Many people think they can move to Costa Rica and work part-time to supplement their pension. With a few exceptions you can’t work in Costa Rica without getting legal permanent residency first. The country does not allow non-resident foreigners to work as employees. Employment laws are designed to protect local workers by preventing foreigners from performing jobs that a Tico or permanent resident expat might do.

To work in Costa Rica you need to be a permanent resident. With other residency such as rentista (investor) or pensionado (retired), you can own a business but you cannot work in the business (your activity is limited to managing the business). Instead you will need to hire Costa Ricans or permanent residents for the labor.

There are a few exceptions. Highly-skilled people working in a certain field  might be one. An employer can apply for a work permit, usually for up to one year. The Ministry of Labor (Ministerio de Trabajo) maintains a list of professionals and skilled labor that it seeks from time to time.

Here’s a good exception for non-resident expats — work online for a company in your home country. If you are physically living in Costa Rica but work online for an employer outside its border, the work is likely legal as long as payment comes from there and your work is unrelated to Costa Rica. This might include writing, IT consulting, web design, translation, and sales/telemarketing, creating a virtual business or online drop-shipping company. When in doubt, consult a local attorney. Better still? Apply for and obtain legal residency.

Source: qcostarica.com

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Tags: expat, immigration, Ministry of Labor, pensionado, rentista, residency