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So, they’ll give your vehicle an extention, but not you. On the other hand, I know tons of people who overstayed their visa, and then simply paid a small fine upon leaving. That’s old information though, and perhaps they’ve changed this.
Sanborn only provides vehicle insurance in Mexico. I drove two vehicles to Costa Rica, and insured them both through the INS even though they were not nationalized. At the time I was there on a tourist visa.
Jeez Scott, why don’t you stop beating around the bush and tell us what you really think of them!
I’ve used, and can recommend ABC Mudanzas in Curridabat. They put your stuff in a huge wooden box, bolt it closed, and stack it in their warehouse. The monthly cost was nominal, maybe $50 or so.
Tiquicia is a famous typical restaurant “mirador” (scenic mountain-side establishment with a great view) above Escazu. Like many such places, it is a bit difficult to get there, what with all the winding roads, splits, switchbacks, and un-named streets. Good maps are either hard to come by or non-existant. “Up”, and “down” are much more usefull indicators than the cardinal points. Because of all this, written directions would be complicated. This one in particular seems more difficult due to the rough, steep roads as you get closer. I’ve driven there at least 6-8 times and I still get lost.
But you’re never really lost if you use the universal Costa Rican technique of getting somewhere – ask people as you go. Giving directions is a national pastime. Just be prepared for something like the following (fictictous directions, but actual landmarks none-the-less):
“Turn left at Matute Gomez’s house (a long-dead military figure) until you get to where the Higueron tree used to be. Go up 125 meters, and turn right when you see a barking dog.”
If you can’t speak Spanish, just say “Tiquicia?”. You’ll hear these impossible directions in a language you can’t understand, and then they’ll point. Just follow the finger.
I thought you could renew the initial 90 day visa once (180 days total), before the 72 hour leave becomes mandatory. That’s the rule for vehicles brought into the country as well.
No immunizations are required for travel to Costa Rica. Most tourists and expats agree that it´s not something to fret about. However, if you´re a nervous nelly, get it so you can sleep at night. On the other hand, if that´s the case, you´ll probably find something else to worry about. Fear is the mind killer. Don´t worry, be happy!
David, it´s true, I failed to list all the steps. I don´t have two hours to burn. However, the correct website is http://www.migracion.go.cr. Alas, we are both failures! (but error trumps omission – congratulations! (LOL).
It´s really not too hard. David is right that you have to cross your T´s and dot your I´s though. Bring everything you can to the CR consulate where you live (even if its 500 miles away), let them do their thing, and ask them to make sure it´s complete before traveling. You can then enter the country as a tourist, and begin the process there.
Here´s the list, direct from the website.
RESIDENCIA PERMANENTE POR VINCULO CON COSTARRICENSE
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 35, inciso ch) de la Ley General de Migración y Extranjería1. Cuando se trate de solicitudes de residencia basadas en la existencia de vínculo de primer grado con ciudadano costarricense (cónyuge, hijos, padres y hermanos solteros), se recibirán dichas solicitudes directamente en las Oficinas de Migración o bien éstas pueden ser tramitadas desde el consulado costarricense ubicado en el país de origen o de residencia del extranjero, o en un tercer país en caso de que no exista autoridad consular de Costa Rica acreditada en los ya mencionados.
Fundamento jurídico: Acuerdo del Consejo Nacional de Migración. Sesión No. 38 del 05 de noviembre de 2002.
2. Carta de solicitud, dirigida al Departamento de Residencias de la Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, indicando sus calidades personales, domicilio y las razones por las cuales desea residir permanentemente en Costa Rica. Señalar N° de fax , o dirección de la casa de habitación u oficina dentro del perímetro judicial de San José, en donde recibir notificaciones. No se recibirán solicitudes que no cumplan con este requisito. La solicitud puede ser presentada personalmente por el interesado o por su apoderado, en caso del que el petente la presente directamente debe estar autenticada la firma por un abogado o debe ser firmada ante el funcionario que le recibe el trámite.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 58 incisos a) y b) del Reglamento a la Ley General de Migración y Extranjería, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989 numeración corrida por medio del decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002, Artículo 286 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública.
