This year, though, things have changed!  OK… I know better than to say such a thing. Let us just say that the process has changed, and we shall see if  “things have changed”.

What are the big changes? Well the biggie is that this year, it seems, that I will not need to make the trek to immigration.  The other stuff will be gravy. So here is the new process:

Making that trip to immigration has always been a pain. While the vast majority of dealing with any branch of the Costa Rica government is a lesson in inefficiency, any sojourn to migracion is the premier example on how NOT to deal with the public.

The changes? For starters, renewal can now be done at any of thirty-two branches of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR).  In fact, they have even devoted a web page to those who will be renewing residency at that bank. It is, of course, in Spanish as bank web sites in English are still not common.  I will, however, be happy to do some translating of the more important goodies!

Before I do… one alert reader commented that there is a link ti the English version. Either I missed it or they have added it.  I am getting olde… I probably missed it… Either way, you now can click the link above for GringoSpeak!

• BCR promises that the process can be finished in twenty minutes.  The operative words here are “can be”.  I will, of course, report on the accuracy of that semi-commitment.
• BCR offers this service for renewals and for lost residency cards (cedulas)
• They are staffed to do this at any of thirty-two offices throughout the country (see list below). I am guessing that they may add more in the future, but these seem to cover just about the whole country so nobody need travel a great distance.
• Cost is $48.00 and is paid at the BCR branch at the time of renewal (but see below!)
• They provide a number for making appointments.  It is toll free, 800.227.2482. It is answered in Spanish, and when I called, the person was not multilingual. English speakers may be available though, I did not ask.
• You will not get your cedula at the time of your appointment. It is promised to be sent to you by la  Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (immigration) no more than 25 calendar days after your appointment. No mention of how it is delivered.

That’s it!  Seems simple enough. So here is how it worked for me.

I called the toll free number, was placed on auto-hold for maybe 3 minutes until a nice  lady answered. I was given an afternoon appointment in mid August at the BCR branch in the Mall Internacional not far from the San Jose airport. I was told to bring my cedula and my passport.  That’s it!  Now you will all have to just wait to find out if the above promises bear any semblance to reality.

Oh… and I saved the best for last!  If my Spanish did not fail me, this renewal will be for TWO YEARS!!

Here is a list of the 32 branches set up for renewing or replacing cedulas.

In this case, Miguel (who I suspect is really a Michael as he writes from the USA), reminded me that I had never followed up on my post from last July 4 regarding my residency renewal. I really meant to do this, but as I did not go until September… OK October… I lost track. So for anyone interested in what happened… read on!

My appointment was scheduled for September 1st.  About a week before, I made the $58.00 deposit to  Banco de Costa Rica as instructed.  As I had an “appointment” for 11:15 AM, I showed up at about 10:30 AM on the very off-chance that this might actually mean I had an appointment at 11:15 AM. When will I ever learn… but hope springs eternal!

When I arrived, I got in the line to enter the building after checking in with the gatekeeper.  “Not a bad line”, thinks I!  Maybe 15 people in front of me.  Cool! So at almost exactly 11:15 AM, I am waived into the building a told to take a seat.  I see perhaps 50 people waiting in the seats.  I immediately take a seat and am immediately told… “No, over there!”.  Hmmm.  Make that about 80 people. So I wait.  Like an idiot, I did not bring my Ipod so I could listen to a book or to music… the time flies… not.

About 90 minutes pass and I am at the front of the line! “Not bad”, thinks I… ever the optimist!.

The guard motions for me to enter the next room which I presume is the actual location for my residency interview.  How many years will it take.  Naw… THIS room has another 70 people waiting in chairs to enter still another room. Oh-oh. Have I mentioned that 1. these building are not air conditioned and 2 it is hot as hell? Thought not.  Really, San Jose is generally very tolerable heat-wise and I seldom suffer even though I am calorically challenged.  However, fourscore people in a small room tends to make it kinda toasty! I thank God that those waiting are generally very clean people who take their relationship with  a bar of soap quite seriously.  So I sweat a bit… and wait.

