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Zona Franca means “free zone”. There are two types, the first is for foreign companies to operate in CR. There are several of these, including by the airport, Heredia, and Cartago. Companies can import raw materials tax-free to produce their products using local labor (like maquilas in Mexico), and then export them to market. If they sell any portion of their products locally, then they must pay the associated taxes.
The second is for retailers to sell items to Costa Ricans tax-free – exactly like a duty free store at the airport. That’s what’s in Golfito. However, I agree with jneiman in that it’s not worth the effort. It’s a long drive, you have to have a truck if it’s a large item or pay for transport, negating the tax savings, there’s a limit on how much you can buy at a time, and there’s nothing there you can’t find in San Jose. A lot of Ticos go to the Panama border to buy items as well, using their 6 month exemption.
For people who want the top of the line items, as I said before, they’ll need to ship them themselves from their point of origin, or find enterprises to do that for them. I know someone who does this for commercial & industrial goods, but not consumer goods. I’m sure they’re around though. However, if you travel back home, you might as well do it yourself. Of course, you’ll pay through the nose, and your mercedes-class appliance will rust out just as fast as the cheapest available locally.
DHL will deliver door to door in both directions as promised. They’ve always had the edge over Fed Ex in this regard (international shipments – getting things through customs). Customs doesn’t open everything, they just go by the bill of lading, and DHL takes responsability for getting it though.
Regarding the exemption every 6 month, they keep track of it by a rubber stamp in your passport.
For an honest attorney I can recommend Sandra Echeverría Mesén. No fancy office, Spanish only. She helped me create and dissolve several S.A.s., as well as various Powers of Attorneys. Pizza Hut Paseo Colón, 250 meters North, on the right. Her brother is an accountant. They’ve both done work for foreigners, including handling their finances. No problems. email is carlosalvarado00@hotmail.com (Carlos is her partner).
DR. MANUEL ENRIQUE DAVILA ODIO
Tel: (506) 253-0593
San PedroHe was my dentist for a decade, including two crowns. I highly recommend him.
Rules are made to be broken, and corporations are made to be dissolved. That’s why you don’t put it in your personal name in the first place.
If you want cheap, take a drive down to the Zona Franca in Golfito. That’s where Ticos go when they need a big ticket item. I think there’s a limit on what you can buy each time though. Best to check it out before you go. Bring a truck.
You won’t find top of the line there either, just what you see in San Jose. For that you’d probably need to import it, or find someone to do it for you.
Advice to Margie:
Whether Diego is right or wrong makes little difference. It’s the perception that counts, and in Costa Rica, men’s perception of Gringas is, generally speaking, not good, for all the reasons outlined. In fact, I generally try to discourage Gringa women from thinking about a serious relationship with a born and bred Latino, as it usually doesn’t work out. The clash between machista possessiveness and feminist individualism is just too much.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t intelligent and powerful women in Costa Rica, there are indeed! But they retain their feminine side proudly, with no social axe to grind with men. They generally think of feminism as anti-family.
This being the case, you must recognize your disadvantage, and work to mitigate it. Even if you’re not a stereotypical Gringa, Ticos are nonetheless intimidated by you.
Here are some tips I can think of:
1. You hit the nail on the head regarding people socializing in groups. That’s how it’s done. A woman sitting alone in a café looking approachable is a “puta”. All you find that way is men looking for “putas”. Stay in your group.
2. Learn Spanish. If you learn it well, it will give you further insight into the culture, making your communication skills that much better.
3. Dress like a Tica. It will make you that much more approachable.
4. Smile at the cat calls, but keep walking and don’t turn your head. People want most that which they can’t have, and smiling will show that you’re more Tica than Gringa.
5. If the 20s & 30s guys dig you, go with it! That line in the sand is in your head only. At the very least, it will ease your desperation, and give you practice at “handling” a Latino. Just two things – the younger and more educated the Tico, the less machista. On the other hand, with youth comes greater sexual angst, and Gringas are perceived as easy.
