Costa Rica Work Visa 2026: Permit Rules, Documents, Fees
Costa Rica's permit for a foreigner hired by a Costa Rican employer is a special category for specific-occupation workers, Trabajadores de Ocupación Específica, granted by the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME) for one year at a time. The employer supplies much of the file. Whether you also need a visa to enter depends on which of four nationality groups you belong to. This guide sets out the permit, the documents, the fees the DGME publishes, the visa rules for Americans, Canadians, Indians and Pakistanis, and the remote-work alternative, as published by the DGME and read on 14 October 2026.
Quick answer
A job with a Costa Rican company is covered by the special category for specific-occupation workers for a legal entity, granted for one year, extendable. You need an authenticated job offer stating functions, hours and salary, plus apostilled birth and criminal record certificates, and the company must be up to date with social security, tax and occupational risk insurance. Changing from a non-resident status to any category costs US$200. US and Canadian citizens enter without a visa. Indian citizens need a consular visa and Pakistani citizens a restricted visa, unless they hold a qualifying US, Canadian or Schengen visa.
Which permit covers a job in Costa Rica
| Special category | Who it is for | Granted for |
|---|---|---|
| Specific-occupation worker for a legal entity | A foreigner requested to work for a company | One year, extendable |
| Specific-occupation worker for a natural person | A foreigner requested to work for an individual employer | One year, extendable |
| Specific-occupation worker on own account | Foreigners with a duly constituted business, or who work in specific sectors such as agriculture, construction and services, based on the country's labour needs | One year, extendable |
The DGME grants these authorisations through its Foreigners Management office (Gestión de Extranjería).
Requirements for a company job
From you
- An application for legal stay stating your details, your request, your current address and a means for notifications, signed in front of a public official or authenticated by a lawyer.
- Two recent passport-size photographs.
- Your birth certificate from your country of origin, legalised and authenticated or apostilled.
- A criminal record certificate from your country of origin or wherever you lived legally for the last three years, legalised and authenticated or apostilled.
- Copies of the passport pages with your details, your entry stamp for Costa Rica and your entry visa if your nationality requires one, certified by a notary or checked against the original.
From the employer
- An authenticated job offer stating your functions, working hours and salary, signed by the employer.
- The company must be up to date with its obligations to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).
- A certification of income, balance sheet and income statement issued by a Certified Public Accountant.
- A certification from the insurer that the company is up to date with its occupational risk policy.
- A certificate of the company's legal standing issued no more than one month before the application.
- Proof that the company is up to date with municipal taxes and taxes.
Rules for every document
- Documents not issued in Spanish need a literal translation by an official translator, or by a notary who knows the language.
- Public documents from abroad must be apostilled, or legalised by the Costa Rican Consul and authenticated by Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Applicants from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and other countries with local and federal criminal systems must provide certificates that check criminal records by name, identification number and fingerprint, where the country issues them.
- The fingerprinting receipt must be presented at the documentation stage, when your identity document is issued.
Cost
| Payment | Amount published by the DGME |
|---|---|
| Any application that changes your category from non-resident to a category set by law | US$200, or the equivalent in colones, deposited in the applicant's name at Banco de Costa Rica |
| Temporary residence application as a retiree or rentista, for comparison | US$50 |
| Remote worker stay (digital nomad) | US$100 |
The pages we read publish no separate fee for the specific-occupation worker category itself, and no fee per nationality.
Processing time
The DGME pages we read publish no processing time for the specific-occupation worker category. Companies registered with the DGME's Business Registry (Registro de Empresas) get a dedicated window and shorter resolution times for their employees' temporary residence applications. For the remote worker stay, the DGME has 15 calendar days from filing to decide.
Do you need a visa to enter? By nationality
| Passport | DGME group | Entry rule |
|---|---|---|
| United States, Canada | First group | Entry without a visa, for a maximum stay of up to 180 calendar days that cannot be extended |
| India | Third group | Consular visa, single entry. Passport valid for at least 180 calendar days. Stay of up to 30 days, extendable to 90. |
| Pakistan | Fourth group | Restricted visa, single entry. Passport valid for 180 calendar days. Stay of up to 30 days, extendable to 90. |
Nationals who need a consular or restricted visa can enter without one if they hold a multiple-entry visa or residence from the United States or Canada valid for at least one day from the day they arrive, or a multiple-entry Schengen visa of category C or D valid for at least one day. US C1, C2 and C3 transit visas are not accepted. India and Pakistan are also on the list of nationalities that need an airport transit visa to change planes in Costa Rica.
Working remotely instead: the digital nomad stay
- Who: foreigners paid from abroad for remote work, employed or not, for a person or company located outside Costa Rica.
- Income: at least US$3,000 a month, or US$4,000 a month if dependants apply too, shown with bank statements for the last year.
- Fee and filing: US$100, filed online on the Trámite Ya platform or in person at a DGME office.
- Decision: within 15 calendar days of filing.
This stay is for income from abroad. It is not a permit to work for a Costa Rican employer. For the full move, see our moving to Costa Rica guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Costa Rica work visa requirements?
For a company job: an application for legal stay, photos, an apostilled birth certificate and criminal record certificate, passport copies, an authenticated job offer with functions, hours and salary, and company certificates on social security, finances, occupational risk insurance, legal standing and taxes.
Do US citizens need a work visa for Costa Rica?
US citizens enter without a visa, for up to 180 days. To work for a Costa Rican employer they still need the specific-occupation worker authorisation from the DGME.
Can Indian citizens work in Costa Rica?
Yes, with the same work authorisation. India is in the DGME's third group, so entry needs a consular visa unless the traveller holds a qualifying multiple-entry US, Canadian or Schengen visa or residence.
What about Pakistani citizens?
Pakistan is in the fourth group, which needs a restricted visa. The same exemption for holders of qualifying US, Canadian or Schengen visas applies. An airport transit visa is needed to change planes in Costa Rica.
How much does a Costa Rica work permit cost?
The DGME publishes US$200 for any application that changes a non-resident's status to a category set by law. The pages we read show no separate fee for the work category.
How long does the Costa Rica work permit take?
The pages we read publish no processing time for the work category. Employees of companies in the DGME's Business Registry get shorter resolution times.
Do Canadians need a visa for Costa Rica?
No. Canada is in the first group, which enters without a visa for up to 180 days. Canadian applicants for a permit must provide criminal record certificates covering local and federal records.
Official sources
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería — Regularisation and migration categories (Spanish)
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería — Visas (Spanish)
- General Visa Guidelines, November 2025, La Gaceta (Spanish, PDF)
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería — Digital nomads (Spanish)
All requirements, fees and entry rules verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Information, not legal advice.