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Hi Frederick,
It is four months total throughout the year. No need for it to be all together.
Jason
Hi Carolyn,
High speed Internet is available throughout the country so you shouldn’t have a problem. If you’re renting, your property manager or landlord should already have a connection in place. If not, there are several providers that should have offices nearby. As in the U.S. often they bundle cable TV and Internet if you’d like.
Racsa – http://www.racsa.co.cr
Tigo – http://www.tigo.cr
CableTica – http://www.cabletica.com
To make the transition seamless just go in the office when you get there as soon as possible or, if possible, have the caretaker of the property set it up before you move in. There are Internet cafes and wireless in every town, so if there are some delays with set up you have a place to go with your laptop.
As far as making it seamless, I can tell you from experience that people you correspond with online won’t know you moved unless you tell them. 🙂
Hi James,
Let’s see. I don’t know of anybody specializing in that area in particular. But you might try Ivo Henfling of GoDutchRealty.com. He’s big into the Central Valley but does know agents around the country. He might be able to make a recommendation.
Hi Denise,
Sorry to hear about your situation. I would recommend you speak with a reputable attorney before going any further.
You might try the firm of Petersen and Philps: http://www.plawcr.com/
They are experienced in real estate.
I believe you just need to maintain a minimum of $60k, which they check every two years.
Hi Mark,
I believe purchasing a business over $200k would qualify you. But I would advise you to confirm with a lawyer who deals with the residency process.
A great contact is Roger Peterson, a Costa Rican attorney based in San Jose: http://www.plawcr.com
Hi Kathleen,
Depending on the position, some language schools will help you sort out a work permit/residency. It’s a matter of asking around. I think you’re best bet is to start contacting language schools and seeing what they say. In some cases, the schools will take you more seriously if you’re on the ground in CR already.
Hi James,
Both Arenal and the south central Pacific are great regions, with plenty of undeveloped areas. Not sure about suitability for agriculture.
In Arenal, get in touch with Terry Moran: http://www.moranlakearenal.com
And for the central Pacific you can try, Hannah Rico Fletcher. I’m not sure if she deals with areas inland but if not she probably has a referral: http://www.remax-oceansiderealty.com
In Arenal, be sure to check out Volcano Brewing for lunch or dinner Рand microbrewed beer. Caf̩ y Macadamia is a great lunch spot.
Hi Olivia,
For the things you’re looking for the Central Valley is perfect. There are some towns with active expats communities I would recommend. Grecia, Atenas, and San Ramon. The last two especially have expat clubs and gathering places. Plus you are very close to San Jose and the great medical and shopping there.
Jason
Hi Mark,
You could technically buy a B&B on a tourist visa, which gives you 90 days in the country. To renew your visa you would have to leave CR every 90 days. You could go to Nicaragua or Panama, travel elsewhere, or head to the States.
Of course, that can get really annoying. So the best bet is to secure a temporary residency.
If you or your wife has $1,000 coming in each month from a pension, you could get pensionado residency for both of you.
To secure rentista residency, you could deposit $60,000 in a Costa Rican bank. You need to do that every two years although you don’t have to spend the money.
For inversionista residency you can invest $200,000 in any sort of property or business.
The process of buying and running a B&B is much like the States. You would have to register employees with the government for Social Security benefits, pay taxes, get licenses from the local govt, etc. Of course, if you buy an existing B&B much of that would already be taken care of.
As far as where to start, I would do some online research first. Craiglist is good. Viviun.com and Businessesforsale.com also have listings for hotels and B&Bs.
Once you’ve narrowed down some areas you want to visit, take a scouting trip to see if the area can support another B&B.
Jason
Hi Ron,
As far as answering someone’s post, I believe you simply add to conversation thread as you’ve just done.
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
Hi Xakan,
I did some checking online. There aren’t many direct flights from the L.A. to Costa Rica, unfortunately. It’s pretty strange considering all the folks from California I’ve met down here.
But I saw that TACA, a Latin American airline does offer flights from L.A. to San Jose.
Check out their site here: http://www.taca.com
Bring a car to Costa Rica or buy one when you move down… great question. And a hard one to answer. It’s really a very individual answer, depending on your specific situation. But I can give you some guidelines and things to ponder. I would also recommend you contact a reputable importer/shipper – one based in Costa Rica – to answer any specific questions you have about bringing your car and/or household goods into CR.
When bringing your car from the U.S. to Costa Rica you do have to pay import taxes, as well as the cost of the shipping. Even legal residents don’t get a tax break on importing a car. Shipping from Miami to Limon, Costa Rica’s main port, will only run you about $1,000. The expense comes in when you have to pay Customs. Taxes are assessed based on the car’s value in Costa Rica, not what you paid for it in the U.S. For a car six years or older, you pay up to 79% of its value in taxes. Between four and five years, the rate is 63%, and three years or less is 52%. To calculate your car’s value, you can check out the official government calculator online: http://www.hacienda.go.cr/autohacienda/autovalor.aspx The website is in Spanish, so I recommend you contact a shipper to help you navigate that site.
That’s importing your car from home. As you can see, whether it make sense for you depends on the value of your car, the taxes, and the cost of shipping.
Another consideration is that parts and mechanics are most common for Asian imports like Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, etc. If you have an American or European made car, you might have to wait longer for parts. I would not recommend bringing a vintage car.
As far as buying a car, keep in mind that dealerships have to pay those same high import taxes you would, so cars are expensive. Often almost double what they would cost in the United States. Keep in mind that cars really hold their value here, so even used cars will be more expensive than the U.S. The way to get the best deals is to become active in an expat community – someone going back to the U.S. will often sell their car for a good price. You should also check Craiglist in Costa Rica and http://www.crautos.com, which is local auto sales website.
Hi Patrick,
We loved the Central Valley – the climate is perfect and the convenience to San Jose is awesome. In Grecia, we felt like we were in the real Costa Rica. We had great neighbors and it was a great town, with a great farmers’ market.
We moved to Tamarindo for a few reasons. One, they had a great, relatively low cost private school for my 6 year old son. Two, coming from south Florida, we missed living on the beach. And three, during our time in Costa Rica, our goal has always been to explore as many areas of the country as possible.
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