A second passport for Costa Rica is most commonly pursued through Spain, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, or Caribbean programs like Dominica to expand visa-free access and global mobility.
Costa Ricans can legally hold dual citizenship, making it straightforward to pursue a second nationality through descent, residency, or investment.
This guide covers:
Key Takeaways:
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Yes. Costa Rica fully allows dual citizenship, meaning you do not need to renounce your Costa Rican nationality when acquiring another.
This makes it easier to:
There are no major restrictions on holding multiple passports under Costa Rican law.
More Costa Ricans are leaving primarily due to rising living costs, limited wage growth, and unequal economic benefits despite overall national growth.
Recent developments like surging housing prices driven by tourism and foreign investment, along with pressure on key industries such as coffee, are making it harder for locals to maintain living standards.
While Costa Rica remains stable and attractive, some citizens choose to leave due to:
This trend is not unique as many middle-income countries experience outward migration for opportunity-driven reasons, especially when economic gains are unevenly distributed.
Most Costa Ricans migrate to the United States, which hosts the largest diaspora (around 180,000 people of Costa Rican origin as of 2021 according to Pew Research Center), followed by smaller but growing communities in Spain, Canada, and nearby Panama.
Recent OECD data also shows that about 63% of Costa Rican emigrants to developed (OECD) countries go to the United States, reinforcing its dominance as the primary destination.
Overall, roughly 150,000+ Costa Ricans (about 3% of the population) live abroad, with the majority concentrated in the US, followed by regional destinations like Panama and other parts of Latin America.
Costa Ricans typically migrate to countries with stronger labor markets or existing diaspora communities.
Spain is especially popular due to language, cultural familiarity, and the fast-track citizenship option available to Latin Americans (typically around two years of residency).
Some of the most viable Costa Rica second passport options include Spain, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, and Dominica, offering a mix of fast-track EU access, low-cost residency pathways, and quick citizenship-by-investment options.
The easiest second passports for Costa Ricans are typically from countries like Italy or Ireland (citizenship by descent), Dominica and other Caribbean states (citizenship by investment), and residency-based routes in Spain or Portugal.
These jurisdictions minimize barriers such as language, residency length, or upfront qualification complexity.
The Costa Rican passport is a moderately strong global passport, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to around 140 countries, including the Schengen Area, the UK, and most of Latin America.
| Index | Ranking | Key insights |
| Henley Passport Index | 24th | Strong regional mobility, but limited access to major economies like the US and Canada |
| Arton Capital Passport Index | 23rd | Higher score due to broader visa-on-arrival weighting and Latin America access |
| Nomad Capitalist Passport Index | 54th | Penalized for tax structure, global taxation exposure, and limited investment mobility options |
The Costa Rican passport is considered strong in Latin America and parts of Europe, but less powerful in North America and Asia-Pacific compared to top-tier EU or North American passports.
However, it has limitations:
This is why some Costa Ricans explore second citizenships to expand travel freedom, business access, and global flexibility.
Having two passports improves global mobility, financial flexibility, and long-term security by giving access to multiple countries’ travel rights, residency options, and legal protections.
Key advantages include:
It is also advisable to seek guidance from a qualified financial advisor in Costa Rica to understand tax and compliance implications of holding multiple citizenships.
Potential drawbacks to consider:
For globally mobile professionals or families, a second passport is both a strategic asset and a long-term contingency tool, but it also requires ongoing compliance management.
Choosing the right second passport strategy comes down to matching your goals with the most realistic legal pathway.
Costa Ricans typically fall into four main profiles: mobility-focused, speed-focused, cost-conscious, or ancestry-eligible applicants.
1. Mobility-first strategy (maximize travel freedom)
Best for: frequent travelers, entrepreneurs, and remote professionals
2. Speed-first strategy (fastest route to citizenship)
Best for: applicants prioritizing time and who have the financial resources to cover the required investment
3. Cost-first strategy (lowest financial barrier)
Best for: applicants focused on affordability
4. Ancestry-first strategy (fastest if eligible)
Best for: applicants with European or foreign lineage
Many applicants use a hybrid approach such as securing citizenship by descent while also building a residency-based backup plan, to maximize long-term flexibility and reduce reliance on a single pathway.
Second citizenship for Costa Ricans is ultimately a structuring decision around mobility, access, and legal flexibility.
The strongest outcomes come from aligning eligibility, time horizon, and available resources with the right jurisdictional pathway, whether that is EU residency routes, ancestry-based citizenship, or investment programs.
Faster routes typically require capital, lower-cost routes require time, and ancestry routes depend entirely on documentation strength.
Spain and Portugal remain central for long-term EU access, Caribbean programs for speed, and Italy and Ireland for eligibility-based opportunities.
A well-designed approach often combines pathways to avoid over-reliance on a single jurisdiction and to preserve optionality as immigration rules, tax regimes, and mobility agreements continue to evolve globally.
A second passport as a Costa Rican is typically obtained through citizenship by descent, long-term residency leading to naturalization, or citizenship by investment programs in select countries.
No, but you are required to carry valid identification.
For tourists, this typically means a passport, while residents can carry a national ID card.
Costa Rica is not classified as a 2nd or 3rd world country; it is generally considered a stable developing nation with strong democratic institutions and a relatively high quality of life in Latin America.
Most immigrants in Costa Rica come from nearby countries, mainly Nicaragua, followed by Colombia and Venezuela.
This is driven by regional proximity, shared language, and Costa Rica’s relative economic and political stability.