3. Comprobante del registro de las huellas digitales. Este trámite se realiza en el Archivo Policial del Ministerio de Seguridad Pública, situado frente al Centro Comercial del Sur, Carretera a Desamparados. Debe llevar el pasaporte y dos fotografías. Horario de atención al público de lunes a viernes de 8:00 a.m. a 3:00p.m.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 27 inciso a) del Reglamento de organización de cuerpos policiales adscritos al Ministerio de Seguridad Pública, Decreto No. 23881-SP de 12 de diciembre de 1994.
4. Entero bancario a favor del Gobierno del Gobierno de Costa Rica, por la suma de quinientos colones (¢500). Dicho entero puede ser cancelado en el Banco de Costa Rica cuenta N°242480-0 o en el Banco Nacional de Costa Rica cuenta N°215936-6. No se le dará tramite a las solicitudes que carezcan de este documento.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 4 de la Ley N° 5874, del 23 de diciembre de 1975, publicada en La Gaceta del 15 de enero de 1976, reformado mediante el artículo 12 de la Ley N° 6962, del 26 de julio de 1984.
5. Certificaciones de nacimiento (deberá contener el nombre de los progenitores) y antecedentes penales del interesado, debidamente legalizadas por el Cónsul de Costa Rica en su país de origen o de aquel en que legalmente resida y por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en Costa Rica. Si dichos documentos estuvieren redactados en idioma extranjero, deberá acompañarse su traducción. Con las excepciones señaladas en el artículo 58 Bis del Reglamento a la Ley General de Migración y Extranjería. En casos excepcionales, en que para el extranjero sea imposible materialmente presentar las certificaciones de antecedentes penales y nacimiento con el nombre de sus padres y/o, por no emitir las autoridades civiles de su país de origen o residencia habitual dicho documento u otras razones debidamente fundamentadas, podrá eximirse de este requisito, previa gestión por escrito del interesado donde se demuestre de manera fehaciente a criterio de la Dirección General, tal imposibilidad. La procedencia de una petición en este sentido será analizada por la Dirección General de Migración y en casos muy calificados el Director podrá someterlo al Consejo Nacional de Migración, para definir lo que corresponda.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículos 58, inciso c), 58 Bis (adicionado por medio del decreto N° 29878-G del 25 de setiembre de 2001), 59 del Reglamento a la Ley N° 7033, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989, numeración corrido por medio del decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002 y 294 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública.
6. Fotocopia certificada de todas las páginas del pasaporte. Cada fotocopia debe traer la firma y sello blanco del notario autenticante. La certificación de las copias del pasaporte puede ser realizada por el funcionario público que le recibe el trámite, con vista en el original. Si dicho documento estuviere redactado en idioma extranjero, deberá acompañarse su traducción.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículos 58, inciso d), 59 del Reglamento a la Ley N° 7033, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989, numeración corrido por medio del decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002 y 294 inciso b) de la Ley General de la Administración Pública.
7. Aportar cuatro fotografías de frente, de fecha reciente, tamaño pasaporte.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 58, inciso f) del Reglamento a la Ley N° 7033, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989, numeración corrido por medio del Decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002.
8. Demostrar el vínculo de primer grado por afinidad o consanguinidad con costarricense, con al menos alguno de los siguientes documentos:
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 35, inciso ch) de la Ley General de Migración y Extranjería.
a. Certificación de matrimonio, expedida por el Registro Civil de Costa Rica.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 45 de la Ley Orgánica del Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones y del Registro Civil, en lo que nos interesa indica que:
” Lo referente al estado civil, se prueba con la correspondiente inscripción practica en el Departamento Civil”
b. Certificación de nacimiento de hijos costarricenses, expedida por el Registro Civil de Costa Rica.
c. Certificación de soltería, en caso de ser hermano soltero de costarricense, debidamente legalizada por el Cónsul de Costa Rica en su país de origen o de aquel en que legalmente resida y por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en Costa Rica. Si dicho documento estuviere redactado en idioma extranjero, deberá acompañarse su traducción.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículos 59 del Reglamento a la Ley N° 7033, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989, numeración corrido por medio del Decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002 y 294 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública.
