Make Tamarindo Your Costa Rica Digital Nomad Home Base

While the world attempts to get back on track after two years of lockdowns and travel bans, some people are spreading their wings and choosing to live abroad. The opportunity to work remotely is more attainable than ever thanks to the pandemic, which forced many to work from home, and employers and employees alike can see the benefits. With this new reality in mind, the Costa Rica digital nomad visa has been created to help remote workers stay in the country for longer periods, and we think Tamarindo is the perfect place for anyone wanting to be a Costa Rica digital nomad!

The Law to Attract Workers and Remote Providers of International Services was just passed in September of this year and all of the details have yet to be finalized, but there are some things we do know so far about the new immigration category:

• Applicants to the Costa Rica digital nomad visa must be able to prove a stable monthly income of $3,000 USD or equivalent in another foreign currency, for the past year. Those bringing their families must prove $4,000 combined income.
• The wages of the applicant must come from abroad. Beneficiaries of the Costa Rica digital nomad visa cannot earn their money within the country.
• The applicant must hold health insurance that covers them for the entirety of their stay. This must include any family members who applied under the same visa category.
• Successful applicants must pay a one-time fee for the holding of the visa. The amount of the fee has yet to be determined.

 

Benefits

• Successful recipients of the Costa Rica digital nomad visa will be granted a one-year temporary residency with the option to extend their visa for an additional year.
• Visa holders will be able to use their foreign driver’s license legally within Costa Rica for the duration of their legal stay.
• The digital nomads will be allowed to open a Costa Rican bank account.
• Those needing to bring in new equipment such as a personal computer or other technology that applies to their remote work can import the items tax-free.
• Costa Rica digital nomad visa holders will not be required to pay any income tax within Costa Rica.

Why Choose Tamarindo as Your Costa Rica Digital Nomad Location?

Infrastructure: As a popular tourist destination, Tamarindo already has the necessary infrastructure in place to accommodate the typical digital nomad. This is something that cannot be said of all Costa Rican beach towns! High-speed internet packages are available from private companies like Tigo, Kolbi, Coopeguanacaste, and more, with high-speed Internet packages as low as $40 per month for 50 Mbps. Many homes and apartment complexes are already outfitted with fiber optic cable for those requiring the most speed. For those using mostly Wifi, Tamarindo has 4G and 4G+ coverage with companies like Kolbi and Claro, with download, speeds up to 90 Mbps and upload speeds of 9.5 Mbps on average. 

Community: Due to the newer infrastructure, Tamarindo is already a hub for Costa Rica digital nomads, with ex-pats from North America and Europe who have already been living the nomad life on the easily accessed 90-day visitor visa. There are even a couple of co-working spaces available in Tamarindo – Sand and Surf Co-working and In the Shade. Alternatively, most restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops offer free Wifi to customers and many digital nomads can be seen taking advantage of this, especially in popular destinations like Tamarindo.

Location: Tamarindo is well situated for the oft mobile remote worker due to its close proximity to an international airport. The Guanacaste Airport (LIR), previously known as the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, is only a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Tamarindo. There is also a small airport run by Sansa Airlines in Tamarindo for domestic flights. This will be an ideal location for those who don’t plan to buy a vehicle during their stay, as you can fly from Tamarindo to either the Guanacaste Airport or the other international airport in San Jose. Many people use a bicycle or motorcycle to get around in a town like Tamarindo.

Nature: Another great thing about making Tamarindo your home base for a digital nomad lifestyle is everything it has to offer during your downtime. With beaches, jungles, and volcanos all within close proximity, you’re spoiled for choice! If you want to slough off two years of staying indoors, this is the place to do it. Tamarindo is a perfect place for taking in the sunset (from the beach or a boat), walking along the beach, or exploring the surrounding mountains and trails. Other nearby beaches such as Langosta, Avellanas, and Grande offer different areas to explore. In fact, Grande is just across the Tamarindo Estuary, which is a unique ecosystem of mangrove forest. A boat tour of the Tamarindo Estuary will fill your nature craving with iguanas, crocodiles, and countless types of birds. You can even enter the national park and see howler monkeys and other exotic animals!

Activities: While Playa Tamarindo is a great beach for swimming and hanging out, it is also known as the perfect place to learn how to surf thanks to its long, gentle waves with a soft sand bottom. Playa Grande and Avellanas are very close by and perfect for the more advanced surfer. If you’re looking for an adventurous day trip, a jungle tour beneath an active volcano is the perfect cure for pandemic boredom! Tamarindo’s closest active volcano is Rincon de la Viejo where you can do all the exciting outdoor adventures you’ve been craving from ziplining, rock climbing, rappelling, and white water rafting. Sportfishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling are also popular pastimes and ATV tours of the surrounding beaches and mountains are a fun way to explore the area.

Amenities: Tamarindo has plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops to sustain your year-long Costa Rica digital nomad visa stay. There are both small and large supermarkets speckled across the town, including large chains Super Compro and Auto Mercado, with the latter being a popular choice amongst ex-pats due to its volume of imported items and familiar brands. There are medical and dental clinics, wellness centers, and pharmacies along the main street, as well as banks and ATMs, and countless bars and restaurants for every taste and diet. Some family-friendly features include the skate park and mini-golf course. Two weekly ferias (markets) bring out the whole community, with homemade goods, health products, fruits and vegetables, unique food items, arts and crafts, and live music to bring it all together.

The new Costa Rica Digital Nomad visa is meant to help revitalize a tourism industry that was severely hurt by the pandemic, but if anything the pandemic has forced the country to become more dynamic. The forward-thinking Central American country is an ideal location for anyone starting out their digital nomad lifestyle as opportunities are sure to arise during this new access to the country. It is also a   magical place for those who are already taking advantage of remote work opportunities and are seeking something different…a more biodiverse location…the most biodiverse location on the planet, in fact! So if you’re seeking more to life – MORE time spent in nature, MORE like-minded people, MORE days at the beach – consider Tamarindo Costa Rica to be your home base for a new digital nomad life.

Read more about why Costa Rica is the perfect place to visit post-pandemic HERE.

By Jennifer LaCharite