At about 2:30, I have made it to the head of the line and wait for my name to be called. Shortly, it IS and I am told to walk back to desk number (I can’t remember) and have a seat.

A very nice young lady who after all these hours most certainly received her patience training at Job’s School of Boils,  reviews my file. This is already on her desk, so there was some preparation.  She asks a few questions and then takes my picture.  It is just horrible.. though given the subject matter…. Anyway, I ask for a re-take which she gladly does (after looking at result #1).  #2 is perhaps 5% better, but I am thinking of the 200 + people waiting and I just do not have the heart to ask for #3. The photo ages me about 50 years and I look like some guy released on parole after spending 66 years in stir.

Now when I got my first cedula, they took the picture, had me wait about ten minutes, then gave the new cedula to me and I was gone! Ahhh… Costa Rica! Only here is it possible to double the amount of work for such a simple task!  She smiles brightly and tells me to come back on October 1st to pickup my cedula. Oh… neat. I leave.  Time?  3 PM.

Fast forward to October 1!

Now as there is no appointment to pickup the cedula… just an open line somewhere, I go early! LOL!  Not early enough as it turns out. I get into a line (outside in the sun) with maybe 60 people in front.  OK… not bad.  I mean we are all just picking up and signing for our cedulas… right?

Two hours later, I am at the window. The process takes less than one minute.  Clearly the one minute process did not apply to those who went before. I get my cedula and as we all do.. check my photo.  It was atrocious in September, and now that it is encased in plastic. it has gotten much worse. If I really thought I looked that bad…

So that is it… well it is until July when I will again make a reservation, again go to immigration, again wait in line….

I am eligible for citizenship, and I may well just go on down and pick up the document list.  Permanent residents must renew every year.  Citizens every ten years (I think).  On the other hand.. maybe this is like child birth and the pain will fade… until next time.

First… let’s look at what this is all about.

The two most popular forms of residency are Pensionado and Rentista. I am NOT going to cover the variations… just using generalities. For more info, Read This.

Pensionados must currently show a guaranteed for-life (not always easy!)  source of income of at least US $600.00 per month.  This is pretty easy to do if people  use their Social Security payments as the guaranteed source (or perhaps a military pension), but not always easy if funds are coming from the private sector.

Rentistas need to deposit $60,000 (equal to $1,000 per month for 60 months) in a Costa Rica bank to assure they have adequate funds on which to live. After 3 years, they can switch to Permanent Residency and no more deposits are required.

Both plans are fair, in fact far more fair than in just about any country in the world.

The proposed plans (you see the bold and italics?) would change this to $2,000 per month for Pensionados and $5,000 per month for Rentistas.

These of course, are the biggies.  $2,000 per month from Social Security would be difficult if not impossible unless one waited to perhaps age 74 to file and had paid in the max each year for many years. The vast majority of applicants would be thus eliminated.

The $5,000 per month for Rentistas would eliminate a huge number of applicants, leaving only a non-stop stream of real estate developers able to afford Costa Rica Rentista Residency… though with no one else coming, I guess they’d just have to sell their products to each other!

There are some other changes like… increasing the time to convert to Permanent residency to five years…  requiring all residents to join and pay to the CAJA – Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (”CCSS”) Costa Rica’s socialized medical care and retirement, which I think would be an excellent idea… and fining anyone who gives either Pensionados or Rentistas jobs as neither class are permitted to work legally.

One online source put the panic into a lot of folks by warning that it appears this law would be retroactive and affect all Rentistas and Pensionados at renewal… a truly stupid statement designed only to cause panic as Sala IV (the constitutional court) has never permitted that sort of thing.  Again, panic sells!

While I think many would agree that the current immigration law needs to be reviewed and changed, this is far away from actually happening.  By far away, I think six months to two years is about right.   I think it is getting a lot more difficult to live here on $600.00 per month, though not impossible I suppose.  At the other end, it does not take $5,000 per month to live here.

