Living in Costa Rica
Essential information for British nationals residing in Costa Rica, covering topics like driving, employment, the health system and schools.
Overview
This guide sets out essential information for British nationals moving to or living in Costa Rica. We are unable to provide any guidance on general lifestyle enquiries apart from the information and links listed below. See our information on what consulates can and cannot do for British nationals.
This information is provided as a guide only. You should get definitive information from the Costa Rican authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide sets out how British nationals can stay safe abroad and how the FCDO can help if you do get into difficulty.
Before you go
See our Costa Rica travel advice for up-to-date information on entry requirements, local laws and customs, safety and emergencies.
For information regarding business prospects, see our Overseas Business Risk – Costa Rica.
Visas and residency
Check the entry requirements for Costa Rica in our travel advice.
If you are a British passport holder, you do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica. Upon entry, you will usually be given 90 days entry stamp. The practice of leaving and immediately re-entering is increasingly frowned-upon and it is becoming more common that immigration officers will give re-entrants a shorter period.
The current practice regarding penalties for over-staying are $100 per month of overstay and possibly restriction on entering Costa Rica again within a certain period.
Passports and travel
You can apply for or renew your British passport if you are visiting the UK. You can also cancel a lost or stolen passport while in Costa Rica, and apply to get an emergency travel document.
Moving to Costa Rica
Foreigners can apply for permission to work and for temporary or permanent residence. The process is complicated and professional help with applications is an advantage. For complete information, consult the Costa Rican Immigration Department’s website.
Healthcare in Costa Rica
There is a state run health system, similar to the NHS, called the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS or “la Caja”). Residents may become members and contribute monthly. Cost is assessed on an individual basis.
Tourists will not be eligible and should ensure they have adequate health insurance. British nationals who are not members of the Caja will be expected to pay for treatment. It is not significantly cheaper to use a state hospital than a private one.
Costa Rican hospitals, both state-run and private, are of a good standard. The best-known private hospitals are the Clinica Biblica and Hospital CIMA. Even quite small communities may have a local clinic called EBAIS. These provide basic preventative advice and some emergency care. Ambulances are run by the Red Cross (Cruz Roja), which is supported by charitable contributions. Some hospitals and private medical providers have their own ambulances.
Medicine
If you are on a prescription for any medication, you should ensure you have a supply of it or are able to obtain it when in Costa Rica. Most medicines prescribed in the UK will be available in Costa Rica. Normally only antibiotics, narcotics and psychotropic drugs require a prescription. Pharmacies are widely available and the pharmacists highly qualified.
Read the guidance here if you need to travel with medicines.
Working in Costa Rica
Most employers will require employees to have gained the “Bachillerato” (High School) certificate – employment options without this are limited. Those gaining undergraduate degrees in their chosen field are termed Licenciado.
Costa Rican employers and institutions will recognise UK degrees from the recognised list, but will require them to be notarised/legalised by the legalisation office and translated.
Studying in Costa Rica
If you plan to study in Costa Rica, you must meet all visa requirements before you travel. For more information about requirements, consult the Costa Rican Immigration Department’s guide here (in Spanish).
There is a state education system of ‘Escuelas’ (junior schools) and ‘Colegios’ (high schools). The private sector is large and thriving. The state universities UCR, UNA, TEC and others are highly regarded and places are much sought-after.
Tax
There are very few, if any, local benefits available to foreigners. There is no joint tax agreement with the UK so intending migrants should be aware that their UK State Pension will not increase with inflation when they take up residence here.
Nevertheless, acquiring a resident ID (Cédula de Residencia) means that National Parks, Museums and certain tourist attractions will provide discounts.
You should get professional advice on paying tax in Costa Rica. You can find an English-speaking lawyer in Costa Rica here.
Read guidance on:
Pension
If you retire in Costa Rica, you can claim your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre for further information.
Life certificates for UK State Pensions
If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you must respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you do not.
Money and banking
It is now a requirement to have a Cédula de Residencia to open and operate a Costa Rican bank account.
Accounts opened with a passport before this requirement came in may be frozen after a year’s period of grace if the holder cannot produce a Cédula de Residencia. In addition, bank accounts opened without a Cédula de Residencia will not be able to use the instant money transfer interbank system (SINPE).
Accommodation and buying property
Notably, Costa Rican law does not impose restriction upon the acquisition of property by foreign nationals. The only restriction is regarding property on the maritime-terrestrial zone, which cannot be 100% owned by non-Costa Rican nationals.
