Residency question about document verification

[renoqueen]

[quote=”maravilla”]and then there will be the non-refundable deposit to la migra in the amount of $350 per person, and then the cost of your cedulas.[/quote]

We already paid $350.each to Migracion (included in the price stated) that changed our status. Another $350. each doesn’t sound fair but…oh well! How much is the cedula? One does get used to surprises here. I was told that Migracion was closed all Jan. but that could be incorrect.

[maravilla]

if you got all of that done, including the $700 deposit to deport you, then you got the bargain of a lifetime because in 8 years i have never heard of any person getting this job done for so little. are you sure the first $350 ea you paid wasn’t the filing fees? because normally you don’t pay the deposit to la migra until you go get your cedula — and that $700 is for a one-way ticket out of here should they decide to deport you to miami! jajaja i would ask your lawyer just so you don’t have a big surprise the day you go to la migra.

[costaricafinca]

[b]renoqueen,[/b] immigration is up and running….
Did you mean to say “Dec. 2012”?
I also think that other expenses will occur.

Hopefully what I have copied below, will not apply to you.

[i]Once you have all the documentation set forth above you are ready to submit your application to the Department of Immigration through the Costa Rican Consulate in your country of origin. The cost of the application is $50 which must be paid to the Department of Immigration. by way of deposit to their account at the Banco de Costa Rica. If you apply locally instead of via your Consular office you will have to pay an additional $200 with your application since they consider this a change of status from a “tourist” status to the new category you are applying for. Generally the Department of Immigration will only receive applications that are accompanied with ALL the supporting documentation. Keep in mind that all the original documents that you submit become the exclusive property of the Department of Immigration and will NOT be returned to you.[/i]

This was copied in part from [url=http://www.costaricalaw.com/legalnet/residency.html]Costa Rica Law [/url]

[renoqueen]

[quote=”maravilla”]if you got all of that done, including the $700 deposit to deport you, then you got the bargain of a lifetime because in 8 years i have never heard of any person getting this job done for so little. are you sure the first $350 ea you paid wasn’t the filing fees? because normally you don’t pay the deposit to la migra until you go get your cedula — and that $700 is for a one-way ticket out of here should they decide to deport you to miami! jajaja i would ask your lawyer just so you don’t have a big surprise the day you go to la migra.[/quote]

I just checked my documents. We paid $250. each (n0t $350.) for “cambio de catagoria” and another $50.each for “concepto de solicitude de residencia” (filing fees?)
Crim checks cost $100.total. $130. to Consulate General in Canada, $200. for translation of documents. Birth certficates under $100. Odd bits for “stamps”, courier in Canada,travel to San Jose 3 times, and lunch! I believe there was no charge for fingerprinting in San Jose. Is so it was very little. The 2 or 3 businesses that do residency services have to make a nice profit and I wonder how much lawyers slide off the top?? Anyway, I will be prepared to pay more. I wouldn’t recommend this way to everyone, but if you like a challenge it was an interesting experience so far.

[renoqueen]

[quote=”costaricafinca”][b]renoqueen,[/b] immigration is up and running….
Did you mean to say “Dec. 2012”?
I also think that other expenses will occur.

Hopefully what I have copied below, will not apply to you.

[i]Once you have all the documentation set forth above you are ready to submit your application to the Department of Immigration through the Costa Rican Consulate in your country of origin. The cost of the application is $50 which must be paid to the Department of Immigration. by way of deposit to their account at the Banco de Costa Rica. If you apply locally instead of via your Consular office you will have to pay an additional $200 with your application since they consider this a change of status from a “tourist” status to the new category you are applying for. Generally the Department of Immigration will only receive applications that are accompanied with ALL the supporting documentation. Keep in mind that all the original documents that you submit become the exclusive property of the Department of Immigration and will NOT be returned to you.[/i]

This was copied in part from [url=http://www.costaricalaw.com/legalnet/residency.html]Costa Rica Law [/url]

[/quote]

So it looks as if we have paid both the $50. fee and the $200. All the supporting documents were submitted. See my info correcting the $350. to $250. and the $50. fee.

[costaricabill]

[quote=”maravilla”]if you got all of that done, including the $700 deposit to deport you, then you got the bargain of a lifetime because in 8 years i have never heard of any person getting this job done for so little. are you sure the first $350 ea you paid wasn’t the filing fees? because normally you don’t pay the deposit to la migra until you go get your cedula — and that $700 is for a one-way ticket out of here should they decide to deport you to miami! jajaja i would ask your lawyer just so you don’t have a big surprise the day you go to la migra.[/quote]

Maravilla –
I did it all myself and from the start to receipt of “Resolution” from Migracion, we have spent:

$30.00 – State of Florida (apostile of 2 documents)
$45.00 – State of Texas (apostile of 3 documents)
$240.00 – Consulate of Costa Rica, Washington D.C. (review and approval of 6 documents, the extra document being my Social Security Benefits letter)
$90.00 – mail services, including courier express delivery from the consulate to my daughter’s home near Atlanta and from her down to San Jose.
$120.00 for translation
$150.00 to a service to submit everything to Migracion. I chose to do this because I wanted to make sure it was submitted and received correctly, and apparently it was because we received our Entramite documents that same day.

That is under $700 total for my wife and I. It’s not brain surgery although it may drive you crazy doing it. After looking at what really needed to be done I just decided that I didn’t need to pay a large fee to get it done.

Sure, it takes a number of hours to gather the information, but I would have had to that part even if I used a service. Same with getting things notarized, I had to be there in front of the notary because they were notarizing my signature attesting to the documents being “true and accurate” because they were “form letters with electronic signatures” on them (benefits letter, background checks, etc.)

So if you have the time and are willing to invest it, it can be done on your own.

We now have the Resolution documents and have made the deposit to CAJA, so this week we’ll make the required deposits to BCR. The little Migracion office in Nicoya has two very helpful employees that have indicated that they can arrange our “interview meeting” for us.

I’ll keep you posted!

[costaricafinca]

I ‘found’ this breakdown:
US$250.00 govt. processing fees
-US$50.00 US Consular Registration
Once approved:
-US$98.00 per id. card
-US$25.00 govt. processing
-a Reimbursable Deposit of about US$325.00.

Whether or not it applies to you, I don’t know.

[Author]

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