Residency & Immigration
From choosing the right category to receiving your DIMEX card.
- Pensionado and rentista
- Digital nomad visa
- Investor residency
- Residency through marriage or family ties
- Renewals, permanent residency and citizenship
Residency · Business · Property · Family law in Costa Rica
Make Costa Rica home, with clarity.
You came for the nature, the climate and a slower way to live. I handle the legal side of your move personally, as your Costa Rican attorney and notary, wherever in the country you choose to settle.
Hinweis: Beratung und Dokumente auf Englisch oder Spanisch. Diese Seite ist auf Deutsch, damit Sie sich vorab in Ruhe informieren können.
Licensed attorney and notary
English and Spanish
Written plan before you commit
Urgent matters, seven days a week
Anywhere in Costa Rica
Ostional: an olive ridley turtle returns to the sea after nestingPhoto: Mariana Zúñiga, 2026
Sunset over the PacificPhoto: Mariana Zúñiga, 2026
Waterfall in the cloud forestPhoto: Mariana Zúñiga, 2025Ad altiora semper
Always toward the highest
Altiora takes its name from this Latin motto. To me it is a way of working: the highest standards of honesty, care and respect for life, in every case, and helping each client move toward the life they came here to build.
Why clients come to Altiora
Moving here is a legal process. It should feel planned, not uncertain.
The process is in Spanish
Requirements, forms and notices from Costa Rican institutions arrive in Spanish. I explain each one in plain English before you sign or send anything.
Most delays start with documents
An expired certificate or a missing apostille can set a file back months. Every document is reviewed before it is filed, not after DGME asks for it.
You should know where your case stands
You receive an update on a fixed day, from the attorney handling your case. You never have to chase anyone for news.
Services
One attorney for your whole life here.
Moving is only the beginning. You will hire people, open a business, buy a home and, sometimes, face family changes. One attorney and notary handles all of it, so nothing falls between offices.
Business & Employment
For investors and entrepreneurs who want to build something here, and do it right.
- Company formation and annual compliance
- Hiring staff: contracts, CCSS employer registration, payroll obligations
- Health permits (Ministerio de Salud) and municipal licenses
- Commercial and service contracts
- Everyday questions, answered in a short consultation
Property
Due diligence and closings, with a notary who explains every page.
- Title and lien review in the National Registry
- Option and purchase contracts
- Deeds and registration
- Rental agreements
- Reports in English
Family & Notarial
Life here also means weddings, agreements and, sometimes, separations. Handled with care and discretion.
- Marriages before a notary
- Separation agreements and mutual-consent divorce
- Child support and custody
- Powers of attorney, sworn statements and certified copies
- Wills
Relocation
More than a lawyer: your trusted partner for everything Costa Rica.
Moving here is not only paperwork. It is a bank that asks for one more document, a clinic appointment you don't know how to request, a pet that needs permits, a lease written in Spanish.
I have advised clients on all of it, not only the legal side. I spent seven years working inside the CCSS and five in the judicial branch before practicing law, so I know how the system works from the inside, and how to get things done in it. Since 2022 I have guided clients from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, and learned what each of them needs when they arrive.
From the simplest question to the most complex case, you have someone to call.
Banking
Opening a Costa Rican bank account: which documents each bank asks for and how to prepare them.
Health coverage
CCSS enrollment, private insurance options and how the public system works for residents.
Driving
Driver’s license, buying a car and vehicle transfers before a notary.
Your pets
Bringing your dog or cat: health certificates, import permits and arrival steps.
Home
Reviewing leases, utilities in your name, and what to check before you rent or buy.
Daily life
Schools, the tax office, the post office and the small questions nobody else answers.
How it works
Five steps from first call to your DIMEX card.
Plan
A 60-minute session on your goals, income and family. You receive a written plan within 48 hours.
Prepare
An exact document checklist. Every apostille and translation is reviewed before anything is filed.
File
Your application goes to DGME, and any request for more information is answered for you.
Follow up
A status update on a fixed day, so you always know what is happening and what comes next.
Settle in
CCSS registration, your DIMEX card, and the next steps: property, a company, a will.
Where we work
Wherever your new life is.
The office is in Rohrmoser, San José. Meetings, signings and document pickups happen where clients live, from Guanacaste to the Osa Peninsula, with scheduled visits to the areas where most newcomers settle.
And anywhere else in the country by appointment. Video calls for everything in between.
About
When you work with Altiora, you work with me.
I'm Mariana Zúñiga Trejos, a Costa Rican attorney and notary. I have handled residency files before Costa Rica's immigration authority, formed companies through the National Registry, drafted property deeds, and brought foreign-owned companies into compliance with Costa Rican law.
Before law I spent years in public service, and later built legal operations for organizations handling hundreds of cases at a time. That is where I learned what clients value most: a clear plan, honest timelines, and someone who answers.
I'm also a mother, a lifelong lover of animals, sport and the outdoors, and a conservationist at heart. I've spent nights on the beach in Ostional watching sea turtles nest. I understand why people fall in love with this country, and I want your move here to protect what brought you.
Respect for lifeHonestyClarityCommitment
Attorney, Colegio de Abogados de Costa Rica, carné 34744
Notary public
English and Spanish
Mariana Zúñiga Trejos
Questions
What clients ask first.
Do I need a lawyer to apply for residency?
Not legally. Many people hire one because the document requirements, translations and follow-up with DGME are detailed and in Spanish. In your session I'll tell you honestly whether you need full representation or only guidance.
How long does residency take?
It varies with DGME's workload and with how complete the file is. Your written plan gives a realistic range, and each update tells you where the file stands.
Can you guarantee approval?
No attorney can ethically guarantee an outcome. My job is to make sure your application is complete and correct, and to tell you about any risk before you file.
How are fees charged?
Each service has a fixed fee by stage, agreed in writing before work begins and set in line with Costa Rica's official fee schedule for attorneys and notaries. Government fees, apostilles and translations are listed separately, and you pay institutions directly.
Do you come to where I live?
Yes. Besides the Rohrmoser office in San José, I meet clients in Guanacaste, the Nicoya Peninsula, the Central and South Pacific, Monteverde and the Caribbean on scheduled dates, and anywhere else by appointment. Travel costs are quoted in advance.
Start here
Start with a plan.
The Residency Strategy Session is a 60-minute meeting, in person or by video, to decide the right path before you spend money on documents.
- Review of your goals, income, family and timeline
- The residency category that fits, and the ones that don't
- Your document checklist and where to request each item
- A written plan within 48 hours
- The session fee is credited to your package if you hire Altiora within 30 days
Free 15-minute introductory callWe talk about what you need, I explain the process and the fee, and you decide whether a full Strategy Session makes sense. This call is not legal advice.
Urgent matters, seven days a week.