Readers of the ARCR Forums and other user groups have been given the email addresses of the various legislators to whom they can write their thoughts and opinions. In fact, there are even simple emails in Spanish!  I would urge you to do this if you wish to make your thoughts known.

Finally, and this is part of our culture, everyone seems to think that these proposed laws are aimed at US citizens.  This is pure silliness, of course.  It affects anyone from any country who wishes to live here legally.  If it were to be passed “as is”, it would cause far more damage than the good it would do. I think the chances of it passing are about nil.  The negative effects, like the immediate increase in perpetual tourism (or just illegal residency) would be an huge issue.  It further would send a message to the world that I am fairly sure Costa Rica does not want to send.

My advice?

Calm down… send emails if you wish but make them sound intelligent and well thought out.  As you can’t vote regardless of residency, using an agressive or threatening tone is not only stupid, it makes you sound like… well…  a Gringo… NOT a good thing in general.  Use logic! Don’t rant. Remember… Gringos are not nearly as important to the Costa Rican economy as many think we are.

Finally… If possible, begin your residency process now because if changes are made in the future, and there will be some changes for sure, , they almost assuredly will not affect current residents or applicants in process.

Happy New Year

North Americans and others always have a real problem understanding “how things work” in Costa Rica. In the USA, for example, laws are more or less clearly defined. The “rules” are clear. If you go to renew a drivers license, you know what has to be done, and you are confident that all the clerks and others who assist you will follow these rules. Nobody does things on-the-fly.

This is NOT the case in Costa Rica, and most assuredly it is not the case when dealing with migración.

While there is certainly law underlying the activities in most government offices, you can and often will be completely and totally at the mercy of the person assisting you. That means the actions of these people can be influenced by everything from “the word” passed down from above to whether they had a fight with their spouse the night before. In some cases, they simply do not have any idea what is the law nor the correct process.

In some past administrations, there was a distinct policy of xenophobia. This affected you whether dealing with immigration or simply going to the CAJA. The administration encouraged this and this was evident to all of us who lived through it. It flowed right from the casa amarilla (Costa Rica equivalent of the White House) to all levels, and it was often not fun to have to have to interact with any government office.

Things changed under the current Arias administration, and it is generally better now. Immigration certainly seems better from many reports, but still, you must understand that every time you interact with an immigration official, he can pretty much do as he pleases, and you have little recourse, or none. A good example of this is at entry points in Costa Rica. More and more perpetual tourists (those who flaunt the law and never get residency preferring to leave the country every 90 days to “renew” their visas) are being turned back at the borders or having the immigration agent refuse to stamp their passports upon re-entry. Some are simply told to go back and refused admittance. The problem is that this seems to be entirely at the whim of the official.

Anyway… back on topic… my permanent residency expired in July 2007. Because of some glitches in immigration, everyone got a free year, so my new expiration (vencimiento) was moved to July 2008, and I must now renew my cedula.

The process seems simple enough, but when dealing with any government office, there is always that feeling in the pit of your stomach. The process begins with a phone call made by me to immigration. Seems simple but may not be. To reach the immigration appointment person, you must dial a 900 number. Yes, kids, a 900 number here is used as in the USA. YOU pay for the call (5 colones per minute), and you better not mis-dial or you’ll get some porn business at $10.00 per minute! Further, the use of a 900 number is blocked on many phones in Costa Rica, especially if you do not own the phone number. That means it is possible you will need to go elsewhere to make the call.

As my regular readers know, I urge the learning of Spanish, and after today’s call, I especially urge it before you have to renew your residency. The process went smoothly. I dialed the number. A polite young man named Alejandro took me though the process and I now have an appointment in September. I need to make a deposit to the bank account of immigration in the amount of $58.00. Their bank is Banco de Costa Rica.

As there is little more to do at this point but wait until September, you will just have to wait for the update!

Pura Vida!

Is residency required to obtain a driver’s license in Costa Ria and is a test required?

