Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a comparatively LGBTQ+ friendly country located in Central America, with some legal protections for trans people. It's a popular touristic destination, and so it's also pricey. It's peaceful - no army! - but crime related to drug traffic is rising.

Why Costa Rica?

• Legal gender recognition: Costa Ricans can change their name to match their gender and sex identifiers have been removed from IDs, which is not the same as gender recognition. However, there should be no issue with accepting you with whatever gender is on your passport. ILGA lists Costa Rica as unclear.
• Public healthcare: Every foreign resident in Costa Rica that has a legal residency status must pay into the Costa Rica Health Care System (CCSS, "caja") to maintain their residency status.
• Immigration pathways: Temporary Residency as Refugee, Digital Nomad, Renter, Retiree, Student, Specialized worker, married to a Costa Rican. Children born in Costa Rica have birthright citizenship, and their parents can apply for Permanent Residency as parents of a Costa Rican citizen.
• Anti-discrimination laws:
• LGBTQ+ rights and community:

Why not Costa Rica?

• There are extremely limited employment opportunities for immigrants who do not have temporary or permanent residency, which often takes several years to receive. Costa Rican citizens are generally prioritized for employment. If you need to work to support yourself, you will likely need to have a job you can do remotely prior to relocating.
• Costa Rica has a relatively high cost of living compared to other parts of Latin America.
• Accessibility:
  • Medical care needs: While Costa Rica has excellent options for medical care generally (with both a national healthcare system and a robust private system), the country is slow to permit the use of new and developing medications. If you take medication to manage a chronic illness, you may need to "regress" your care to an older generation of medication. "Expat" groups on Facebook can be a good resource to confirm whether others have been able to access medications you need and/or to find referrals to relevant medical providers.
  • Mobility: Costa Rican public and business infrastructure is very inconsistent in accessibility for wheelchair users, and spaces that are nominally wheelchair accessible are often not practically accessible. Major urban areas often have sidewalks of varying conditions, and rural areas may lack sidewalks and have poor road conditions. It can be challenging to find local transport that is wheelchair accessible.
  • Language: Costa Rican Sign Language is a partial cognate with American Sign Language.

Political Situation for Trans People

2026 will be an election year, and LGBTQ+ rights are being threatened by populist parties. Recently, president Chaves eliminated the figure of LGTBI Commissioner, teared down a decree aimed to eradicate institutional discrimination of sexually diverse people, and eliminated an anti-bullying protocol for LGBTI students.

Due to Costa Rica's dependence on the US, it is likely it will fall in line with its politics, however, it's beholden to many international treaties.

Additional Identity and Cultural Considerations

Gender and culture: Costa Rica's gender culture is influenced by Catholic and machismo gender norms. Gender expectations are generally patriarchal and traditional rigid gender roles do exist and are often upheld more strongly in rural or conservative areas.

Race and culture: Dominant Costa Rican attitudes about race include a "color blind"-adjacent perspective that ignores or minimizes racism and discrimination toward Indigenous and Black Costa Ricans.

Access to Trans Healthcare

• Gender Affirming Hormone Replacement Therapy
  • National Healthcare System: Gender affirming hormone replacement therapy is provided by the CCSS ("caja", the national healthcare system) to those who are enrolled. Expect to wait several months to a year before being prescribed HRT through this system, even if you have a documented history of HRT in your country of origin. The process to start HRT in the CCSS system involves an interview by a mental health provider as well as physical healthcare appointments and lab work. HRT includes androgen blockers, estrogen, and testosterone. If you are prescribed testosterone via the CCSS, you will need to go into the clinic to receive the injection every 2-3 weeks, as it is not provided for your home use.
  • Private Healthcare System: There are endocrinologists who manage gender affirming hormone replacement therapy through the private healthcare system. Private providers may not require you to meet with a mental health provider to continue or initiate HRT.
    • Testosterone: Testosterone is available over the counter in Costa Rican pharmacies and can be purchased without a prescription. If you choose to manage your testosterone without guidance of a medical provider, be cautious in calculating your dose and frequency as the brand of testosterone available in Costa Rica is Sostenon, which is a different formulation than is commonly used in the United States.
    • Estrogen and Progesterone: Estrogen and progesterone are both available over the counter in Costa Rican pharmacies and can be purchased without a prescription. The out of pocket cost is slightly higher than it would be in the United States.
    • More information to be added regarding access to androgen blockers.

