From Investor To Citizen: A Quick Overview Of The Process

The process to move from one category to another one could be tricky, as there are requirements and steps involved along the way, as well as different timelines for each application.

Once a Temporary Residency as Investor has been obtained, or any other category that will eventually lead to a different process and a more permanent status in Costa Rica like citizenship. Depending on your country of origin, you will need seven years (if you come from a non-Spanish speaking country) or five years (if you come from a Spanish speaking country) as a resident to request the citizenship.

In this case citizenship will be obtained through residency. It will be requested at TSE (Supreme Electorate Court), not at the Immigration Department. The end-to-end process could take between ten months to one year and a half. The following documents will be required:

• New Criminal Background Check with less than three months of issuance dully apostilled/legalized.
• Five passport size pictures.
• Special Power of Attorney: granted before Public Notary.
• Birth Certificate: it is possible to request the one that was submitted at the Immigration Department for the Temporary Residency process or obtain a new one from scratch and submit it, with the apostille or legalization attached.
• Certified copy of valid DIMEX card and passport.
• A sworn statement declaring to have never committed crimes in Costa Rica and to have good values in the community.
• Two sworn statements from two witnesses stating that they’ve known the applicant for more than ten years and can give faith of good conduct and values.

Once the documents are ready, it will be possible for to go to TSE and submit the request for citizenship. There is no need to schedule an appointment. TSE is attending the requests first time applicants without appointments to offer a more expedited process. Keep in mind that if there is a document missing or pending, an exigency notice will be notified during the appointment, and grant ten days to comply to that exigency notice. Depending on the document it will be possible to request an extension of those ten days. Nonetheless, every exigency that needs to be attended will cause further delay to the request.

Our recommendation will always be to have the applications filed once everything is done and ready to be submitted. We understand the excitement to start the process, but that excitement will cause more harm than good to an application, its resolution timeline and content. TSE is stricter that the Immigration Department and their timelines are shorter than the Immigration Department’s timelines. Therefore, it is important to have all the documents and requirements prepared and ready within their timeframe of validity.

Upon the approval notice, it shall be required to request the naturalization letter and the “cedula de identidad” (Costa Rican ID). The naturalization letter is what will make the applicant a tico or a tica officially and it is the most important document associated to the citizenship process. The naturalization letter will be sent electronically and with it, applicants will be able to request a Costa Rican passport.

Lastly, once we have the naturalization letter, we will be able to request the cedula. The cedula usually takes two-three days to be ready. Once there, an exact confirmation date to retrieve it will be provided. At that time is time to take a picture and smile and we will have officially a new citizen of the pura vida country!

For more information, please fill out the courtesy e-meeting form at the bottom. We will be glad to assist you!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the content, laws and regulations are subject to change. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please contact our office directly. Some images may be AI generated.