Driving in Costa Rica
See Driving abroad
If you are asked for a letter authenticating, certifying or validating your UK driver’s licence, you should contact your UK issuing office (eg the DVLA)
Guidance for on travelling by road in Costa Rica, please see the ‘Road Travel’ section of Costa Rica’s Travel Advice here.
If you wish to take your vehicle with you, see guidance on taking vehicles out of the UK.
Tourists can drive on their UK driving licence whilst legally here as a visitor. Residents must apply for a Costa Rican driving licence – this is a straight exchange – no re-test is currently required. Local driving licences can only be held if the driver also has resident ID (Cédula de Residencia).
If driving on a UK licence, the visitor’s status must be current, otherwise the licence will not be valid. Car insurance in Costa Rica relates to the vehicle and not the driver therefore any holder of a valid licence will be insured to drive. Invalid licences (see above) would invalidate the insurance.
Disabled drivers
If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Costa Rica, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority.
Voting
You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:
Births, deaths, marriage and civil partnership
Births
If your child is born in Costa Rica you should register the birth with the local authorities. You can, if you wish, then register with the UK authorities and apply for a UK birth certificate.
If your child has British nationality, you do not need to register the birth with the UK authorities to apply for British passport.
Deaths
If someone dies in Costa Rica, please read our guidance on:
- What to do if someone dies abroad
- Bereavement guidance for Costa Rica
- English-speaking funeral directors in Costa Rica
Marriage and civil partnership
Find out how you can get married or get a civil partnership abroad.
Pets
For detailed information on how to bring your pets to Costa Rica, consult the current regulations here.
Registering with the Embassy
There is no requirement from the UK Government to register yourself with the Embassy. Still, for Residency purposes (and some visas), Costa Rican authorities require proof that the applicant has registered with their own nation’s Embassy.
In the past, for British citizens, this was done by printing off proof of registration from the online “Locate” emergency management system. This approach to emergency management was found not to be ideal and has been superseded. The “Locate” system is no longer operational.
There is a solution for this requirement. British Nationals can request a “registration” document from the Consulate. This solution involves them accessing a very simple form via our Facebook page and receiving by return a printable certificate. Any citizen who does not have internet and/or email access is very welcome to contact us by telephone and we can produce a hard copy for them.
For the purposes of emergency management, the practice of trying to maintain lists of British citizens present in the country has proven to be ineffective. Many resident citizens do not register, for a variety of reasons. It has been found to be difficult for people to keep their entries up to date. There are also many tourists here for a very short time.
Experience in different crises around the world has shown that in the event of a crisis a large number of citizens present in the area have not registered. The details of many of those citizens who have registered have been found to be out-of-date. The move is towards a system where all affected citizens will be able to choose the method of contact that is most easily available to them and ensuring we can respond efficiently and effectively.
Emergencies
Dial 911 for the police, ambulance or fire brigade.
Dial the 800-8000-645 to report a missing child.
If you have been the victim of rape or sexual assault in Costa Rica, read the information for victims of rape and sexual assault. See also Victim of rape and sexual assault abroad.
List of English-speaking lawyers in Costa Rica.
If you are the victim of a crime, have been arrested or are affected by a crisis, contact the British Embassy in San José.
Read the guidance on international parental child abduction if your child may be at risk of this.
Sponsoring family members
Permanent or temporary residency is usually granted under several different categories, one of which is ‘links with a Costa Rican citizen.’ For more information, consult the Immigration Department’s website.
Returning to the UK
Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on bringing family members, tax and access to services.
Disclaimer
Please note that this information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the relevant Costa Rican authorities.
Last updated 22 June 2023 + show all updates
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Document has been completely reviewed and updated. The section on coronavirus has been removed. The Overview has been expanded with new information. A "Before you go" section has been added. The "Entry requirements" section has been renamed "Visas and residency". A "Passports and travel" section has been added. The former paragraph entitled "Guidance on bringing medication into country" has been updated and renamed "Medicines". The "Employment and recognised qualifications" has been renamed "Working in Costa Rica". The "Education" section has been updated and renamed "Studying in Costa Rica". The "Benefits" section has been updated and renamed "Tax". The "Finance" section has been updated and renamed "Money and banking". There are new sections related to "Pensions" and "Accommodation and buying property". The former "Driving licences and vehicles" section has been updated and renamed "Driving in Costa Rica." There are new sections on: Voting Births, deaths, marriage and civil partnership Pets The section on Registering with the Embassy has been updated. There are new sections on Emergencies and Returning to the UK.
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Coronavirus section added with a link to guidance on vaccines
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New section included on Registering with the Embassy .
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First published.