Not yet! However there is now a bill before lawmakers that requires this, and it looks like it has a good chance of passing. As your right to drive here is tied to your being in the country legally, this might spell problems for those here illegally (past their 90 or 30 day tourist visa).

Do you know if the CCSS insurance covers pre-existing conditions?

They do. I actually hope this changes and I think it must. Too many people are coming to Costa Rica with VERY costly illnesses and this places an enormous burden on the already financially strapped CAJA.

I loved your website, very helpful. I do have a suggestions; maybe you can include more information for MOPT offices, hospitals, clinics, etc; in other areas, like Guanacaste where the expat populations is very high.

The hospitals (CAJA) are listed in the Real Costa Rica. There are VERY few private hospitals in Guanacaste and the “clinics” would shock the average expat. This is why I have ranted about 400 times that if you are over 50, you should consider whether you wish to be 4-5 hours from quality medical care. Expats love that beach, but seem to forget that over 50, your chances of needing emergency medical care go way up. Even in San Jose. getting an ambulance and getting to the hospital can take an hour. Just two weeks ago, three persons died in Escazu (10 minutes from Cima Hospital) because the ambulance arrived 50 minutes after it was called. Consider this when moving here!

There are MOPT (Ministry of Public Transportation) in Liberia and Limon, but the reason I have not listed them is that I have been told my many expats that those offices cannot issue driver’s licenses and are not full service.  I’d love some feedback on this as I am getting mixed signals.

Your website is very informative. Thank you. Quick question: I have an opportunity to work in Costa Rica for a couple years (have been there several times). My wifes main objection is that she does not want to live where she cannot fluch (sic) toilet paper. Is it possible to rent homes with plumbing that can handle TP?

I was not going to answer this, but then I remembered why I wrote The REAL Costa Rica in the first place which was to debunk these generalities!

Yes, there are about a jillion places to buy or rent homes with toilets that can handle paper. This is one of those truly dumb urban legends that surface on occasion… probably based on either plumbing from the last century or places that used really cheap toilets. Also, there are some older homes where the pipes are too small. Easy to find out! FLUSH before you BUY (or rent)… something you should be doing anyway! Now if you are one of those people (read GUYS) who use about a half a roll to take care of your business, then you may have a issue.

Hello, my name is Dave, I am the fire chief at Nancy Run Fire Department I am trying to locate one of our old fire trucks that was sent to Costa Rica some time ago, I was seen at a parade called the fiesta palmares, see photo attached, I am hoping to find where it is currently located and contact information for the department that is using it. The fire truck is a 1964 Mack, yellow in color with the above listed fire company name on it.

So here is the photo (click to enlarge)! Any of you readers able to help? If so, email him at djb2328@rcn.com

When a cable company advertises cable modem speed 4 mb would that really be 4 mb? After reading your segment on the internet I wondered if they could really deliver that speed.

Probably not. I know I have never received even close to what I pay for (2MB). First, the infrastructure is generally crummy and second, you are sharing the connect with your neighbors. Order 50% more than you need and you will probably be happy. Also, expect a fair bit of downtime from the company you mentioned in your email.

We are planning our first visit for June 2008, and would appreciate any
feedback you have on the tentative following itinerary for myself, my wife,
and our two daughters, ages 11 and 9:

June 24 depart LAX – redeye
June 25 arrive San Jose around noon and take private van to Monteverde
June 26 fun and games in Monteverde
June 27 private van to Arenal
June 28 fun and games in Arenal
June 29 private van to Tamarindo
June 30 fun and games in Tamarindo
July 1 private van to Grecia
July 2 shuttle/van to airport, San Jose – LAX

I almost never answer these questions (or even reply) as I tell people I am not a travel agent. It occurred to me though, that this is a great example of why not to plan your own trip without the assistance of a good travel agent. Let’s take a look at this.

Monteverde is about 5-6 hours from the San Jose airport and about 2 hours from the Liberia airport. Is Liberia a better option?

