Constituting Law of the CCSS – legal framework of social security

The Constituting Law of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Ley N.º 17, of 22 October 1943) is the law that creates the CCSS and establishes the legal framework of social security in Costa Rica — the legal basis behind employer registration cards, independent‑worker registration, EBAIS and IVM pension.

Nature of the CCSS: it is an autonomous institution responsible for the governance and administration of mandatory social insurance.

What mandatory social insurance covers: the risks of illness, maternity, disability, old age, and involuntary unemployment; it also includes participation in the costs of maternity, family, widowhood and orphanhood, and the payment of a burial allowance.

Basic and non‑waivable principles of the system:

Solidarity: those with greater contribution capacity help sustain coverage for those with less.
Universality: the system seeks to cover the entire population, not only a specific group.
Compulsoriness: affiliation is not optional for those required by law.
Comprehensiveness: it covers various risks together, not in a fragmented way.

Mandatory coverage (Articulo 3): the law establishes the insurance obligation for “all manual and intellectual workers who receive a salary or wages” — that is, every salaried worker must be insured. The law also authorizes the Board of Directors of the CCSS to progressively extend coverage to independent workers and to attend to persons in a state of indigence (see employer registration cards, independent‑worker registration, and voluntary insured).

Protection of the funds: the law states that the funds and reserves of these insurances cannot be transferred or used for purposes other than those that motivated their creation — that is, the social‑security money is legally protected for that specific use.

Note: this sheet summarizes the general legal framework. The operational detail of how to register, how much is paid, and how to access services is in the corresponding sheets (CCSS employer registration, independent worker, EBAIS and coverage, IVM pension).