Moving from Costa Rica to India
What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.
Costa RicaIndiaShort stayCosta Rica passport holders need an e-visa for India, applied for online before travelling.
This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in India — that needs a residence permit.
How you actually move to India
Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026Employment Visa
Skilled professionals sponsored by an India-registered employer. India issues no open work permit — every employment visa is tied to one employer and one role.
Employment Visa
Skilled professionals sponsored by an India-registered employer. India issues no open work permit — every employment visa is tied to one employer and one role.
- Sponsorship by an employer registered in India
- Minimum gross annual salary of USD 25,000 — around ₹20.8 lakh at 2026 rates
- Skilled or qualified role; the sponsor must show the skills are not readily available locally
- Registration with the FRRO within 14 days of arrival for stays over 180 days
- How long it lasts
- Commonly 1–5 years depending on the contract and nationality, renewable.
- Path to permanent residence
- There is no general permanent-residence route. A Permanent Residency Status scheme exists for substantial foreign investors, and naturalisation is possible after long residence — but India does not allow dual citizenship, so naturalising means renouncing your existing passport.
- Cost
- Visa fees vary sharply by nationality; FRRO registration is nominal.
- Processing time
- Usually a few weeks at an Indian mission.
- The USD 25,000 floor has narrow statutory exceptions — ethnic cooks, non-English language teachers, foreign performing artists, sports coaches for national teams, and certain honorary NGO roles. Outside those, it is absolute.
- FRRO registration within 14 days is easy to miss and penalised. Do it in the first week, not the third.
- Changing employer requires a new visa, not an amendment.
FamilyHigh confidenceVerified July 2026Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card
People of Indian origin, their spouses, and the foreign spouses of Indian citizens. By far the best status a non-citizen can hold in India.
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card
People of Indian origin, their spouses, and the foreign spouses of Indian citizens. By far the best status a non-citizen can hold in India.
- Former Indian citizenship, or descent from an Indian citizen, or eligibility as a minor child of such a person
- Or marriage of at least two years' standing to an Indian citizen or an existing OCI cardholder
- Renunciation certificate where you previously held Indian citizenship
- How long it lasts
- Lifelong, with a multiple-entry visa for life. Re-issue is required after certain age milestones and on passport renewal for minors.
- Path to permanent residence
- This is effectively India's permanent-residence equivalent. OCI holders are treated on par with Indian citizens for employment — no employment visa, no salary threshold, no FRRO registration.
- Cost
- A few hundred US dollars for issuance.
- Processing time
- Weeks to a few months depending on the mission and on document verification.
- Parity with citizens has real carve-outs: government service, defence, and some regulated professions remain closed, OCI holders cannot vote or hold constitutional office, and agricultural or plantation land cannot be purchased.
- For a foreign national married to an Indian citizen, OCI after two years of marriage is dramatically better than any visa route — no salary bar and no employer tie.
- Card re-issue rules on passport renewal have caught out many families at airports. Keep it current.
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026Business Visa
People coming to establish a venture, meet partners, or explore business opportunities — not to be employed by an Indian company.
Business Visa
People coming to establish a venture, meet partners, or explore business opportunities — not to be employed by an Indian company.
- Evidence of a genuine business purpose: an Indian counterpart, incorporation intent, or commercial engagements
- Financial standing and, for some categories, a minimum investment commitment
- FRRO registration for longer stays
- How long it lasts
- Often 1–5 years multiple-entry, with per-visit stay limits.
- Path to permanent residence
- Not a residence route on its own. Substantial investors may pursue Permanent Residency Status, which requires investment at a high statutory threshold and job creation.
- Cost
- Nationality-dependent visa fees.
- Processing time
- A few weeks.
- A business visa does not permit employment with an Indian entity. Drawing a salary from an Indian company on one is a violation — the employment visa exists for that.
- Per-visit stay caps mean the long validity does not translate into continuous residence.
StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026Student Visa
Students at recognised Indian institutions, including the growing number of English-taught programmes.
