Eligibility & suitability
Who can qualify
- Applicants whose proposed investment meets the currently operative migration requirements, once verified.
- Existing beneficiaries who can demonstrate compliance with their grant and applicable transitional rules.
Restrictions & unsuitable cases
- New applicants relying solely on historical USD 150,000 advertising without confirming the current legal position.
- Applicants seeking an automatic passport or a blanket exemption for local investment income.
Application process & timeline
Start with confirmation of the current post-July-2026 legal position. The steps below show the implementation sequence, not confirmation that the historical USD 150,000 threshold remains open to every new applicant.
01Confirm the current legal gatewayFirst step before investment; no verified universal response period
Obtain current authoritative confirmation of the investment threshold, accepted category, transitional treatment and availability of any incentive. Separate a new application from an existing or pending beneficiary case.
Documents & evidence
- Applicable current legal text or written confirmation
- Prior filing or benefit decision where any
- The historical reduced threshold is not treated as automatically current.
- A tax incentive and immigration eligibility can have different transition rules.
02Review the proposed qualifying assetBefore a binding purchase or subscription
Examine title, liens, valuation, commercial terms and the evidence immigration needs. For business or fund investments, establish the exact qualifying interest and any special-law conditions.
Documents & evidence
- Title or corporate documents
- Independent valuation where needed
- Transaction terms
- Source-of-funds evidence
- Buying an attractive asset does not prove migration eligibility.
- Financing and ownership structure can change the recognised investment.
03Complete and document the qualifying investmentOnly after legal and commercial feasibility are established
Execute the permitted transaction and preserve payment and registry evidence. Confirm that the applicant can demonstrate the required investment in the accepted form and prepare the personal application records.
Documents & evidence
- Transfer receipts
- Registered ownership or investment certificate
- Passport and required civil/background records
- A reservation agreement may not prove completed investment.
- Unclear third-party funding can generate questions.
04File and respond to immigration assessmentGovernment processing varies; no verified service target
Submit the residence file through the competent channel and answer requests on the investment and applicant. Keep legal stay, work permission and intended move dates under separate review.
Documents & evidence
- Signed application
- Complete investment proof
- Current fee receipts
- Requested clarifications
- An application is not unrestricted authority to work.
- Do not assume a property closing date is a residence approval date.
05Document the grant and any authorised benefitsAfter approval under the actual resolution
Complete resident documentation and applicable insurance. If a benefit is available and granted, retain its separate approval and its permitted use, transfer and clawback conditions.
Documents & evidence
- Residence approval
- Applicable CCSS records
- Specific exemption decisions
- Importing before relief is approved can create tax liabilities.
- Status approval and benefit approval are distinct matters.
06Maintain the investment and renew or change categoryAt continuing compliance points and before residence expiry
Maintain the qualifying conditions and evidence, obtain advice before selling or changing the investment, and renew or apply for permanence when eligible. Check repayment consequences before surrendering a benefited status.
Documents & evidence
- Updated ownership and qualification proof
- Insurance continuity
- Residence history
- Benefit compliance file
- An asset sale may affect residence or trigger repayment.
- Permanence after three consecutive temporary years requires its own application.
Document checklist
Track your preparation in this browser. Final requirements depend on the route and filing authority.
An investment route with a current-law checkpoint
Law 9996 introduced an investment threshold of USD 150,000 for specified property, registered assets, shares, securities and productive or national-interest projects. Article 8 links the new investment range to the period established by the law. Article 12 separately limits entry into article 5 incentives to the first five years.
The law dates from July 2021. For an October 2026 filing, this creates a material verification point: establish the operative investment rules, the treatment of pending applications and any extension. This draft does not advertise USD 150,000 as an unconditional current offer.
What needs to qualify
The asset, its ownership, eligible value and documentary evidence must meet the current immigration framework. A property’s asking price, a company’s nominal share capital and an applicant’s total spending are not necessarily the recognised qualifying investment.
Assess the commercial investment separately. Title, encumbrances, tax liabilities, cash flow, liquidity and eventual disposal can matter long after the residence application is decided.
Sequence and documents
- Confirm the current legal route and applicable investment threshold.
- Check the proposed asset, ownership structure and valuation evidence before commitment.
- Prepare passport, civil and background documentation using the current category checklist.
- Assemble registry, accounting, funds and investment certifications as required.
- Submit the residence application and respond to evidence requests.
- Complete local documentation and calendar the investment, insurance and residence-maintenance obligations.
Costs, timing and family
The investment is capital at risk or committed to an asset, not the total cost of the engagement. Allow separately for transaction costs, taxes, government charges, authentication, translations and professional support.
Family eligibility and documentary requirements must be confirmed for the chosen category. A current official end-to-end processing estimate was not verified. Document preparation, investment completion and authority review should have separate project milestones.
Tax is a separate workstream
Law 9996 does not make an investor automatically tax resident. It also states that local investment income remains subject to the income-tax rules. Any import or other incentive needs its own eligibility and time-window review. We can help assess whether investment residence fits the wider plan before a substantial purchase becomes difficult to unwind.
Why the investment figure requires re-verification in 2026
Article 8 of Law 9996 states USD 150,000 for the period established by that law. Article 12 limits entry to specified benefits to the first five years from publication in July 2021, while protecting qualifying beneficiaries for ten years from grant. The interaction must be resolved for a new October 2026 applicant.
This guide has not verified a current extension or a binding current decision establishing the threshold for a fresh post-window application. It therefore describes the published 2021 mechanism and marks availability for verification. It does not tell a buyer that spending USD 150,000 today guarantees residence or the associated incentives.
Qualifying investment is wider than a property purchase
The statutory categories include real estate, registered assets, shares, securities, productive projects and projects of national interest. Venture-capital funds and sustainable tourism infrastructure also appear in the text. Investments subject to special legislation require individual analysis.
For a property, review registered ownership, liens, valuation and the amount actually invested. For an operating business, examine ownership, capitalization and proof of the qualifying activity. The migration investment test and the asset’s commercial quality are separate: eligibility does not establish fair value or a reliable exit.
The incentives have conditions and potential clawbacks
The law provides defined import and transfer-tax benefits and an exemption for sums declared as qualifying income, while preserving tax on income generated locally by investments. It includes repayment consequences for certain transfers, status cancellation or renunciation. These are not unconditional exemptions attached to every foreign owner.
A current beneficiary should preserve the original grant, dates and exemption records. A new applicant should price the acquisition without assuming relief until eligibility is confirmed. The broader residence law still governs temporary duration, permitted work, CCSS renewal and the application route to permanence after three consecutive temporary years.
Sources & research notes2 references
Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.