Next, there are few vans that can handle the truly horrible road to Monteverde. A 4X4 is required. A tank would be better! Beautiful place though for sure! I love it!

Then to Arenal? Same issue. 4X4! Lovely drive – 2-3 hours depending on roads. Go North around the top of Lake Arenal.

To Tamarindo? 3-4 hours I am guessing. Loooong drive with young kids on bad roads (until you reach the Pan American Highway.

Tamarindo to Grecia? 5-7 hours. Lose a day just driving. Good roads though and a van would be OK.

You chose some GREAT places to visit, but after counting your drive hours (about 17-20 including the trip to the airport), you should be prepared for some grumpy kids and the perhaps serious loss of some vacation time. Now if you and the kids all really enjoy driving… well then give it a shot! You’ll pass through some beautiful country.

In summary, it is very tempting to look at a Costa Rica map and make plans based on what you THINK looks close. When traveling here, plan on an average travel speed of 20-25 MPH. Sound low? It is not. A 100 mile (150KM) trip here is at least 3-4 hours if you know where you are going. Bad roads are everywhere. Just this week I informed two of my tourist customers that the Pan American highway south is closed. They had no idea and had they followed their original plans, would have lost 6-8 hours getting back on track.

There are some excellent US based travel agents who really do know Costa Rica. Sadly, the majority read the same travel brochures and web sites you do and that is not enough. I always suggest a good Costa Rica based TA as they know what is happening here.

That’s it ’til the next batch.

Our money needs change as we age. A thirty-something person or couple can afford a lot more risk in their money management style knowing that they have another 30-40 years to “balance” the ups and downs. A bad stock decision is far less important at age 32 than at age 62. Therefore, I am directing this post to the over 50 crowd who are not in the market for a $2 million beach front home in Costa Rica. If you can afford that, then you have little need for anything I have to say.

My preference for security of funds is of course is still the United States. Why? You have options! The FDIC for one. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation makes keeping your money safe in any number of banks and S&Ls about as worry free as you can get. You do pay a price for this. Savings deposits in the US earn truly horrible interest rates, often barely keeping pace with inflation. If you are willing to waive the FDIC security blanket, the US stock market can provide a much nicer return on your money, but the risk of course is greater. It is still, however, the only way I know of to earn more than the Costa Rica inflation rate (see below). But what about Costa Rica?

First, there is no FDIC or equivalent here though the state banks of Costa Rica do guarantee your deposits (but not so if you use online banking!) though the recovery process is, as I understand it, very slow… maybe measured in years.

There are also a number of private banks that offer various investment instruments, but theoretically they could close the doors and be gone. Costa Rica does a fair job of monitoring both state and private banks, so while closures of private banks have occurred, they are certainly not frequent. Me? I keep my funds in savings accounts in three banks here. Two are private and the third is a state bank. The interest I receive is pretty crummy, maybe 1-2%, so I started investigating my options.

As inflation is running at 8% (government figures) or 13.2 % (TicoGrande figures), getting a 2% return is not so wonderful. You can buy Certificates of Deposit (CD’s) here for terms of from one to 12 months at rates of from 5.25% to 6.7% (source BAC – 28 July 2007) which is better as you are now only losing 2 % of your money to inflation. But… I found something pretty interesting along the way!

As everyone knows, the US Federal Reserve Bank is not a real bank. You cannot run down and open an account. Here in Costa Rica though, the Central Bank here IS a real bank and operates as such. Therefore it should not have been a surprise when I came across this page on their web site. It appears that the Central Bank is offering interest rates as much as .8% more than the other banks, state or private. While this is not a huge deal, you never have to go to the bank to avail yourself of this. You can subscribe over the Internet, transferring funds in as needed.

So what are the advantages?

1. You get a bit more interest.
2. Your money is in the most secure location in Costa Rica that it can possible be in. If this bank fails, your money would be the least of your worries. It would mean Costa Rica itself has failed.
3. Sometimes you may simply have extra money in an account and you want to put it to work for as little as a few days or for as long as a year but do not want the hassles of going buying a CD which requires a trip to the bank. It also might be great for businesses with excess cash flow.

