What is the Guarantee Deposit?

The Guarantee Deposit in Costa Rica is a prudent step if the government needs to deport you back to your home country.

The purpose of the Guarantee Deposit is for the Costa Rican Government to have available funds to send you back home should you be deported for any reason. You will have to pay it right after Immigration approves you, and the deposit amount is stated in your Approval Resolution from Immigration.

Amount of the Guarantee Deposit

The amount of the Guarantee Deposit depends on your country of origin. Before, amounts were typically in the $300 USD range for all countries. These amounts were considered obsolete and should consider the total cost of one-way airfare to the home country during high season. As such, a study was conducted, and a rate was set for each origin country.

Some examples are:

United States: $361 USD
Canada: $483 USD
Europe: from $1,061 USD (Spain) to $2,882 USD (Iceland)

See the complete Resolution from Migración (in Spanish) starting on page 7, with the country tables starting on page 10.

Remember that this deposit is refundable. You can apply to have it returned to you should you end your residency in Costa Rica or if you become a citizen of Costa Rica through naturalization.

Also, foreign residents make the Guarantee Deposit again when converting their temporary residence into a permanent residence. Once the permanent residence is established, you can then apply to have the original deposit returned to you.

Conclusion

The Guarantee Deposit’s purpose is to ensure that the Costa Rican government has enough money to send you back home if you are deported. After Immigration gives you the green light, you’ll have to pay it immediately. The deposit amount will be written in your Approval Resolution from Immigration.

-Written by Glenn Tellier (Founder of CRIE and Grupo Gap).

[email protected]

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Alan

Posted February 13, 2023 12:48 pm 0Likes

I ended my residency, what is the process to apply to have the guarantee refunded?

Thank you

- admin
  
  Posted February 13, 2023 5:38 pm 0Likes
  
  In order to cancel your migratory status and receive your guarantee deposit you’ll need to present a letter with your details indicating your desire to cancel your migratory status and that you are requesting the return of your guaranty deposit. You will need to present it to the Plataforma de Servicios, Puerta 4. Before requesting it, you need to arrange your appointment via calling 1311 or via website of Immigration. This whole process will take a few months.
  
  - admin
    
    Posted March 1, 2023 8:00 am 0Likes
    
    yes that is true.
    
- admin
  
  Posted March 1, 2023 8:02 am 0Likes
  
  You must submit a letter with your information stating your wish to revoke your migratory status and that you are asking for the recovery of your guarantee deposit in order to cancel your status and retrieve your deposit.