Your lawyer will guide you through this process. You may need to file other documents and applications, according to the regulation under which you will be qualifying. But here you have a comprehensive overview of the process and the majority of documents you will need to obtain and file.
Prior to your arrival in Costa Rica , you must authenticate these documents at a Costa Rican Consulate:

• Birth Certificate

• Police record Note: Police record must be issued by a competent authority in the country where you and your dependents over 16 years have resided for the last 6 months before entering Costa Rica . This document will only have a 6 months validity after the date of issuance; if it expires during the processing of the application, a new one must be submitted.

• Marriage certificate (if applicable)

• Academic degrees or equivalent

• Certified copy of your passport including all pages

• Birth certificate for each dependent (if applicable)

• Letter from your prospective employer stating the terms and conditions of your contract, the salary you will earn, and your job description.

The Costa Rican consulate’s web page says: “Permanent & Temporary Residents We strongly recommend that you enter Costa Rica as a tourist. Then, you may file a petition to change your tourist status to any of the following permanent resident status:” Once you are in Costa Rica , you have 30 days to file your application to change your non-immigrant status. If you want to change your status as a Retiree, you must file the documents with the Department of Tourism (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT)), which will submit your application to the Immigration Department.

If you are filing an application as an investor or Resident with Interest and/or dividends income, you must file the documents directly with the Immigration Department of Costa Rica.