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JASON HOLLAND
ParticipantHi Jim,
You won’t be able to open a bank account on a tourist visa under your personal name. But you would be able to form a corporation (you need an attorney/notary in Costa Rica for this) with you as the “officer/president” and open an account in the name of the corporation. It would essentially work like any bank account, with wire transfers, debit cards, etc. available.
As a temporary resident, with the pensionado (retiree) program, for example, you will have no problem opening a bank account as either an individual or for a corporation.
As far as buying a car, your best bet if won’t have a bank account at the time of purchase is to go to the bank teller and ask for a cash advance using your debit card. This will allow you to withdraw $1,000 to $2,000 (depend on each bank’s specific policy and your U.S. banks rules) a day from your account back in the states. There is a small surcharge. It’s not ideal. But you could do that for a few days until you have the cash you need for the car. Many sellers will take dollars, by the way.
ParticipantHi Gordon,
Manuel Antonio is beautiful! You’ll have a lot of fun. Some must do activities:
1. Sunset at Barba Roja restaurant (dinner and drinks) and/or La Mariposa Hotel (drinks at the pool bar). Best craft beer selection at Barba Roja and a great specials menu.
2. A visit to the national park. Go first thing in the morning as they cap visitors. Also, hire one of the licensed guides at the front gate or ask your hotel for a recommended guide. Well worth the $20 per person because they have such knowledge of the flora and fauna. Also, bring your swim suit and towel as the beaches in the national park are the most beautiful in the area.
3. Visit Playa Biesanz. it’s a “secret” beach well off the main road that is deserted many days of the week. Good snorkeling too.
4. If you’re into grilled meat and seafood, go to dinner at El Lagarto – my fave restaurant in the area.
5. Rainmaker Park is an private wildlife refuge about 30 minutes north of MA that is pretty cool and you could either drive there if you rent a car or take a shuttle. Less crowded than the national park and very wild.
September 22, 2015 at 5:30 pm in reply to: shipping my car from the states (n.y.). What is the procedure and total cost #627220ParticipantHi James,
This is the eternal question asked by expats in Costa Rica. And there’s no right or wrong answer. There are pros and cons on each side.
Because of high import duties/taxes, bringing a car from the U.S. can be an expensive proposition. The shipping itself will cost about $1,000. The taxes are based on the value and age of the car.
The tax rate for a car six years or older is 73% of its value. Newer cars it is 52% of its value.
How is value determined? Similar to a blue book value. Make, model, engine size, features like power windows, etc. It is quite elaborate. You can get a rough calculation here:
http://www.hacienda.go.cr/autohacienda/autovalor.aspx
The best resource for getting an estimate of what it would cost to import your car is to contact a shipping broker based in Costa Rica. Barry Wilson speaks at IL events and has been involved in shipping cars and household goods for expats for many years. You can contact him here: http://shipcostarica.com
The pros to bringing your own car in is that you know the vehicle and its maintenance history. The roads can be rough on cars in Costa Rica and maintenance not always kept up with by owners to North American standards. Also used cars for sale at car lots tend to be from auction from the U.S. So high miles and because of the import duties still expensive.
Sorry I don’t have a definitive answer. But I can tell that a mid size SUV is the best type of car to have in Costa Rica as it will handle the roads and have okay gas mileage with the high price of gas. 4WD not strictly needed except in certain rural and out of the way spots.
September 10, 2015 at 7:25 pm in reply to: When to visit Nuevo Arenal and Grecia for normal and rainy seasons? #626318ParticipantHi William,
In general, rainy season in Costa Rica is from May to November, with dry season December to April.
For a dry season visit, you could try anytime during those dry months. You’ll experience little rain if any. Blue skies. Great weather.
The height of rainy season, marked by the rainiest days and most average daily rainfall will be September and October. You’ll get some serious downpours this time of year. So if you want to experience “the worst” of rainy season that would be the time to go.
I should add that most expats – and locals, of course – quickly adjust to rainy season. For most of the season there will be a clear morning and then a rainy afternoon, stopping early evening. It often cools quite a bit after a good rain. So you kind of plan your day around it. You even start to enjoy the rain – seriously. 🙂
ParticipantHi James,
Most long term rentals will have high speed internet already installed, although you always want to check. Most places have cable internet and cable or satellite TV. Some homes in Grecia, as mine did when I lived there, use a service called CR Wifi, which uses microwave transmitters to provide high speed internet. You can find out more about them here: http://crwifi.com. The service was fairly reliable for us but we did have issues at times with using VOIP services like Skype and MagicJack, as well as streaming through Amazon Prime. Netflix and other internet usage was fine, if slower than cable internet.
The reason some homes were on CR Wifi is that the cable hadn’t reached that area/neighborhood as it was off the beaten path a bit.
Sometimes a landlord will pay the cable/internet bill or charge you directly.
If for any reason you have to have cable installed you can do so without being a resident. I’ve had cable installed in a few places and it’s never been a problem.
It is a good idea to have a backup USB plug in modem that runs off the cellphone network for the occasional outages.
