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I don’t want bells and whistles. No bluetooth or camera phone either. I just need to be able to make a call and receive calls, and I will be happy to buy you a case of whatever you want in exchange for something that is idiot proof and stress free!! You’re a real pal! Thanks.
One more thing Bill — you must have other people in your corportion, right? There is only ME in MY corporation, so all the paperwork I have states that I can conduct all business with regard to that corporation, or was there some other reason why you had to have a letter from your abogado?
Hola, Bill, thanks for the treastise on cell phones, which I have printed out and will take with me when I come down this month. Your information was very helpful, but currently I do not have a cell phone so I would have trouble getting one “unlocked” here wouldn’t I? How much cheaper will it be to buy a phone here as opposed to CR? If it’s more money but less hassle, then that’s for me! I have a very low tolerance for things that become difficult. jejeje I’ve lost your phone number Bill so you call me. Thanks.
As for the bank account situation, I was informed by Banex that in the last year “things” have changed with how most bank accounts are opened, not because of Costa Rica, but because of the US BANKING LAWS and our supposed war on terror. When I filled out my application for a personal account at Banex, at the top of the application was this notation (in very tiny print) –“this application complies with all the rules and regulations for the Know Your Customer program” — which, if you don’t know, was the program instituted in the late 80’s to track illegal drug money. So what someone did or didn’t do a year or two ago may be very different than what can be done today or yesterday.
I’m going to try . . . I want to see if that massive fireplace the Swiss architect built actually works — and with all those fire bricks he used, it should be the perfect place to do pizza (I hope we don’t burn down the neighborhood!!)
Ooops. I suppose that makes me some kind of criminal, eh? Maybe I should be in prison for that too! jejeje Isn’t it always about WHO you know? Especially in a Latin country? Somehow I’ve managed to make the right contacts and connections for a lot of things, and because of that my transition from this gringo culture to a Latin culture has been very easy (but then I’ve lived in third World countries before). I didn’t go looking for these connections, they presented themselves to me in the form of “we can help you get blah blah if you need something, so please don’t hesitate to call us.” Now, should I NOT take up those offers? I’d be a fool if I didn’t call on the people who have offered their assistance. And most often I get extremely good treatment because of how I treat those who are in authority and somehow they just want to make my life easier. Maybe there is nothing ICE can do to expedite my request for a phone connection but I’m sure going to try. I know they put in phone lines where previously there had been none, so if I can get it, great, if not, I don’t really care. I don’t even want a damn phone (or TV, or Internet, etc.)
Hey, GT, I’d forgotten about the horrendously long waiting list for cell phone numbers. Who knew getting a cell phone could be so complicated? My neighbor just down the hill from me recently got a landline — that means I could probably get phone service to my house if they ran the lines through the whole compound. I don’t even WANT the damn cell phone but it’s hubby who insists we have contact with the outside world. I have some friends with “connections” at ICE so I’ll see how it all pans out when I get down there. How much DOES a cell phone cost in CR? I don’t want one that has all the bells and whistles — don’t care if it’s a camera phone — I just want to make in and out calls, nothing more.
Thanks for the info, Deb. I think I will ask around the hood and see what kind of phone everyone has and whether it’s GSM or TDMA. Most everyone gets reception up on the hill but what I know about cell phones could fit on a pinhead.
Yes, Andrew told me you’d be there, so that should be fun. Don’t know if hubby is coming with me now that we can’t go to immigration, but I’ll be down there finishing up the casa so we can spend the winter. Can’t wait to meet you, too. And J and J will be back from Europe and they are talking about having one of their famous fiestas when we’re all down there together.
Thanks, MT, but maybe I don’t need a personal account at all if I could pay my bills out of my Banex SA account. I would like to have a savings account though, so maybe I’ll have to go to BN on my next trip and set that up. And thanks for the heads up about a cell phone — who knows when we will get landlines in my neighborhood so I’d like to get the phone on my next trip also. I don’t have a cell here in the States so I’ll just get one that is GSM compatible and stash the receipt.
Yes, I applied for pensionado status and was approved last May. My husband’s hearing was in July and he was approved also (of course we had to prove our income, which was not a problem), but it’s getting our cedulas that’s the problem as immigration is booking those appointments 5 months out. Someone told me that the money first has to be deposited into an account and then withdrawn and converted. The only account I have is for my SA; I can’t get a personal account without my cedula. So my question still is: Can I go into my bank with $600 in greenbacks and exchange them for colones and will this be proof enough for immigration? As for cell phones, I guess I could get one in my corporation’s name then? that would be great. And does the phone have to be purchased in CR or can I buy one here and take it to ICE to have the chip installed? What does a cell phone cost in CR? (still clueless after all these years. lol)
He’d better leave soon for Mexico or Canada because at the end of the year a passport is required to leave the country no matter where you’re going.
Actually, I read one article that said you could buy a real Italian/EU passport for $50,000. An EU passport is the most desirable, but there are other little offshore countries that are supposedly sponsoring this practice of paying to have another passport so that some of this money goes into their coffers. I’ll sell you my EU passport for $40,000! jejeje (just kidding of course!)
I have two passports but it’s not that easy to do — I certainly wouldn’t try to get one from some of the countries that advertise that they will give you one for $5000 — gotta be a scam in there somewhere. Sounds like you’re stuck. Bummer!
Thanks for the tip. I did get my granite countertops from a taller in Palmares, so maybe they can get travertine or limestone as well. Yes, the Saltillo tiles my neighbor wanted are the clay tiles — they’re easy to find here and very inexpensive but all I found in CR were ceramic saltillos which are a close second. I’ll check out the other store you mentioned too. Gracias.
We’re going to miss each other by just a few days — I’m sure you’d enjoy meeting my Italian husband, whose political opinions mirror my own and then some! LOL Contact me at QueMirabella@hotmail.com and I’ll give you some contact names and numbers in the Central Valley.
I wish I’d known someone could fabricate a sink for me before I splurged on a $700 25-pound travertine sink that I shlepped to CR with me on my last trip. Don’t forget to seal your limestone. Another item I’m looking for is Italian saltillo floor tiles, the ones with variegated colors. I put in Spanish saltillo tiles, but my neighbor who’s building a house next to me insists on Italian tiles. I guess I will call that number you gave me and see if they have what I’m looking for.
