Residency

[DEBORAH SWEET]

Hello Jason
I know you are not of retirement age so maybe you can tell me how this works when you don’t have a monthly income (SS). I’m 55 and would like to move to CR in late 2013. I’m selling my business and would love to have the 150K to deposit in a CR bank but I’ll need money for the move. Plus if I’m moving with my boyfriend/domestic partner who is collecting a pension and SS and we are living together — do they consider that any different?

What do you have to do if you don’t have the $150K or retirement checks?

Also — if I sell my car here what does one do for transportation — the public system or taxi? What about buying a moped/scooter? Easy?

[JASON HOLLAND- COUNTRY EXPERT]

Hi Deborah,

You have a couple of options.

To qualify for the rentista residency class, you must have an income of $2,500 a month or deposit $60,000 in the bank. That’s required every two years.

If your partner has $1,000 or more coming in from SS and/or his pension he would quality for the pensionado residency. If you were married that would also allow you to get pensionado residency. I don’t believe you can be listed as a dependent unless you are married.

A great resource for residency questions is Costa Rican attorney Roger Petersen: http://www.plawcr.com/

As far as transportation in Costa Rica, there are great public buses and cheap taxis. Scooters are also widely available but whether or not they would be practical depends on the area and your lifestyle. In some areas, like rural/country regions, a car is pretty much a must have.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have further questions.

Jason

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