According to statistics reported by the Civil Registry of Costa Rica, less than 69,000 naturalized citizens were properly registered in 2014. When considering the number of foreigners living in Costa Rica under various legal statuses such as temporary residents, permanent residents and perpetual tourists, those who chose the naturalization path are the minority.

 

Just like in other countries, the naturalization process in Costa Rica is not for everyone. There are numerous benefits to citizenship; the entity that ultimately grants citizenship by means of naturalization is the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Spanish initials: TSE), which may consult with the Directorate of Immigration on certain aspects such as permanence, entry and exit records, background checks from foreign countries, etc. In fact, it is important to gather these required documents prior to submitting a petition to the TSE; by doing so, the naturalization process could as little as a year to issue an approval.

 

The Ninth National Census indicates that more than half of naturalized Costa Rican citizens are originally from Nicaragua, and many of them have lived in our country for quite a few years. According to the legal professionals at Immigration Experts, a law firm specialized in immigration law with more than 20 years of experience in helping foreigners with their legal affairs in our country, the Constitution provides four paths to naturalization:

 

• Marriage: Foreigners who marry a Costa Rican citizen can petition for naturalization after a couple of years of marriage and permanence in the country. Those who choose this naturalization route are exempt from the citizenship exams, and they don’t even need a residency card.
• Residency: Foreigners who are lawful, permanent residents can petition for naturalization after five years if they have Latin American or Iberian nationalities; all other foreigners must be residents for seven years.
• Living in Costa Rica for a long time: Foreigners who have a lawful permanence of 20 years in Costa Rica may also petition for naturalization. Depending on the ties to the country, periods of quasi-legal permanence may be alleviated with a waiver under this option.
• Minors: Foreign-born children of citizens qualify for naturalization as long as they are under the age of 18, in which case their parents will handle the petition.

 

Benefits of Naturalization in Costa Rica

 

In general, naturalized citizens enjoy all the rights and benefits of those who were born in Costa Rica; however, they cannot run for the Presidential Office. Some of the benefits include passports, the right to vote, scholarships, and others. There’s no military service to worry about, and dual citizenship is available for some countries such as Canada and the United States.

 

It is interesting to note that the blue passport of Costa Rica was listed as being the 33^rd most advantageous in the world, according to a report by research firm Henley & Partners together with the International Air Travel Association (IATA). The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2016 explains that traveling with a Costa Rican passport grants entry to 133 countries that do not require a previous visa application; and many of them are popular destinations in Europe and Latin America.

 

Naturalization will come in handy for U.S. citizens thinking about renouncing their citizenship due to FATCA. The FATCA issue has been previously reported at length by The Costa Rica Star. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is a provision of a law passed by the 111th United States Congress in the midst of the Great Recession.

 

Under the provisions of FATCA, U.S. taxpayers who hold $50,000 or more in Costa Rican bank accounts are expected to report those liquid assets to the Internal Revenue Service. Shareholders in Passive Foreign Investment Companies with assets deposited in Costa Rica are required to report even more information. With FATCA, some U.S. taxpayers could be subject to 30 percent withholding, and they may face fines of up to 40 percent for failing to report or for hiding assets.

 

In the last few years, U.S. citizens who are not in agreement with FATCA have been renouncing their citizenships at embassies abroad. U.S. expats interested in doing this from Costa Rica should first become naturalized; even though it is possible to renounce U.S. citizenship and be left stateless, this is not recommended.

 

The Naturalization Exams

 

The naturalization process can be a little more complicated than becoming a resident, at least according to Luis Bolaños, a senior TSE officer who was interviewed on this matter by Josué Bolaños of La Prensa in 2014. The process includes a language and civics exam that half of petitioners do not pass on their first attempt, this was reported by the Quality Control Office of the Ministry of Public Education in 2006.

 

According to the legal professionals at Immigration Experts, petitioners who are not married to Costa Rican citizens should not be afraid of the test, which contains questions that can be answered by elementary school students. Petitioners must certainly study; one of the portions of the test includes a verbal description and opinion of literary works of two Costa Rican authors. To this effect, The Costa Rica Star recommends Carlos Luis Fallas and Carmen Lyra. Petitioners can get started on studying for the exam by reviewing the Sikua textbook online.

 

If you would like to know more about the naturalization process in Costa Rica, contact the offices of Immigration Experts:

San Jose Office:

• Tel: (506) 2290.8050 / 2290.2794
• Fax: (506) 2290.8055
• Address: One block west of Princesa Marina Restaurant, Sabana Oeste, San Jose, Costa Rica. P.O. BOX: 226-1200
• Email: [email protected]

Playas del Coco Office:

• Tel: (506) 26702021
• Fax: (506) 2290.8055
• Address: Pacifico Village Shop, Suite 20, Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
• Email: [email protected]

Playa Tamarindo Office:

• Tel: (506) 26530050
• Fax: (506) 2290.8055
• Address: El Sol Center, in front of Automercado, first floor beside Wellness Center
• Email: [email protected]