buying a business

‘You can become an “inversionista” if you buy an ‘APPROVED’ $200000 business and an “APPROVED B&B” of which there are already thousands here with many for sale, not just buy a personal residence and then change it to be a B&B.
You wife, if she has a pension can apply as a pensionada or rentista which requires additional funds, but she may not work. Rules and requirements are changing.

First of all, you should be ‘very sure’ that this is where you REALLY want to live! Have you traveled here before?
Visited for an extended period?
Have kids still in school?
Do you have prior business expertise?
All of these should be seriously considered.
I suggest that you rent here for at least six months and then decide to do the final move. This will allow you, if you haven’t already done so, check out various parts of the country you think you would like to stay.
No ‘list of approved businesses’ so you will have to do the time honored ‘search’ for yourself. Unfortunately, you may purchase something and then find out it isn’t acceptable.
You will also have to apply and deposit funds on their behalf…as well as your wife for each child… who is under 18 and ones that will attend university here. Once they reach 18 or leave university, they will be required to apply in their own right, unless you all have obtained permanent residency which will then allow a person to work here, legally.
Do a search for ‘Residency requirements of Costa Rica’.
The requirement are in the process of change, which will likely change the financial requirements, unfortunately not for the better.

Here is a link on this forum,https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/486.cfm written by a friend of mine about life as a B&B owner/operator.
I think this should be mandatory to read this article when one is considering going into the B& B business.

Steven, I honestly think that this ‘is the way to go’…or come here!
Good luck!