d. En el caso de que fuese casado con un ciudadano costarricense, debe aportar una fotocopia certificada de la cédula de identidad de su cónyuge. La certificación de la cédula puede ser realizada por el funcionario público que le recibe el trámite, con vista en el original.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículos 61, inciso a) del Reglamento a la Ley N° 7033, decreto N° 19010 de 11 de mayo de 1989, numeración corrido por medio del decreto N° 30300 del 19 de marzo de 2002, publicado en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta N° 88 del 09 de mayo de 2002 y 295 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública.
9. Debe agregar al escrito de la solicitud ¢115 colones en timbres fiscales.
Fundamento jurídico: Ley del Timbre Policial N° 6594, del 6 de agosto de 1981, sustituidos en timbres fiscales mediante el artículo 28 de la Ley de Justicia Tributaria N° 7535, del 01 de agosto de 1995, publicada en La Gaceta N° 175 del 14 de setiembre de 1995.
10. Agregar ¢2,50 colones en timbres fiscales por cada folio del expediente, que se deberán cancelar en el momento de presentarse la solicitud.
Fundamento jurídico: Artículo 4 de la Ley N° 5874, del 23 de diciembre de 1975, publicada en La Gaceta de 15 de enero de 1976, modificado por el artículo 12 de la Ley N° 6962, del 26 de julio de 1984, la cual fue reformada por el artículo 7 de la Ley N° 7088 del 30 de noviembre de 1987, que incrementó en un 25% todos los montos pagaderos en timbres fiscales.
You don´t need an attorney to apply for residency, but it will save you a lot of time if you do. Your Tico husband will be able to help you find all the different places you have to go to do it.
Find out what documents you need before coming down. There is a specific list, which includes a statement from your local police department that you´re not a criminal. Some of these documents may have to be notorized at the nearest Costa Rican consulate.
BTW, not to splash cold water on you, but marraiges between ticos and gringas usually don´t work out. You´re chances are improved if:
1. Your tico husband is younger (not old school, chauvenist Tico).
2. He has lived in the US for an extended period of time, so he´ll understand that we´re all crazy, not just you.
3. You have lived for an extended period of time in CR, for the same reason.(I´m assuming you´re from the US, pardon me if I´m mistaken.)
I`m afraid it is as simple as it sounds, if you`re married to a Tica. But then again, being married to a Tica is anything but simple…
It applies to those with official foreign residency, as well as those without it if they`re outside the US for almost the entire year, I can`t remember the exact amount of days.
I was referring to the US income tax exemption for US residents of foreign countries of the first $75,000 of annual income. If you´re married and file jointly, that´s $150,000. It has always been my goal to take full advantage of this exemption. Still working on it though…
Over the years I have found that I can live the same lifestyle in CR as in the US for about a third of the dollars. The savings mentioned above cut it by a half, and then the US income tax exemption for residents of foreign countries brings it down more.
Jerry,
I don’t know why anyone would buy a car that’s 2,000 miles away when there are plenty of cars for sale locally. However, offering US financing on a car bought in Costa Rica is VERY interesting. The financial markets in Costa Rica are underdeveloped, and money is expensive. The problem for US banks is they can’t handle a lein on collateral that’s outside their service area or country. When you say “based on your credit file in the US”, I assume this would be a signiture loan. If that’s the case, then people with good credit could get a signiture loan from lots of banks.
If you’re talking about placing a lein on the collateral, then the market would be wide open. I’m not sure that’s what you mean though.
One thing to keep in mind with regard to cabinets and wooden furnishings – the climate of where you’re bringing it to. Costa Rica has wildly varying micro climates than can play havoc with wood. If you have the time, I’d visit with other locals to see what worked for them. Where I lived the humidity undermined the glue, and after 10 months or so the cabinet doors started falling off, and the furniture we bought in Sarchi started to separate at the seams.
As far as the appliances are concerned, it’s amazing how fast they corrode down there, probably much more so by the ocean. I don’t know how you can stop that.
