Questions people ask about Costa Rica

**Does Costa Rica have a digital nomad visa?**

Yes. Costa Rica runs the Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios (Ley 10008 — "nómadas digitales"), which grants an initial stay of 12 months (ley 10008 art. 15: 'el beneficio migratorio se le otorgará por un año, prorrogable por un único período de un año adicional' — one year, extendable once for one further year only (24 months maximum). to obtain the extension the holder 'deberá haber permanecido en el país un mínimo de ciento ochenta días' during the year originally granted.). Checked 18 August 2026 against migracion.go.cr.

**How much do you need to earn for the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?**

$3,000 a month — US$3,000.00 per month minimum, received from abroad, evidenced over the last year (bank statements plus sworn declaration, or certification by a public accountant/notary, legalised or apostilled). If legal stay is also requested for dependants the figure rises to US$4,000.00 per month; the household figure may be made up by combining the applicant's income with a spouse's or another family member's. Converted at the Banco Central de Costa Rica official selling rate.. That is the figure as published; check the official page for the current amount before you apply.

**How long can you stay on the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?**

12 months on the initial permission; ley 10008 art. 15: 'el beneficio migratorio se le otorgará por un año, prorrogable por un único período de un año adicional' — one year, extendable once for one further year only (24 months maximum). to obtain the extension the holder 'deberá haber permanecido en el país un mínimo de ciento ochenta días' during the year originally granted.. Stretch counts the days either way and tells you the date you must be out.

**Does a digital nomad visa in Costa Rica make you tax resident?**

Not by itself — but staying does. Costa Rica treats you as tax resident once you are there 183 days Individuals who stay in Costa Rica, continuously or discontinuously, for more than 183 days — including the days of arrival in and departure from the country — during the same fiscal period are considered tax resident., though the system is territorial. Ley 10008 art. 16: beneficiaries have 'exención total sobre el impuesto sobre las utilidades' (Title I of Ley 7092); they are in no case treated as habitual residents of Costa Rica for tax purposes, and income received from abroad is not treated as Costa Rican-source. The exemption applies to the principal beneficiary only, not to the family group. Art. 17: exemption from import taxes on basic personal computing/IT/telecoms equipment needed for the work. Art. 22: proven false documentation means immediate payment of exempted taxes plus a 25% penalty. See our Costa Rica tax-day page for the tests and the official source.

**How does Stretch help with the Costa Rica digital nomad visa?**

Log the day you land and Stretch counts the days against the permission you are on, shows the date you must be out, and reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days. It also tallies the days that count towards tax residency, so the 183-day question answers itself. The counting and the alerts are free, forever.

Other digital nomad visas

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- [Kenya](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/kenya/) 12mo
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- [Kazakhstan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/kazakhstan/) 12mo
- [Uzbekistan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/uzbekistan/) 36mo
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- [Barbados](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/barbados/) 12mo
- [Colombia](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/colombia/) 24mo
- [All digital nomad visas →](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/)

Costa Rica, the rest of it

- [Tax residency in Costa Rica](https://doastretch.com/tax-days/costa-rica/) 183d
- [Who needs a visa for Costa Rica](https://doastretch.com/visa/to/costa-rica/)
- [All visa rules by passport →](https://doastretch.com/visa/)

Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice, and this is not tax advice. Visa and tax rules change and are applied by the authority, not by an app — every figure here shows its source and the date we checked it. Checked 2026-08-18; confirm on the official page before you apply or file.