A Snip, Snip Here... - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

Luis & Leo basking in the sun!

Veterinary Costs in Costa Rica

I always like to keep you up to date on how much it costs for services in Costa Rica.

We currently have TWO cats, Luis & Leo. Both of them adopted us. They are both males and they are strictly outside cats. However, we do feed them, provide beds for them and care for their health and for the most part it is like having 2 (inside cats) except that they live outside. To that end, I feel a responsibility to make sure they have their shots and also to make sure they don't produce any offspring or do that whole fighting, yowling, spraying thing!

However, I was surprised myself when we took Leo in yesterday for "neutering". I made the appointment in Spanish. We dropped him off at 9:00am and picked him up at 4pm.

The bill was 15,000mil colones 

15,000CRC =25.6567USD

oh and we got a bag of cat food for 1,000mil colones =1.71977USD

I knew it would be less expensive than in the states (which I understand can run up to $200) we had already had Luis fixed but I was really surprised when I saw the bill. It sort of scared me at first because I thought I had made a mistake in my Spanish and he didn't get the right procedure - however the bill plainly says "castracion" so... there ya go! (btw- our other vet was a bit more but I can't recall now) 

Anyway. these prices make it a lot easier to help the stray cat population stay healthy and keeps the population down.

Leo

Just thought I would share that with you.

No More Visa/Border Runs!!! - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

Congratulations Devon!!!

As per mentioned before, to avoid your Visa Stamp to expire we have filed your application for residency with the Immigration Department in Costa Rica. Attached please find a copy of your application receipt. Please print it and carry it with a copy of your passport. For your passport, you should  carry a copy of the ID page and the entry stamp. 

Today I received my Numero de Expediente! I no longer have to leave the country every 90 days!! It took about 60 days for me to receive my number (partly due to a delay with my birth certificate) but I did not do any collecting of documents myself instead I signed over power of attorney to my lawyers at Outlier Legal. I did not even have to go to Migración to pick up my number today. It was emailed to me. At this point my papers have been sent for approval and the next step will be to receive my Cédula (which is like a Green Card). 

I have included some important facts about the traveling to Costa Rica as a tourist and Costa Rica Residency laws below.

*Note - This information was taken from the Costa Rica Law website. Please click on the link for more detailed information. There are several other sites available for your use and I have not used their services.

If you were granted a 90 day visa this is the maximum stay allowed by law. If you want to stay in Costa Rica longer then you have leave the country and then come back in to get another 90 days. If you were given a 30 day visa then you can renew that in Costa Rica up to the maximum of 90 days. The amount of time that a Tourist can remain in Costa Rica is based upon their country of origin as follows: 

NO VISA REQUIRED. MAY STAY UP TO 90 DAYS. Those countries designated as No Visa countries may enter Costa Rica without an entry Visa and may remain in Costa Rica for up to 90 days. 

Example: United States, Canada, European Union, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Russian Federation, Denmark, Finland, Japan.

Please pay attention to this next point - Some people are under the impression that you must carry your passport with you at all times! That's a dangerous thing to do because the last thing you want to do is lose or heaven forbid...have your passport stolen --

Your Passport Entry Stamp: While you are in Costa Rica your passport and the immigration stamp that was placed in it when you entered the country is your proof of legal status. The Immigration Department allows you to carry a copy of your passport with the entry stamp so that you can keep your passport in a safe place.

WHAT ARE THE IMMIGRATION RESIDENCY CATEGORIES 

The Immigration Law breaks down the residency categories available under three subsections. The first one is Permanent Residency (Article 77-78) the second is Temporary Residency (Article 79-86) and the final category is defined as Specialized Categories (Article 93-97). The most common initial classification for all initial applicants will be that of Temporary Residents. As such I will start explaining that category for you.

TEMPORARY RESIDENCY:

The majority of application for Costa Rican residency will fall into the Temporary Residency category which is regulated by Article 79 of the Immigration Law and has the following subcategories: 

(1) The Spouse of a Costa Rican citizen as set forth in Article 73 of the law.

(2) Those of religious orders for religions that have been accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Culture

(3) Executives, Managers, Technical Personnel for Corporations which are established in the country. This may also include those specialized workers that are independent workers but whose technical expertise is required and the Department of Immigration as set forth the criteria to allow that specialty to work in Costa Rica.