August 3, 2015 at 9:22 am in reply to: Looking for contact with Australian expats in Costa Rica #621671ParticipantHi Colleen,
I run into a lot of young Australian travelers in Costa Rica. Not so many expats. But I’m sure they are out there. 🙂
Let me give you some resources for connecting with Australians here. These are some online forums and Facebook groups for expats living in Costa Rica. You could join and post a query – it’s a great networking tool:
Facebook (just enter the names below in the search box in Facebook):
Gringo Expats in Costa Rica
Expatriates in Costa Rica
Forum:
WeLoveCostaRica.com
ParticipantHi Jim,
Good to hear you’l be at the Costa Rica conference next week. Be sure to say hi – I’ll be there as well.
As far as the residency application services, I don’t have any personal recommendations there and I don’ have any experience with the particular service you mention. I would recommend asking them for references from past clients or try to find out more about them online.
While at the event, be sure to speak with Roger Petersen or Rick Philps with the law firm of Petersen and Philps. They specialize in expat matters, including residency.
ParticipantHi Christian,
I haven’t read it myself, but I’d imagine The Legal Guide to Costa Rica is a good overall reference. I don’t know that it would have more information about residence than that which is provided on the web page I list. That really does break down all the steps to applying for residence. That is the checklist I followed myself when I applied.
You can also find a document checklist and some of the forms you need to fill out with your application here: http://www.migracion.go.cr/extranjeros/residencias.html
As far as applying for residency, I do recommend hiring an attorney to help you with the process, unless you speak good Spanish. It’s usually much smoother.
Jason
ParticipantHi Christian,
Petersen and Philps, the Costa Rican law firm that speaks at IL conferences have a great reference page with in-depth information, including a step by step process, for applying for residence. The step by step starts under this heading: A. The Rentista and Pensionado Application Process
You can check it out here:
http://www.costaricalaw.com/Immigration-and-Residency/residency-general-information-and-summary.html
ParticipantHi Laura,
If you are in country, you can go in person to the office of the local municipality to pay your taxes. They have a department that appraises your property and determines what you owe. The tax rate is 0.25% of the appraised value of the property – this usually lower than the purchase price. You can also call your local municipality to get this information. You’ll have to speak Spanish or find someone who does.
If you have a bank account in Costa Rica, you can also pay your taxes online. Unfortunately, municipalities aren’t really set up to take online payments directly.
So if you’re out of the country and relying on your developer to pay the property taxes I would recommend you find out what your tax payment is from the municipality so you know you’re paying the right amount.
ParticipantHi Steven,
To get from Jaco to Samara, you can definitely make it. You’ll just have to avoid certain routes due to road conditions.
There are two options. In one, you’ll head to Puntarenas, a port city on the Pacific coast north of Jaco, and take the car ferry over the Paquera, on the south tip of the Nicoya Peninsula and then drive north to get to Samara. The other you drive north through mainland Costa Rica and then head west, crossing the Puente de Amistad over the Gulf of Nicoya, and then continue on to Samara.
The hotel will be able to tell you which will be the shortest trip.
Best of luck and have fun!
ParticipantHi Steven,
Sounds like a great trip! While in Samara, keep in mind that many roads in that area, especially along the coast to the north and south of town can be quite rough. Some areas might be impassable. Some spots you have to cross rivers – with no bridges. It all depends on where you’re going. Most places are perfectly fine. But it’s a good idea to get some local input from your hotel or locals and expats you meet before heading out. Tell them where you plan to go and they can give you updated status updates on the road.
In and around Jaco you’ll be fine, the main roads are paved and even the dirt roads are fine in most spots.
As far as GPS maps, here are a few I’ve found online (I’ve never used any of them personally):
http://www.gpstravelmaps.com/gps-maps/central-america/costa-rica.php
http://www.gpsetravelguides.com
http://shop.trackit.cr/index.php?cPath=33_49
To make sure you get what you need, you might try contacting Garmin directly to see if they recommend a particular provider for maps.
Also, for a back up, keep in mind that you can download the free app Waze for your smartphone. It’s a great GPS app, although it will eat a lot of data and could be expensive to use depending on the international plan for your smartphone. Sometimes the cell providers will charge you quite a bit per minute for data and calls if you’re overseas, although you can often call beforehand and get a reasonable rate.
ParticipantHi Christian,
I can’t make any personal recommendations on which bank to do business with. But if you refer to my recent Insider Communique on banking there I list the national and private banks that operate in Costa Rica. I think your best bet is to research those, as well as other banks and credit unions in Costa Rica, to see which one best fits your needs.
ParticipantHi Michael,
I know of the 30-day guarantee at used car dealerships. But I’ve never heard of this rule extending to private owners. And from my research and inquiries I haven’t been able to verify that it does. I think in practice, your best bet with buying any used car in Costa Rica is to check the vehicle history through services like CarFax and have it inspected by a qualified mechanic.
ParticipantHi Christian,
From what I understand, even if you’re not a resident you can get certificates of deposit at Costa Rican banks/credit unions. Other investment products might be available as well. I would suggest contacting some banks directly to see what the procedure would be. I have had friends who’ve gotten some nice returns on CDs.
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