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I’ve just learned today that there is at least one appliance broker whom you can deal with online. There is a list of available appliances by make and model. You choose what you want and make an arrangement to have them delivered to your home. Friends of friends did this. They got exactly what they ordered, the delivery was cheap and ontime, and they felt that they saved a lot of money.
And it all happened from the comfort of their living room.
Maybe this is the guy who advertises in Tico Times.
We are enrolled in the CAJA plan, the one provided by the Costa Rican Social Security system. It’s the only one that provides care for pre-existing conditions. The plans from INS do not.
A pre-existing condition is just that, one that existed (was diagnosed) prior to your acceptance by the plan. The INS agent we consulted said there is no exception, no exemption, no waiting period, no nuthin’. If you’re diagnosed prior to enrollment, it’s not covered.
I should note that my care to date has been provided outside the CAJA system. That is, I’m paying cash for my care. I just haven’t taken the time to establish my relationship with the local primary care clinic and learn to handle the bureaucracy. Probably says more about me than the CAJA system.
Edited on Apr 07, 2006 16:49
Guillermo, it probably depends some on which Customs officer inspects your shipment, but it also depends on what you ship. If everything’s low-value, used household stuff, you won’t be hit too hard. If you send a containerful of high-end computer and audio-video stuff, pucker up.
I, too, can report very good treatment from the docs at CIMA Hosipital in Escazu. I’m diabetic and my endocrinologist there takes a lot to time and pays a lot of attention to my needs. Wednesday, when I saw him, I mentioned having a very small wound on my toe. He immediately referred me to a wound specialist who saw me within half an hour, prescribed soaks, ointment and an oral antibiotic, and instructed me to call him on Sunday(!) to report how it’s healing. That’s some service.
Mel, the cost of shipping the container is based on where it’s coming from and where it’s going to. Unless you put something very heavy in it (like a car), the cost of the container and its shipping is fixed. You’ll have to figure out how large a container you’ll need, then contact moving companies in the U.S. or here in Costa Rica to get an estimate. I’m pretty sure they can give you a guaranteed fixed price, good for 30 or 60 days, for everything except Customs duty.
All these companies, U.S. and C.R. can arrange packing services, provide packing materials, and load the container. I highly recommend you let them do the actual loading of the container. What packing costs depends on what you’re packing and how much of it there is. Again, only they can tell you what packing will cost, and every household will vary.
You can choose to rely on the Costa Rican mail service. Then you have two options: first, you can get a post office box in your nearest town; or you can opt for home delivery using the typical Costa Rican descriptive address.
The other option, which has some advantages, is to use a mail forwarding service out of Miami. That looks to U.S. shippers and mailers like a domestic address, so you can shop on the Internet with retailers who do not ship internationally. We can also continue to deal with our financial manager, who is not licensed in Costa Rica, because we have a U.S. address.
If you opt for the mail forwarding service, there are a couple of routes to consider. First, there are some “commercial” forwarders who give you (typically) 2 kilos of mail per month for a set fee and then additional fees for the rest. We have found them to be very expensive and the service is not daily.
The other choice is to join the Association of Residents of Costa Rica and use their mail forwarding service. Non-resident membership is $110 per year; residents pay $60. ARCR’s mail forwarding service is daily and costs $.65 per letter. Packages are much cheaper than the commercial services.
The Customs process seems to be an occult art. It’s impossible to guess at what your duty will be.
You must provide a comprehensive list of each and every item (box, piece of furniture, etc) in your container and each must be numbered. List the items as “used” and be vague.
I can’t speak to gated communities, but my perception is that trash collection is a local matter. Some neighborhoods vote to have it; others don’t. My neighborhood does not, and people burn and bury their trash. I find that unacceptable.
We learned that for c14,500 per year we could take our trash down the hill to the point at which there is twice-weekly pickup and leave it for the trash collectors, so that’s what we do. We paid for this privilege at the Municipalidad.
Local government plays no part in the import process, but Costa Rican Customs does. Yes, you will pay import duty on your household goods. That’s why it’s important to list everything as “used”.
A friend has a price quote from one of the Costa Rica-based movers that includes a GUARANTEED Customs duty amount. I don’t know how they can guarantee the figure, but it might be worth looking into.
ATMs are common in Costa Rica and use the Cirrus and Plus networks. If your card uses those, you’re in. Deal in colones rather than dollars and you’ll automatically get the right exchange rate. When you go to the ATM, do a withdrawal in colones, then spend them in the local economy. I’m skeptical about exchanging dollars anyplace except a bank. You never know what rate they’re giving you.
Bring $50 or $100 and exchange as little as possible on your way out of the airport, then head for an ATM.
American Express Traveler’s Cheques (not VISA) can be exchanged at banks, but lines are sometimes long and the process requires a great deal of chin stroking and bureaucratic “Harumph”ing. Since they take 30 – 45 days to clear, nobody wants them.
Ken, it’s my understanding that the older the car the higher the rate of Customs duty which is imposed both on the value of the car (which is less for an older car, as you say) and the costs of shipping and insurance which may be as much as for a new car. Costa Rica is not seeking out gas guzzlers or smoke belchers.
What’s more, while the car may be rebuilt before you leave, parts availability here may be very limited. It’s true that many used cars imported to Costa Rica are from the U.S., but others come from the Far East. Even though a car may be the same model year and carry the same model name, they may not be the same underneath the surface. Again, parts may be problematic.
By the time you fool around with rebuilding an older car, shipping it here, getting it through Customs and the safety and environmental checks, etc, it may be much easier to buy a good used car here.
If I recall all the details correctly, we’ll be paying the New York overnight prime rate plus 2.5% with a minimum of 8% amortized over 20 years. By U.S. standards,it’s high, all right, but given the cost of construction, the monthly payment will not be excessive, and the interest you pay on a home mortgage is deductible from your U.S. federal income taxes. (You do realize, don’t you, that living in Costa Rica you’re still liable for U.S. income tax?)
You are liable for Customs duty on anything you import. There is a $500 exemption per person every six months. Just what Customs will charge you on used household goods is uncertain; there seems to be witchcraft involved.
The security film we have had installed is sold only on an “installed” basis. Contact info@controlsolar.com and direct your e-mail to the attention of Janna Piedrahita. Put her name on the Subject line. Her cell number is: 396-9049. Janna’s English is limited, but you’ll get along.
There are many choices of tint, light rejection and thickness (equals security). All reject 98% of ultraviolet light to protect your furniture.
Look at the discussion of moving to Costa Rica for my insights into our own experience.
Stewart Title Co. of Costa Rica is advertising in Tico Times for a mortgage program for gringos. They service both legal residents and non-residents and can finance 75% and 70% loan-to-value respectively. The processing cost is $280.
What they do is this: They take an American-style mortgage application with all the required documentation and have that reviewed by a bank in Texas. The Texas bank then makes a recommendation to a Costa Rican bank to make the loan or not. Stewart says that the recommendation is always followed.
Contact: fvega@stewartcr.com and tell him Dave Murray sent you.
So this is a way to take advantage of your U.S.-based credit history, using documents (income and bank statements, etc) that you already have, and then get a loan in Costa Rica.
We’re using this process to obtain construction financing. It has taken a bit longer for the Texas bank to review our records and make their recommendation, but the Costa Rican bank acted very quickly to give us a preliminary approval pending submission of the construction plans, permits, etc.