Here is a chart showing the yield information as of today.

Currency is in colones but I added the equivalent in dollars.

Here are some links to assist you. Spanish required of course.

https://www.centraldirecto.fi.cr/OpcionesInversion.aspx

https://www.centraldirecto.fi.cr/Principal.aspx

This post is copyrighted 2007 by The REAL Costa Rica Blog and may not be used in any form without permission.

Some of the questions are pretty good and my reply may be of interest to others… so here they are! As always, I generally do not edit emails though I DO protect the identity of the writer as, sadly, some folks appear to be borderline literate. I may also shorten them a bit showing only the relevant question.

I am gogin to be in Playa Grande area soon and would liek to know where teh nearest Catholic Church is. KNow of anyone I coudl email for wheres and whens?

This is a seriously Catholic country. As such you will never be farther than a few hundred yards from a Catholic church in nearly any town in Costa Rica.

What would be avg rent of a house 2 bdrm of a annual salary of 35000? near beach anywhere in costa rica

Huh?

One thing, do you have the names of some reputable dentists/doctors in CR that you could forward on to me? I will be travelling over frequently and badly need some attention to my smile!

I get a LOT of these emails. I generally do not make these recommendations except to those folks who have actually moved and are living in Costa Rica. Just like in the US, many (especially cosmetic dentists) are overpriced and cater to “rich” foreigners, and I will not assist in their promotion. I have a new dentist, and I will recommend her AFTER at least one or two years as it takes that long to determine if a dentist is doing a good job. Most can do fine for cavities… it is the more evolved stuff that takes time to evaluate.

… We plan on looking for a nice area that is safe, and friendly on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Any local knowledge you can give, or suggestions from your own experience would be great! Thanks. I am an avid surfer, so I will be bringing my board too!

First, the Caribean side is almost like a different country. It is generally hotter and more humid at any time of the year. It also (despite what many say), wetter. It is also worth a look if you are thinking about a move to Costa Rica. It is raw beautiful and not overbuilt.

However, I do not ever make recommendations as to where to live in this country. There are just too many options and I compare making suggestions as to where to live as me choosing what toothbrush is best for you. You have to try it. Time and again, I tell people NOT to buy anything when they first arrive. Spend at least six months to a year exploring the country. There are so many excellent choices, but where depends on you. Do you like the heat and humidty of the beaches? Many do. I do not. Other factors may include proximity to important infrastructure like theaters, shopping (not much on that coast BTW), and medical care. The latter is very important for those of you not on the sunny side of age 60! Medical care, and by this I mean serious emergency care, is generally not available at the beaches, east or west. Can you afford to be a 3-5 hour drive to San Jose if you suffer from any serious health issue? A stroke? Heart attack? While there are certainly facilities in these beach areas, they do not compare to the services offered in the Central Valley by the Cima or Clinica Bilblica hospitals or even the local CAJA hospitals.

In any case… LIVE here before buying. Learn the culture and the country, and remember that about 40% of those who move here return “home” in a year or less. In fact, I would urge anyone coming here to not enter into any arrangment that cannot be “undone” with a few phone calls. Living here is NOT the same as visiting, or as I am fond of saying, the tourist Costa Rica is not The Real Costa Rica.

Finally, the surfing on the Caribbean side is beyond dangerous. Unless you are rated by your peers as a near-pro, be so very careful. The reefs and coral are killers and the seas on that side are very different than on the west coasts.

Thank you for the abundance of information. Very good stuff. Some of it funny, some a little scary. Not quite sure if I should be excited about moving to CR or scared to death!!

The answer to the question you did not ask is, “Be both!”.

where are the multitude of good golf courses in cr?

Great question! Every time I think I covered everything in The Real Costa Rica, along comes a question like yours and I realize I blew it. Sadly, doing some research on this, I found there are no really good web sites that list all of them. Odd!

