Costa Rica
Estancia – Digital Nomad Visa (Law 10008): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes. Costa Rica's digital nomad visa, the Estancia created by Law 10008, requires proof of medical insurance of at least $50,000 covering your entire authorized stay before it is granted. Each applicant, including every family member, must hold their own qualifying policy. The cover can come from an international insurer or one licensed in Costa Rica. It is a hard entry condition, not a recommendation.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Insurance certificate showing the coverage amount ($50,000+), validity dates covering the full stay, and the insured's name. International or SUGESE-licensed policies accepted. |
Each family member must hold their own policy. The visa runs one year and renews once for a second; renewal requires at least 180 days of physical presence during the first year. Income of $3,000/month ($4,000 with family) is also required. The $50,000 figure is set in the implementing decree (Decreto 43619); migracion.go.cr blocks automated fetching, so it is cross-checked against the official tourism board and the published decree text.
Who qualifies for the Costa Rica nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- $3,000/mo
- Length of permit
- 12 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer, Business owner
$4,000/mo if you bring dependants. Renewal needs 180+ days in-country in year one.
Tax
Foreign-earned income is exempt; all income must come from outside Costa Rica.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
Costa Rica's digital nomad visa (the Estancia under Law 10008) requires proof of at least US$50,000 in medical insurance covering the entire authorized stay, with each family member holding their own policy; international or SUGESE-licensed insurers are accepted.
Our take
The $50,000 floor is low next to what a real hospital emergency or an air-ambulance flight home actually costs, so treat it as the minimum for the paperwork, not the ceiling for your protection.
The cheaper a policy is while still printing "$50,000" on the certificate, the more carefully you should read its exclusions. Buy for the stay you actually plan, then make sure the certificate proves the number immigration wants to see.
What happens if you get it wrong
Without a compliant policy on file the application is refused, because insurance is one of the documented conditions for approval, not a formality added later.
A policy that covers you but cannot show $50,000 and the full stay dates in writing is treated the same as no policy. Let cover lapse mid-residency and you lose the basis the visa was granted on.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Costa Rica without insurance?
Off a kerb, off a bouldering wall, off a wet bathroom floor. No admission, just a bad afternoon.
| Emergency room, on arrival | $250–$1,500 |
| X-ray to confirm the break | $40–$90 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $290–$1,590 |
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
At least $50,000 in medical coverage, valid for the entire authorized stay. Every family member on the application needs their own policy at the same minimum.
No. The regulation accepts an international medical policy or one from an insurer licensed by Costa Rica's regulator, SUGESE. Many applicants use an international plan.
One year, renewable once for a second. To renew, you must have spent at least 180 days in Costa Rica during the first year.
A stable average of at least $3,000 per month over the prior year, or $4,000 if you bring family.
You must keep qualifying cover for the whole period, and renewal expects the conditions, including insurance, to still be met.
How to apply
- Processing time
- About 15 working days for the resolution; you are notified within a few days if documents are missing.
- Government fee
- US$100 application fee (per Article 256 of the immigration law), plus US$90 for the legal-stay documents on approval; the DIMEX ID card carries a further small fee.
- Where to apply
- Online via the government Tramite Ya platform, or in person at the Direccion General de Migracion (La Uruca, San Jose) or a regional office. It is a distinct immigration category (Estancia under Law 10008), not a tourist extension, and can be applied for from abroad or while in Costa Rica.
- 1
Assemble proof of stable foreign income of at least US$3,000 a month (US$4,000 if you bring dependents), averaged over the past year, plus medical insurance covering your stay in Costa Rica.
- 2
Pay the US$100 application fee to the state bank (Banco de Costa Rica) and keep the receipt, as it is required by the application.
- 3
Submit the application online through the government's Tramite Ya platform, or in person at the Direccion General de Migracion in La Uruca (San Jose) or a regional office.
- 4
Wait about 15 working days for the resolution, and respond fast if they notify you of missing documents, which usually happens within the first few days.
- 5
On approval, pay the US$90 stated in the resolution for the legal-stay documents, then within three months register your biometrics at a Migracion office to be issued your DIMEX residency ID card.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Costa Rica publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least $50,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
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