Student Visa
Students at recognised Indian institutions, including the growing number of English-taught programmes.
- Admission to a recognised institution
- Proof of funds for the course and living costs
- FRRO registration for stays over 180 days
- How long it lasts
- Course length, up to five years, extendable in India.
- Path to permanent residence
- None. Graduates must switch to an employment visa and meet the USD 25,000 salary floor, which is the binding constraint for most new graduates.
- Cost
- Visa fees plus tuition, which is low by international standards.
- Processing time
- A few weeks after admission.
- Employment during study is not permitted, unlike most study destinations.
- India has no digital nomad visa. Remote work for a foreign employer while in India is not provided for by any visa category — a real gap given how many people do it on tourist visas.
Where you'd land in India
India's Silicon Valley — a garden-city tech magnet with a pleasant climate and a vast startup scene.
- Employment Visa & e-FRRO registration
- Driving & getting around Bengaluru
- Opening a bank account, PAN & UPI
India's financial capital, on a peninsula where the rail line you live on decides your life.
- Employment visas, e-FRRO registration and the 14-day clock
- Driving licences, the RTO, and why you probably should not drive
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
The capital, the best metro in India, and an air quality index you will check like the weather.
- Employment visas, e-FRRO and living across three states
- Driving licences, three states of registration, and the odd-even rule
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
Corporate India's glass towers on infrastructure that never caught up — every good building brings its own.
- Employment visas and registering in Haryana, not Delhi
- Haryana registration, the Delhi border, and monsoon gridlock
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
The most liveable of India's tech cities: cheaper, cleaner and with an orbital that actually works.
- Employment visas, e-FRRO and the 14-day clock
- The Telangana RTO, and the orbital that makes driving work
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
Where the monsoon arrives in October, the beach runs thirteen kilometres, and Tamil matters more than Hindi.
- Employment visas, e-FRRO and the 14-day clock
- The Tamil Nadu RTO, the OMR, and driving in a flood city
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
Mumbai's rules at half the price, 560 metres up — and one commute everyone warns you about.
- Employment visas, e-FRRO and the 14-day clock
- The Maharashtra RTO, two-wheelers, and the Hinjewadi commute
- Opening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
India's first UNESCO World Heritage City, in a dry state where alcohol needs a permit.
- Employment visa, e-FRRO, and the Ahmedabad registration office
- Licences, the Gujarat RTO, and a city that is unusually easy to drive in
- PAN, a resident rupee account, and getting onto UPI
A UNESCO-listed walled city with 45°C summers and a property market priced by tourism.
- Employment visa, e-FRRO, and Jaipur's new full registration office
- Licences, the Rajasthan RTO, and driving in a city built for elephants
- PAN, a resident rupee account, and living on UPI
India's best health and literacy numbers, on a port city funded by Gulf remittances.
- Employment visa, e-FRRO, and the FRRO that lives at the airport
- Licences, the Kerala RTO, and a city where the ferry beats the car
- PAN, resident versus NRE, and the state that invented Indian remittance banking
India's highest income per head, and property titles still written under Portuguese law.
- Employment visa, e-FRRO, and the state that checks
- Scooters, the absent ride-hailing apps, and the monsoon road
- PAN, a resident account, and why you almost certainly cannot buy property
India's cheapest metro, with tenancy law so protective that landlords stopped maintaining buildings.
- Employment visa, e-FRRO, and the FRRO that covers the north-east
- Licences, the metro under the river, and the last of the trams
- PAN, a resident account, and India's cheapest metro to actually live in
India at a glance
- Capital
- New Delhi
- Population
- 1.46B
- Languages
- Hindi, English
- Currency
- INR
Where else your Costa Rica passport takes you
ArgentinaVisa-free · 90 days
Australiae-Visa
Bhutane-Visa
BrazilVisa-free · 90 days
CanadaVisa required
ChileVisa-free · 90 days
ColombiaVisa-free · 90 days
CzechiaVisa-free · 90 days