In any case, here are six that I know of:

• Cariari is located just off the Pan American Highway between the San Jose airport and San Jose. Considered by most to be the premier course in the country, it is open to members only, but I believe it is also available to guests staying at the Hotel Cariari. Fairways are diffilcult and appear to be about 9 feet wide. Not true of course, but use your irons anyway.
• Parque Valle Del Sol is located near Santa Ana. Nice 18 hole course, fun but not too challenging. If you see my son out there, tell him to bring back my clubs.
• Los Sueños Marriott is cleverly located at the Los Sueños Marriott close to Jaco. As with a beach areas, it is hotter’n hell so bring your deodorant.
• Playa Conchal Northwest. THE Garra de León Golf Course Garra de León Golf Course is an oceanside course is located in Guanacaste at the Paradisus Playa Conchal Hotel. Very popular course in beautiful surroundings.
• Hacienda Pinilla is just a short drive from the Playa Conchal course. I have no more reliable info on this course.
• The Four Seasons. If you have more money than God, by all means consider this course. It is part of the Four Seasons hotel chain also known as “If you have to ask our room rates, you should not be staying here” hotel. As I do not have such funds… I have no personal experience. In fact, I cannot even afford to visit their lobby which I understand requires a payment of $50 (if you don’t stay over). This may be an urban legend, but I don’t think so!

I also believe there is a course in Tambor, but could not find any info.

The courses above are all 18 hole courses. There are several 9 holers, but for true golf nuts, playing nine holes is like kissing your sister.

This is not a real question. It is a composite of about 50 emails: “We are moving to Costa Rica. How much should we pay for a house, condo, townhome, apartment located on the beach, in the mountains, by a volcano, in the country, in San Jose, blah blah blah.

I am not a realtor and I will never answer these types of questions. I will provide the following suggestions which about 80% will ignore. This is GOOD as it keeps the realtors very happy! You, however, will not be so happy.

Buying

Do not buy anything until you have lived here for at least six months and have traveled the country. If you do, you will almost assuredly overpay AND you will be in a location that very likely will not be where you want to live. You MUST learn this country to avoid getting taken. There are no Multiple Listing Services here, and you WILL pay more than you should

Renting

Come to Costa Rica and stay a few weeks at a decent aparthotel. This is a combo apartment/hotel with full kitchen, etc. Then explore the SPANISH newspapers such as La Nacion for rentals. This means you must learn a bit of Spanish. When you find something, have a Tico call and verify prices. Then YOU call to see if the price is the same. If so… go take a look. That is how you will save a ton of money and get a nice place to live until you do decide to buy. NOTE: Figure you will overpay by 30-70% if you shop for rentals in a English language newspaper. Ticos are not stupid. They know you will be at a disadvantage if you do not speak the language.

My wife and I want to do a late honeymoon. I have been attracted to Costa Rica because of the tropical setting that some more destinations cannot match. We are looking to go in the Summer (possibly July). Is it worth comming then. I have read that this is peak rainy season. Will there be too much rain? Would the heat be unbearable? I know that I should probably just break down and see a travel agent. But I think this site is fantastic and was hoping you might have a suggestion.

Is a “late honeymoon” also known as a vacation? Got kids?

Like the real estate questions, I generally do not give travel advice as I just don’t know you. I will, however, provide a but of guidance about some of your concerns. First, read this. If you come in the rainy season you will save money. You just need to plan ooutdoor activities for the morning as the afternoons will be very wet. This obviously limits your activities and only you can make that decision.

July… and the North American summer is not the hot season here in Costa Rica. The hottest month is March… in the high season.

