Quick answer: Your first month is about turning a legal status into a working life, in the right order. Roughly: confirm housing and connectivity first, complete Caja (CCSS) enrolment and your DIMEX card, then open a bank account, convert your driver’s licence, and handle the daily-life setup — utilities, local SIM, healthcare providers and community. Sequencing matters, because several steps unlock the next.
Week 1 — land and stabilise
- ☐ Confirm your accommodation (rental or your home) and get keys sorted.
- ☐ Get a local SIM/eSIM and confirm internet — arrange Starlink or fibre if needed. See getting connected: utilities, internet and Starlink.
- ☐ Locate your nearest clinic/hospital, supermarket, and bank branch.
- ☐ Note your renewal and filing dates in a calendar from day one.
Week 2 — the compliance core
- ☐ Complete CCSS (Caja) enrolment — mandatory and required before your DIMEX. See enrolling in the CCSS.
- ☐ Book and attend your DIMEX biometric appointment — now often same-day issuance. See getting your DIMEX card.
Week 3 — banking and mobility
- ☐ Open your resident bank account with your DIMEX and source-of-funds documents. See opening a bank account.
- ☐ Start your driver’s-licence homologation — get the medical report, book COSEVI and BCR. See converting your driver’s licence.
- ☐ Set up recurring payments for utilities, Caja and rent/HOA.
Week 4 — settle in
- ☐ Register with a private GP/dentist and confirm any ongoing prescriptions.
- ☐ If you have children, confirm school placement and start dates. See enrolling kids mid-year.
- ☐ If relocating a household or car, track your shipment and clearance. See shipping a container.
- ☐ Make community connections — the first-year foothold that makes a relocation stick.
The sequencing logic
Two dependencies drive the order. Caja enrolment must come before the DIMEX, because the card process checks your active status. And the DIMEX must come before full banking and licence conversion, because both lean on it. Get those three in sequence early and the rest of the month is straightforward.
What not to forget
- Calendar your dates. Residency renewal and the D-101 tax deadline are easy to miss in a busy first month.
- Keep documents organised. You will reference your DIMEX, passport and proof of address repeatedly.
- Don’t rush the car. Importing a vehicle is rarely economic — check before shipping. See importing your car, step by step.
The three dependencies that set the order
The reason this checklist is sequenced rather than a flat list is that a few steps unlock the others, and doing them out of order stalls you. First, Caja enrolment gates the DIMEX — the card process checks that you are active in the social-security system, so enrol before you book biometrics. Second, the DIMEX gates full banking and your licence — a resident bank account and driver’s-licence homologation both lean on the card. Third, housing and connectivity gate everything else, because you need an address and a way to receive information before the rest can happen.
Get those three dependencies right — connectivity and address first, Caja second, DIMEX third — and the remaining tasks (banking, licence, utilities, providers) fall into place without friction. Try to open a bank account before your DIMEX, or book a DIMEX appointment before you are Caja-active, and you simply lose the trip. The month feels busy but not hard when the order is correct.
The dates to calendar on day one
Amid the setup rush, two future dates are easy to miss and expensive to forget. Your residency renewal falls two years out, and letting it lapse can reset the continuous-residence clock that leads to permanent status and citizenship. The D-101 tax deadline around 16 March applies if you have any Costa Rican-source income. Put both in your calendar with reminders during your first week, while you are thinking about compliance anyway.
It is also worth using the first month to build the human infrastructure that makes a relocation stick: a GP and dentist, a trusted mechanic and handyman, a property manager if you will travel, and a few community connections. The administrative checklist gets you legally set up; these relationships are what make the place feel like home, and the first year is when they matter most — particularly for an accompanying spouse rebuilding a routine and network from scratch.
Build the human infrastructure too
The administrative checklist gets you legally set up; relationships get you settled. Use the first month to find a GP and dentist, a trusted mechanic and handyman, a property manager if you travel, and a few community connections — the foothold that most determines whether a relocation sticks, especially for an accompanying spouse rebuilding a routine from scratch. The families who thrive treat community-building as a primary first-month objective, not something that will sort itself out later.
Frequently asked
What is the very first thing to do?
Sort connectivity and confirm housing, then move straight to Caja enrolment — it gates the DIMEX, which gates banking and your licence.
Can I do all this in 30 days?
The core compliance steps, usually yes, especially with same-day DIMEX issuance now available. Appointment availability is the main variable — book early.
Do I need my DIMEX before banking?
Effectively yes — a full resident account is far easier with the card, so banking typically follows DIMEX issuance.
Should I bring my car and household goods?
New residents get a one-time household-goods exemption, but car import is heavily taxed and rarely worth it — model it first.
What single mistake derails a first month?
Doing steps out of order — trying to bank before the DIMEX, or booking a DIMEX before Caja enrolment. Respect the dependencies and the month is smooth.
What should I calendar immediately?
Your two-year residency renewal and, if you have local income, the ~16 March D-101 deadline. Set reminders in week one while compliance is front of mind.
What beyond paperwork should I prioritise?
Relationships — a GP, a mechanic, a property manager, community connections. They are what make the place feel like home, and they matter most for a spouse rebuilding a network.
Is one month enough to feel settled?
Legally, usually yes; emotionally, the turning point is often later in year one. Front-loading community connections shortens it.
Can a concierge service handle the whole month?
Much of it — Caja, DIMEX booking, banking introductions, utilities and provider setup can be coordinated for you, leaving you the parts that need you in person, like biometrics and account opening.
What if I arrive off the school cycle?
Contact schools early about mid-year entry and catch-up support, and consider a Spanish-immersion bridge. Timing the move to an intake window is easier where possible.
Need a hand with this step?
This is exactly the kind of task our client-services team handles day to day for people relocating to Costa Rica. If you would like us to walk you through it — or take it off your plate entirely — request concierge support and we will pick it up from wherever you are.
This guide is general, practical information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Costa Rican procedures, fees and thresholds change and are applied to individual circumstances; details here are current as of July 2026 and should be confirmed with the relevant authority or your advisor before you act.