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[u]Everyone[/u] should have their water tested…especially in they live in a rural area where cattle have previously grazed , use a private well or groundwater.
Why you keep [i]” hearing this everything “is expensive” talk[/i], it could be that it is,[i] when you are on a budget.[/i]
When you have actually lived here, then you can decide whether or not, this is correct.
Life can be great here, [i]if you can afford it.[/i]8)
No, sorry to say, you are required to have at least $1000 per month, from a ‘guaranteed for life’ pension to apply for [url=http://costaricalaw.com/Immigration-and-Residency/]Pensionado Residency[/url]. It will cost approx. $2500-$3000 to complete the application.
Years ago, only $600 was required. At $1000, it would be [i]very[/i] difficult to live here and to keep on that budget, even if you owned a home outright and [i]really[/i] curtailed your spending.
If you want to put gas in your vehicle, eat out occasionally, and depending on your location, your budget will be ‘tight’.
You will have to replace your ‘household goods’ and like vehicles, they will be more expensive here.I would advise you to rent before purchasing either land and/or house.
[i]’…correspondents in Costa Rica paint a pretty rosy picture about retirement life there”[/i]. Yes…and they are paid for their article and/or own developments that are advertized in the magazine.
[u]You[/u] need to visit with [u]your[/u] own ‘boots on the ground’, preferably multiple times at differant times of the year to find what suits [u]you[/u].
[url=http://www.retirenowincostarica.com/060815-exaggerated-sales-pitches-mean-disappointment.htm]Check this out[/url]
It is ‘said’ that between 50-60% return to their home country within 2-3 years.
BTW, Costa Rica is not a sailing destination which surprises many who have moved from coastal communities.
On [url=http://costarica.com/relocation/residency-eligibility/]Costa Rica[/url], it states
Requirements:
“First-degree relationship to a Costa Rican citizen: Parents of minor Costa Rican citizens.”Expect this cost to rise if your children are not finished their education. You would, I expect, choose private schools that could cost $500 and up, each, per month and varies with location. This doesn’t include uniforms, transportation, meals or extracurricular activities.
Right now, it it is taking approx 18 months to get [url=http://costaricalaw.com/Immigration-and-Residency/]Temporary residence[/url] after your residency application, and you cannot even apply for Permanent status until you have completed three years in a temporary position, so it would ‘probably’ add another year, so all in more likely 5+ years until you you receive a [i]cedula[/i] that states you are ‘legal to work’.
Your children once they are 18 cannot be claimed as dependents during the time of your application for residency, unless they are enrolled full time in university or college in Costa Rica so they are required to make individual applications will work out very costly to you as parents.This would mean that they would also have to have their own CAJA healthcare accounts.
If you are under 55 and apply as [i]Rentistas[/i], health care costs, which is mandatory and you may choose not to use them, could be approx. $450 per month per family with children under 18, although some EBAIS allow some cost of living expenses, but not all do this.Many bike shops all over the country run by [i]Ticos[/i] and the labor costs are [i]usually[/i] ‘cheap’.
[url=http://costaricalaw.com/Labor-Law/labor-law-in-a-nutshell.html]Running a business[/url] is not for the feint of heart…:shock:…due to [i]lot’s[/i] of red tape.
If you head to Panama to renew your visa both you and your son will each have to show air tickets out of Panama to the USA plus each show that you have $500 either in cash or in a bank account. Renewing it, in Nicaragua is ‘simpler’… but maybe to distant from your location.
Costa Rica could be your dream location, but you should check it out prior to making any commitment.
While it isn’t common to be denied entry, realize it [u]could[/u] happen, and what does seem to be happening more often, is someone being given a ‘visa’ for a shorter time period which can cause concern due to the length of time some are waiting for their application for Residency to be completed, when one wishes to keep their drivers license valid.I have read where one couple exited 14 times…
According to others, once your file has reached the second stage,’Resolución Firma’ it [i]usually[/i] sits for an extended time period…probably several months. Note: the principal with a dependent, both may not necessarily be approved at the same time.
The third step is “Resolución Notificada”, which means your application has been resolved — hopefully approved — and you need to arrange to have your photo and digital fingerprints taken, for your [i]cédulas[/i].
Then arrangements must be made to affiliate with CAJA, and then return Migración where you will pay additional funds.
Unfortunately, while you can check it…it likely won’t give you a time line, and there is must be a [size=200]huge[/size] pile, somewhere, waiting for signatures…
Many have stated that their file has been at this same status for a year or more.[url=http://amcostarica.com/thursday.htm]Read this article on amcostarica[/url]
[i]
“The Sala IV preliminary ruling froze an effort by the Municipalidad de Talamanca to hold a hearing Wednesday afternoon on expat residents Carol Meeds and Philippe Vangoidsenhoven.As the Sala IV sardonically notes in the Tuesday decision, the pair are accused by the municipality of being environmentalists. The court noted that the municipal council has been trying to declare the pair personas non gratas but that there have been no administrative or jurisdictional procedures to show that they have done anything wrong”.
[/i]
Complete article on the link provided.While this is an unusual case, it is well known that municipal employees have been known ‘request a payment of funds’ to let projects obtain the ‘red light’ to proceed…or stop it on it’s tracks.
Quite common nowadays.
There is [u]no[/u] guarantee on how many days your tourist ‘visa’ will valid for and that is written on your passport; it could be 5, 10 or it could be 90 days. They can also refuse your re-entry into the country.
This seems to especially so, for those who many consider ‘perpetual tourists’…but can and does happen on a persons first trip to Costa Rica.Driving in the country is a whole different issue, and requires a valid license, and if you have not yet received a cedula, you must keep your visa/passport valid. If you don’t intend to drive, you don’t have to exit the country [u]if[/u] you have received your [i]comprobante expediente[/i]
So you don’t actually have your Temporary [i]’Rentista'[/i] Status yet? Only the [i]comprobante[/i] saying your application is ‘under consideration’.
If so, you do have leave the country until you have a [i]cedula[/i] in hand… if you wish to continue to drive… and your visa in your passport, is no longer valid, [b]then[/b] you can apply for a CR DL.Different border crossing insist on a different length of time you must stay out, so you must check.
Panama has more ‘rules’, and the other border crossing points into Nicaragua seems to have instigated [i]at least[/i] a three hour period before you can return.