• Gender Affirming Surgery: The national healthcare system does not currently provide gender affirming surgeries, although the Ministerio de Salud reports this possibility is under discussion currently. Costa Rica is a very small country, and there is not a robust network of surgeons who offer gender affirming surgeries. While you may be able to access a private surgeon who provides surgeries that are also common for cis people (for example, double mastectomy, breast augmentation, hysterectomy, orchiectomy), you will likely need to look at options abroad for other types of gender affirming surgery (particularly genital surgeries).
• General and Preventative Healthcare: The national healthcare system includes four gender/sex designations (cis women, cis men, trans women, and trans men), which should limit difficulties accessing needed general and preventative healthcare based on gender marker (for example, pap smears or prostate exams). In both the national and private healthcare systems, it is common for providers to have little prior experience with trans populations but to provide care respectfully.
• Fertility care: For those looking for fertility preservation or other fertility care, there are several private medical centers that provide these services (Centro Fecundar, Clínica Biblica, and Azul Fertility). Azul Fertility advertises its services as being LGBTQ friendly, but there are anecdotal reports of the clinic illegally refusing to provide care to trans people.

Immigration Policy

A US citizen can stay in Costa Rica for up to 180 days without a visa. For longer stay a residence permit must be established. It's very common for foreigners to do a "border run" by briefly leaving the country and then returning while waiting for residency approval. In February 2025, a Costa Rican political party brought a proposal to reform immigration law which would limit this type of "visa run" by prohibiting visitors from returning to Costa Rica for a period of time after leaving the country. This reform is currently only a proposal and may not take effect.

• Tourist: You must provide:
  • A valid passport or travel document. Passports and travel documents will only be accepted if they can be read electronically in line with the guidelines established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and must be valid for the period set forth in these guidelines.
  • Proof of economic means, with a minimum of US$100.00 (one hundred US dollars) per month or partial month of legal stay in the country.
  • Return ticket to the country of origin or plan of onward travel that includes the next destination.
  • No impediment to entering Costa Rican territory.
  • Note that US nationals do not require a Visa.
• Refugee: Due to based fears of persecution for motives for race, religion, nationality, gender, belonging to a group or political opinions, for someone outside the country of nationality and that can't, or for those fears, don't want to rely on the protection of such country.
  • You need to get an appointment here, and have the appointment within 30 days of your entry.
  • It should give you a provisional document for 2 years until the refugee status resolves.
  • This provisional document also allows you to work.
• Digital nomad: You must show proof that you receive a monthly salary of at least $3000 USD, or $4000 USD if you're coming with someone who will depend on you financially. You can bring your children under 25 years old or older children if they are disabled.
  • Create an account here or visit an immigration office while you're legally in the country.
  • Pay $100 USD, bring your passport and bank statements.
  • You need to bring official translations to Spanish of any supporting documents: birth records, marriage licences, medical records for children over 25 with disabilities.
  • You'll need medical insurance for $50.000 USD.
• Temporary resident: Residency requires an report of good conduct stating you lack a criminal record. Allows you to work legally. If you're:
  • Married to a Costa Rican.
  • A religious official from a registered congregation.
  • An executive, manager, or technical employee with a salary - need a contract from a local company.
  • A specialized independent worker.
  • An investor ($200,000 USD in a local business or property)
  • A scientist or an intern.
  • An accredited athlete.
  • An international press correspondent.
• Renter:
  • You can prove you receive $2,500 USD per month of income in a permanent, stable and irrevocable manner for at least 2 years or at least $60,000 USD in a local bank.
• Retiree:
  • If you can demonstrate a lifetime pension source of income of at least $1,000 USD per month.
• Student:
  • Need to have been accepted in a local academic institution.
  • You can't work legally.

Medical Inadmissibility

As part of the residency application process, applicants must undergo a medical examination to ensure they are in good health. This examination includes tests for infectious diseases and general health screenings. It is important to have a clean bill of health to qualify for residency in Costa Rica.

Permanent Residency

You can apply to become a permanent resident if:

• You've been a temporary resident for 3 years.
• Are a next of kin with a Costa Rican (parents to a Costa Rican child, for example).
• Your refugee status has been confirmed.

Citizenship Pathway

You can opt to become a naturalized Costa Rican citizen once you've resided in the country legally for 7 years. You will need to learn basic Spanish and demonstrate knowledge of the country's culture.

Both Costa Rica and the United States allow dual citizenship, so it is possible to keep US citizenship while seeking Costa Rican citizenship.

LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities

• San José: The capitol city. The majority of Costa Ricans live in San José and the surrounding cities (the "Central Valley") and there is generally a 'live and let live' attitude here. More progressive areas of the city include:
  • Downtown San José and Barrio Escalante are the neighborhoods with the most established LGBTQ nightlife.
  • San Pedro is the University District of the city and known as a more socially progressive area.
  • Escazú and Santa Ana are wealthier neighborhoods with a higher presence of international immigrants and a socially tolerant reputation.
• Manuel Antonio/Quepos: A small beach town on the Pacific coast that is known as a LGBTQ-friendly location, boasting two gay bars and light cruising at one beach.
• Nuevo Arenal: A small mountain town on Lake Arenal, this community includes a number of English-speaking immigrants and has a LGBTQ-friendly reputation.
• Monteverde/Santa Elena: A small town in the mountainous cloud forest. This community has high rates of international eco-tourism as well as a history of English-speaking Quaker settlers and is generally LGBTQ-friendly.

Top Trans-Friendly Cities

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Community & Support Resources

Local or community-specific organizations:

• Gay/LGBT Expats Costa Rica: A Facebook group for connecting with other LGBTQ immigrants to Costa Rica.
• Asociación de Diversidad de Género Puntarenas: An organizing and social group of primarily trans women in Puntarenas, the capitol city of the Puntarenas province.
• Síwo Alâr Hombres Trans Costa Rica: An organizing and social group of primarily trans men and trans masculine people, mostly located in the Central Valley (San José and surrounding areas).
• Amor a la Diversidad Tilarán: An organizing group largely of family and friends of LGBTQ people in the rural Tilarán area of Guanacaste.
• Monteverde Diverso: This Monteverde/Santa Elena group coordinates annual Pride events as well as other LGBTQ community events throughout the year.

National Organizations

• TransVida is a national organizing group for trans rights.
• PRIDE Costa Rica coordinates the annual national Pride march.
• EQUAL Sin Fronteras shares LGBTQ-related news.

Cost of Living

• The cost of living in COUNTRY is how comparable to the US/where in the US?
• Rent is…
• Public transport …
• Healthcare is free/expensive…
• Grocery prices …
• Education is

Housing Access & Cost

• add details on discrimination in rentals if applicable
• also how easy is it to rent/buy etc

Law Enforcement ("How bad are the cops?")

• Costa Rican culture and police: In general, rates of police violence are very low in Costa Rica. The government abolished the army in 1949, which has contributed to the current status of very little gun presence and very little militarization of police forces. There are distinct branches of police with various responsibilities (for example, traffic enforcement vs investigating crimes), which decentralizes the importance of police as a political force relative to US culture.
• Treatment of foreigners: Anecdotally, English-speaking foreigners are generally expected to be tourists or "expats", and therefore lightly ignored or treated relatively gently by police, as there is pressure to maintain an image of Costa Rica as a very tourist-friendly destination. Non-English-speaking foreigners may or may not experience more scrutiny than Costa Rican citizens depending on other social privilege factors like race, class, and nationality (for example, a traveler from Spain or Argentina is likely to be treated more respectfully than a Nicaraguan immigrant or a Haitian refugee).
• Is ____ legal? Many activities that are often criminalized, such as sex work and possession of substances, are technically legal or exist in a legal grey space (for example, technically illegal but carrying no penalties).

Censorship & Digital Privacy

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Ease of Travel to Other Countries

• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Colombia
• Guatemala
• Mexico

Animal Policies

• Costa Rica is pet-friendly. Take extra precautions with them if you plan to live in a rural area. A recurrence of screw worm outbreak in 2024 puts dogs at increased health risk.
• These are the requirements to bring a cat or a dog into Costa Rica. Your airline may have others.
  • An official paper or electronic certificate, it is accepted in English. Must state:
    • Pet’s information: breed, sex, color, age and pet’s identification.
    • Name and address of the exporter.
    • Name and address of the consignee.
    • Means of transport.
    • Name and signature of the Official Veterinary Doctor, stamp of the Competent Authority and date of issue.
    • Declaration: The dog / cat was examined by a licensed veterinarian, who determined that the animal was healthy, that it did not show tumors nor fresh wounds or wounds in the process of healing, and that it was free of ectoparasites as well as signs of transmissible diseases pertaining to the species. This examination should be conducted within 2 weeks of the departure date.
    • Dogs need to have to be vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis.
    • Cats need to have to be vaccinated against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.
    • Dogs and cats over 3 months of age must be vaccinated against rabies.
  • For pets that are transported and declared as cargo the importer or representative must hire a custom broker agency in Costa Rica, which will be in charge of requesting the prior import permit (Sanitary Requirements Form) before pet arrival, in order to clear the pet at customs.