As for what to do and where to go, break down and speak with a Costa Rica travel agent. By this I mean a travel agent located in Costa Rica. While there are some fine TA’s in the states, many have never set foot in Costa Rica and really have done nothing more than read the literature sent to them by hotels, B&B’s, canope tour operators, white water rafting companies and so on. Many CR travel agents have toll free service to Costa Rica and you can actually speak to someone who lives here and has visited these places and done these things. They can make suggestions based on what your input is to them i.e. your general health, preference for activities, love of heat and beaches, social life, budget, etc. There are so many “hidden” treasure spots here and so often, they either choose not to advertise heavily or are just crummy at marketing themselves. As a matter of fact, next week, I am taking my wifey to just such a spot less than 30 miutes from San Jose that is just delicious! Only a handful of people here know about it. I would guess that 90% of US agents have no idea it exists! Good luck!

Who the hell says, “my brand spanking new wife”. MORON

Dear Moron,

Or was that you calling ME a moron.  Who knows!

Well, I guess I do. Sounds like something I could have said. Thanks for commenting! Gosh! Guess I need”cool” lessons huh?!

Fondly,

The (other) Moron

Crime here, it is getting worse and I have no problem saying so. It is certainly different than when I first stepped off the boat. Saying that though, the crime is pretty well confined to two areas: San Jose (the city), and areas where tourists congregate. It is NOT country wide.

This is true for the US as well. A small town in Iowa is NOT the same as life in LA.

Increasing also are the areas where North Americans tend to congregate… “Gringo Enclaves” such as Escazu or Santa Ana are reporting more and more crime.

I find this pretty amusing (the irony, not the crime) that Gringos moved there in the first place to be comfortable living with other Gringos. They perceive safety (in numbers) living behind those gated communities while not actually having to deal with the “natives”. They do not want to learn Spanish and have no desire to integrate into the Latin culture. That is fine and is their right!

This, however, lets the bad guys know where the (real or perceived) wealth is located and the most convenient locations for robbery and home invasions, the two most popular pastimes! They actually moved TO a targeted area!

The irony here is that those North Americans who do NOT live in the enclaves, but rather live in any of thousands of other areas NOT known for a Gringo population almost never report break-ins, robberies or for that matter ANY crime at all! In fact, in ALL the years I have lived here, not once have I heard of a crime committed against a North American family living in… oh say… San Isidro for example. Oh I am SURE there has been of course… I just never heard about it!

However, I know a ton of people who live in areas like San Ramon, Cuidad Colon, Grecia, Zarcero, Athenas and so on who NEVER have problems. Many never even lock their doors and still leave their car keys in the car!! A bonus! Their cost of living is a fraction of what it takes to live in an enclave!

The difference??

These folks came to Costa Rica for the reason they WANTED to integrate. They WANTED to learn the language and they see the far-older Latin culture as what it is… something special. As they can speak a bit of Spanish, they make (Tico) friends and those friends then watch out for each other!

My wife and I just had dinner last week with a couple (Barb and Wally) from Canada who bought a finca in Perez Zeledon. Ask THEM about crime. It does not exist for them except on TV and La Nacion.

So if there is an answer… or a lesson… examine why you are coming here and what are your intentions.

If you want to enjoy the expatriate lifestyle to the max by learning a foreign language… immersing yourself and your family in a wonderful culture, want little (or no) problem with crime, consider NOT hiding out. Rent or buy something in an area inhabited by Ticos. You will not be sorry.

However, if you want to rent or buy a home or condo in one of the enclaves, live in San Jose or in high crime tourist areas like Jaco or Tamarindo, well… you made the choice… now accept what goes with that choice. You will be at a far higher risk of crime.

or

It is also possible you just LIKE to live in the city! If so… learn to deal with the every day crime and violence exactly as you would if you lived IN Miami or Chicago.

Before, if a person had applied for any form of legal residency and had been assigned a file number from immigration, they did not have to leave Costa Rica after 90 days for that 72 hour period in order to renew their tourist visa.

Now they do!

Costa Rica Immigration has now decided that because someone has not actually received his legal residency, they are thus, in fact, still tourists and not exempt from the law that requires they leave after 90 days.

Apparently, immigration is not pushing this, preferring to wait until the news spreads, but please pay attention to this if you are in this situation. Until you actually have the formal residency approval, you now must leave CR every 90 days for at least 72 hours.