(4) Investors

(5) Scientific, Professional and Specialized persons.

(6) Sports figures recognized by the National Council on Sports and Recreation

(7) International Press Correspondents

(8) Rentistas

(9) Pensionados 

Within the Temporary Residency category the most common categories that we process are Pensionados, Rentistas and Inversionistas. If you are planning to retire in Costa Rica and you have a lifetime pension or you receive investment income then you may qualify for either PENSIONADO RESIDENCY or RENTISTA RESIDENCY. If you decide to purchase property or invest in Costa Rican then you may qualify for the INVERSIONISTA.

For more info you can check out their website at Costa Rica Law

That's it for today - I'll catch ya later - time for me to change the date of our flight to Ft Lauderdale which was scheduled for 7/31 (my next visa exit date). Now, I have the option to go back to the states only when I decide I want to go! 

Oh Happy Day!!!

What's the hold up? - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #2

Residency Update -

No, I still do not have my "número de expediente". This is the doc you need to end the "visa/border runs" while waiting for temporary residency to be approved (Lavanson received his a few wks ago)

I phoned my lawyer to check on the status and was told that the hold up is that the apostille of my birth certificate has not yet been received. Everything else is good.

Mine will be coming from Kansas and BTW there are some states that take forever and a day just to get the certified birth certificate. One of the worst is NY. So just be aware if you need to get your BC from NY you will have a long wait. You might want to start on it early to give it enough time to get to you or it can also hold up the process.

~~~~~~About the Apostille~~~~~~

Costa Rican government agencies cannot accept official documents issued abroad without the proper legalization procedure. Think of it as “exporting” the document to Costa Rica.

If your home country is party to the Apostille Convention (such as the USA and most of Europe, but not Canada), you can have your foreign document (such as birth certificate or police check) apostilled by the competent local authority.

If your home country is not party to the Apostille Convention then you will need the document authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate in that country. At Costa Rica Immigration Experts we can guide you through this process.

Two Years to the Day - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #2

For those of you following our progress this post was done on June 1st but it looks like I only posted it on the Facebook page. However for the sake of continuity I want to have it on the blog as well. 

Costa Rica Residency just got a little closer...📣

And to celebrate a little more. Lavanson got his número de Expediente yesterday (exactly 2 years to the date that we arrived in Costa Rica).  Happy 2 year anniversary to Lavanson!! He no longer has to leave the country every 90 days. This is the initial step for applying. You still have to wait for final approval which could take anywhere from a few months to a year.

And yes, he beat me, but to be fair, he started researching on 4/15 and I had my 1st meeting with my atty on 5/15, so "technically" he hasn't won just yet 😎 but congrats to him for getting this far pretty much on his own (and with the help of his consultant Alberto Ortega!!)

I will be sharing the process he used in a later post so stay tuned!!

UPDATE #1 - Filing for Temporary Residency in Costa Rica

It's update time!!

It's been about 1 month since we officially began the process of filing for temporary residency status in Costa Rica. I am going to attempt doing monthly updates, as long as there is something to report.  

BTW -We're on our own - the United States Embassy does not have jurisdiction or influence over the Costa Rican residency process for American citizens. 

First meeting with our attorney

Finally found the office location in Escazu 

(driving with NO street addresses here in Costa Rica can be difficult sometimes!)

Our attorney Rafael Valverde.

 Mr Valverde has an excellent reputation in the expat community. I met him & his wife in Aug 2016 when I was the photographer for the expats remarriage on El Cajon - he did the officiating. 

Retiree

“Pensionado”

This program applies to any person who is already retired from his/her usual occupation and who is already receiving pension benefits.

Income Requirement

"Demonstration of economic solvency, which corresponds to show proof of monthly income from a qualified pension plan of at least $1,000 USD per month. A married couple needs to show proof of only one (1) monthly pension of at least $1,000 USD for both husband and wife to qualify to apply for residency. Lavanson & I will file separately under pensionado status.

Paper signing - Pensionado status for me

Legal Resident

“Rentista”

To apply for residency under the Rentista portion the applicant must demonstrate that they will receive at least US$2,500 per month of income in a permanent, stable and irrevocable manner for at least 2 years. This amount includes the applicant, their spouse and all their children which are under the age of 25.

