Temporary Residence Application Process Amended for Some Foreign Nationals and Dependents

Effective immediately, foreign nationals and their dependents over age 12 who travel to Costa Rica prior to filing the Temporary Residence for Accredited Companies application must appear for fingerprinting at the Costa Rican Police Department before they file their own respective application.  In such cases, foreign nationals and all dependents regardless of age must also register at their home country consulate in Costa Rica before their own respective application is filed. Previously in such cases, fingerprinting and consular registration could be completed after Temporary Residence approval, before obtaining an identification card.

Dependents’ Social Security Registration

Additionally, following approval of the Temporary Residence application and prior to identification card registration, the main applicant’s spouse and children age 18 and over must now complete social security registration in Costa Rica. Previously, dependents of executives of accredited companies could submit the principal applicant’s social security registration with their identification card application, without registering themselves.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals and dependents traveling to Costa Rica prior to the submission of their Temporary Residence application(s) should submit their fingerprints and register at a consular post before their respective application is filed. This adds an administrative burden to the application process. If a preliminary trip is not feasible, please consult your immigration professional to review other options.

Applicants who do not travel to Costa Rica prior to the filing of their application are not affected by this change. Their applications will be subject to the same process as before, which involves submission of an executed and authenticated offer letter from abroad prior to the filing of the Temporary Residence application, and submission of fingerprints and completing consular registration after arrival.

Dependent spouses and children age 18 and over face an added administrative step of registering at a local social security clinic in Costa Rica, known as EBAIS.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].