Moving to Costa Rica from Canada.
Every legal route from a Canadian passport into Costa Rica, with the real income floors, timelines, and documents, pulled live from the Nomad knowledge graph. Start a plan and we sequence the right one for you.
How you can move to Costa Rica from Canada
7 visa routes into Costa Rica, ranked for a remote worker planning a stay of a year or more. These routes are open to any passport, this page frames them for a mover from Canada.
| Route | Income floor | Timeline | Family & work | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia)Top-ranked route | $3,000/moRemote income qualifies | 1 year~4 wks processing · Renewable | Remote work ok, Family ok | $100 fee Official source |
| Inversionista | VariesRemote income qualifies | 2 years~14 wks processing · Renewable | Remote work ok, Family ok | $250 fee Official source |
| Pensionado | $1,000/moRemote income qualifies | 2 years~12 wks processing · Renewable | Remote work ok, Family ok | $250 fee Official source |
| Rentista | $2,500/moRemote income qualifies | 2 years~12 wks processing · Renewable | Remote work ok, Family ok | $250 fee Official source |
| Permanent Residency (Residencia Permanente) | VariesRemote income qualifies | 5 years~24 wks processing · Renewable | Remote work ok, Family ok | $250 fee Official source |
| Naturalization (Carta de Naturalización) | Varies | Varies~78 wks processing | $250 fee Official source | |
| Tourist Entry (Visa-Free) | Varies | 6 months | Family ok | $29 all-in Official source |
Canada to Costa Rica: the money facts
The Canada-side tax picture, double-tax exposure, and setup costs for this corridor.
We are verifying the Canada to Costa Rica tax picture before we publish it: your Canadian tax residency, the departure tax on unrealized gains, and whether a tax treaty covers your income. The visa routes above hold for a Canadian passport today. Build a plan and we map the Canada-side tax and setup costs to your case as this corridor lands.
Costa Rica by the numbers
Authoritative figures for Costa Rica, each linked to its source.
Sources: WorldDevelopmentIndicators, OECDRegionalDemography_PopulationDensity. Via Google Data Commons.
The corridor timeline
Six months out to landing day. Each marker becomes a checklist of tasks in your Nomad plan, 53 in all, with the documents and fees for each.
- 6+ mo outPick the routePick the destination and visa route, then start the slowest paperwork: passport renewal, apostilled background checks, civil documents, and the pet's rabies work.
- 3-6 mo outFile the visaFile the visa, line up insurance that meets the visa minimum, open a multi-currency account, and decide what you ship, sell, or store.
- 1-3 mo outBook and close outGive notice, book flights and first-month housing, schedule the movers, and start closing the accounts and registrations you will not need.
- Final monthDocuments in handConfirm the entry documents, pack a carry-on document folder, close out utilities, and set up phone and money for day one.
- LandingLand in Costa RicaRegister with the local authorities, get the tax ID, open the bank account, and start the clocks that only start once you arrive.
Turn this into your Canada-to-Costa Rica plan.
90 seconds of questions and you get your personal Costa Rica corridor: your visa route, your document list, and your timeline with real dates.