Edited on Jul 31, 2006 09:27
Hey Dwayne, “USA – Zero and Costa Rica Three’- sounds like Costa Rica is winning to me. SHOULD doesn’t count??? An ADJUSTMENT isn’t a RAISE??? Oil has NOTHING to do with it???
Don’t let your passion deteriorate into insult and disrespect. Maravilla isn’t calling you names. You bring up some valid points, but these comments dilute your argument. Don’t get mad at those a little more to the left than you. They have good hearts, even if you feel they’re misdirected. Maravilla sounds like someone who would serve you milk and cookies with a welcoming smile you dropped by for a visit.
Maravilla like it or not, capitalists “pigs” make the world go ’round. They actually do create wealth, and not at all just for themselves, but for their communities as well. There’s not doubt that it’s a winning economic system, so we might as well embrace it. The challenge is finding the right balance to minimize its deficiencies (there are many) while simultaneously maximizing its effectiveness.
Neither one of you are extremists, why do you argue as though you’re diametrically opposed to each other?
As for healthcare, it’s pure semantics to argue for or against a “nationalized” or “private” health care system. The reality is that the US and CR, and probably just about every other country in the world, have a mixed system both public and private. Frankly, none of them work well. Let’s accept reality, and talk about tweaking the system to make it better, rather than spout rhetoric which polarizes the debate and decreases the chances for finding common ground.
I think that one of the reasons healthcare is such a big problem today is the switch from surgical intervention to drug therapy as the primary means of treatment. This puts the pharmaceutical industry in the driver’s seat. Here’s the catch there is no such thing as a “free market” in that industry. It owes its existence to a public private partnership. Governments directly subsidize many development costs, model taxation to spur industry growth, create protectionists laws and regulations, and sometimes even intervene in foreign affairs to help their national companies.
We cannot hamstring the industry to the point where it ceases to function. We clearly want it to thrive. But on the other hand, we can’t let it run rampant. As usual, the best solution (albeit imperfect still) is somewhere in the middle.
It’s helpful when framing your arguments to understand the industry in terms of its power (i.e. profitability). One way to measure the profitability potential of any given industry is to analyze the ‘5 forces’ of competitiveness (Michael E. Porter). These are: Internal rivalry, Power of negotiation with suppliers, Power of negotiation with customers, Threat of new entrants, and Threat of substitute products.
1. Internal rivalry these companies spend buko capital on R&D. You can bet they try to avoid going toe-to-toe with each other, and develop separate, tacitly agreed-upon niches. Nothing like 2 gas stations across the street from each other. Furthermore, with an aging population and new drug technologies, the pie is getting bigger. You don’t have to take profitability away from another company to be successful. While there is some rivalry, it’s muted.
2. Power of negotiation with customers Let’s face it, when you’re sick, you’ll pay anything to get the cure. Furthermore, governments regulate the use of generic products, protect trademarks, and create different rules for national vs international trade. That’s why grandmothers are getting on busses to Toronto.
3. Power of negotiation with suppliers The raw materials used to make drugs are commodities, the cheapest things on earth.
4. Threat of new entrants Between the capital requirements and the government regulation, it’s not like opening up a lemonade stand.
5. Threat of substitute products pretty minimal. Surgery is usually a last resort, the homeopathy industry sucks at marketing, and the born agains don’t exactly have a stellar record of miracle cures.
All in all, the pharmaceutical industry rules each of these 5 areas. Given the amount of public participation in its success, and the market conditions which make it so powerful, personally I think we’re currently treating them with kid gloves. It seems to me we could do a whole lot more to bring down the costs of drug treatment.
The other primary reason for the wildly increasing cost of healthcare is tort. There are so many people in the US just itching to sue their vendors for any misstep, and so many lawyers who market like mad to represent them, the entire system is way out of wack. What proportion of the price of that medical product or service goes to pay for liability insurance and legal defense? That hamstrings everything! We obviously need tort reform. Again though, we must balance it with the need for consumer protection.
Come on people, we’re inches away on the political continuum, not on opposite sides of the fence!