6. The best advice you get isn’t from me, but rather from your Tica girlfriends. Get to know them better.
Truth be told, I am one of the many Gringos who hooked up with a Tica, partly due to all the Gringa complexes I encountered in the US. The fact of the matter is, we all have our complexes, and marrying out of your culture means a decade of work or more to come to understand the foreign complex exhibited by your spouse, if you have the will and the patience. If you think Gringo men and Gringa women don’t understand each other, just wait until you’ve witnessed the cultural divide added to the mix of gender miscommunication (not to mention language, and possibly religion as well!).
The only way to get through it is to recognize that the problems that develop are primarily due to miscommunication and misunderstanding. Both parties must be open to the possibility that they just don’t get it, and willing to work harder to break through the barriers.
I tell people that the only way it might work is if both parties live immersed in the other’s culture for several years. That way, they won’t think their spouse is crazy – it’s the country they come from that’s bizarro.
Edited on Sep 17, 2006 06:45
I think Lotus is right. There was a lot of buzz about it in CR a decade ago, so much so that Avon rebranded it as a bug repellant.
There is no marina in Jacó. They were trying to pull a fast one. The video now abruptly ends right after the s.
Route to Caldera out to Bid
Translation from article published in La Nacion- September 4th, 1998“If all goes as planned by the government, in one year Costa Ricans will be witness to how a promise made 25 years earlier becomes reality: the construction of the highway between San José and the port of Caldera…”
That’s 33 years, and counting.
Traditionally, the real estate market in Costa Rica is generally sluggish. However, over the last two years or so the stars have lined up to create a trifecta in Costa Rica’s favor, at least in the Guanacaste region (i.e. beach property):
1. The market serving tourists and expats has matured to the point where it can absorb flocks of new visitors and retirees. This includes the relatively new international airport in Liberia which bypasses the rough and tumble of San Jose and transports people to the heart of Costa Rica’s “Gold Coast”, the construction of significant new housing projects aimed at the foreign market, and the learning curve for Costa Rican entrepreneurs in serving this market;
2. The bull market in US real estate over the last 10 years which has provided retirees with the financial resources necessary to contemplate such a move;
and
3. The beginning of the baby boomer retirement demographic;
Given this, the sooner the better, but not so much so that you need to rush into it, particularly if you’re not interested in beach property. I am particularly concerned with people who are thinking of buying property which they will leave unattended for several years. Owners of vacant land need to take an active role in preventing squatters, and vacant houses are prime targets for break-ins, which are endemic and rampant. If you must leave a house unattended, leave it completely empty, and open the drapes for all to see.
If you have some time before retiring, use it by visiting the country, looking around, and seeing what it has to offer. Get to know the market yourself, so when the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be able to recognize it. Also, unless you wish to be a slave to your new home, seriously consider a secure inium. This will allow you the freedom of movement which we are accustomed to in the U.S. and Canada.
Regarding the secondary theme running through Scott’s article of the crumbling American way of life, what with looming external threats, erosion of civil liberties, and higher taxes, well, that’s been going on for decades. I believe that, in spite of our political and economic missteps, Americans are still a uniquely dynamic, vibrant and entrepreneurial people, and the U.S. remains one of the safest bets for international investment. As the sole “great power” in the world, we have no where to go but down, but I don’t see it happening overnight.
Make your plans, do your homework, visit often. Opportunities will present themselves which will make your indecision a moot point.
I, too, admire your adventurous spirit. As a matter of fact, I used to have one myself, but then I got married and had kids, and life as I knew it ceased to exist. Sorry to splash cold water on your idea.
On a serious note, I have made the trip. If you speak Spanish, it will be a lot easier. You must have patience at the border crossings, and be prepared to stay the night should they close. Bringing things to give to the border guards should they indicate an interest is definitely a good idea. Tools is another good idea.
It’s the dog that puts the plan over the top. Unless you can obtain and satisfy all the requirements for bringing animals into the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica prior to making the trip, you’d be crossing the line from adventurous to foolish.
Edited on Sep 10, 2006 06:59