Income Requirement

This program applies to individuals who (1) are not yet retired, (2) do not need to work while living in Costa Rica, (3) are receiving guaranteed, unearned income of $2,500 USD per month from investments, savings or other sources, and (4) who can prove that the non-earned income is guaranteed to be received for at least a period of 24 months (2 years).

The most common method used to prove the unearned income is by means of a notarized letter from a bank or financial institution indicating the applicant has at least $60,000 USD ($2,500 x 24 months) in a long term account such as a CD, and that the applicant agrees to withdraw and transfer to Costa Rica $2,500 per month for the next 24 months.

Rentista status for this married couple

I will NOT be gathering my own documents (birth certificate, FBI report, etc) but instead will have the attorney obtain docs and required apostilles (if you are married you will also need a copy of your marriage license).  Docs obtained by this law firm, on my behalf, will cost an additional $250/per. All forms must be apostilled (certified-authentic-complete) dated within 6 months and translated into Spanish. After completing the requested preliminary paperwork online in April, I then scheduled an appointment for 5/15 at the attorney's office in Escazu to meet and sign forms. Just by chance...our friends, the Washington's had scheduled an appointment for that day as well, so our attorney decided to meet with us both at the same time. The Washington's had already tried to obtain their FBI reports and birth certificates  TWICE (while in the states), with no luck so they turned to Outlier Legal for help. (Hopefully we can follow the Washington's progress as well.)

The 1st meeting took several hours and included an explanation of services, signing of forms (including limited power of attorney forms), fingerprinting for the required FBI report. After we had completed everything, a member of the residency team escorted us to San Jose to a police station for required fingerprints and photos to be kept on file for Costa Rica. You will also need to sign up with STEP (SmartTravelerEnrollmentProgram) a part of travel.gov. Also a verification of benefits letter is needed, which (if you are using social security as your income) can be obtained online through the Costa Rica Embassy.  FBU Inquiry Form 

Our photos were taken at a little "soda" (diner) located next to the police dept. 

We went inside and there was an area with a chair against one of the walls. We each sat down and had our photos taken. After the photos we went next door to the police station where we met individually with one of the officers (we each met with a different officer). They went over our paperwork, asked us any questions they had re what was on the form, typed it into their computer and then took our fingerprints. 

We left Grecia at 10:30 am and returned home around 7pm - L-O-N-G Day!!!!

Note - Since Lavanson is gathering his own documents and filing through a residency specialist he has been keeping a log. I will post his progress in a separate post. It might be helpful for those of you who are doing all the leg work yourselves. Just to let you know, my residency will cost just under $3,000 - we are hoping that his will come in at about 1/2 the cost. 

That's it for this update. Let me know if you have questions. 

Stay Tuned...

Taking the Immigration Plunge - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #2

If you decide to relocate to Costa Rica, at some point you will have to decide how you are going to handle the 90 day limit for staying in the country using your US passport. 

For us it has been an exciting adventure - taking short hops every 90 days to visit neighboring countries in Central America & Mexico but...at some point you will run out of new countries to see  Going further away requires longer travel times and more $$.

So...after 2 yrs of traveling around (we moved here on June 1, 2016), we have decided to take the plunge and apply for our temporary residency. You must apply for temporary residency 1st before you can apply for permanent residency and then after that you can apply for citizenship (if you desire). When we 1st moved here, I was not interested in dual citizenship, but with the way things are going in the US we are re thinking that option. 

If you are interested in the process you can follow our journey here and I will let you know how we proceed each step of the way.

COMPARE
Lavanson and I are filing separately using 2 different methods.
To save money he is using a service where he will be doing most of the legwork himself - obtaining the required forms on his own and submitting for processing through an Immigration Consultant and I am using a recognized Costa Rican law firm (many expats have used them - and they provide excellent immigration assistance). The firm will obtain and handle all forms, docs and do all paperwork for me (the lazy way out). There is a significant difference in cost, but we will talk more about that after we are further along. 

Stay tuned!