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Thanks for the info about the iPhone 4S. I’m in Florida through the holidays & was trying to decide which unlocked iPhone to bring back. I knew the 4 would work but wasn’t sure about the 4S!
Jessica
From what I’ve read & also from what my attorney told us when we went through the rentista process, you don’t have to leave if you have your comprobante which shows your application was submitted and accepted as complete & you’ve been assigned an expediente number.
However, the sticking point is if you want to legally drive during the time you’re in process for residency. With the new regulations, you cannot get a CR driver’s license until you have your cedula. Your license from your country of origin is only good for 90 days. So, the only way to drive legally is to leave every 90 days to renew your entry date & keep your foreign license valid.
Jessica
I’m finalizing my permanent residency in June. I will need to have the passport info updated for me as well as my children because our passports also expired during the waiting time for approval. We already have our new passports & our attorney stated she will get this all fixed with immigration when we go for our appointment. I’m a little nervous about it because anytime my attorney acts like things are no big deal, it’s usually a nightmare. I’ll post back & let you know how it goes for us.
I’ve flown multiple times Miami to San Jose on American Airlines. Super easy & not as expensive as Continental.
Jessica
I will say that in our experience, the profit was simply not worth the headache. In addition to asking if you have ever managed a restaurant, I would also ask if you speak great Spanish & have the patience to deal with bureaucratic nightmares. We spent more time trying to resolve issues with the CAJA, the Ministerio de Salud, the Hacienda, the Muni, etc. than just trying to focus on the customer in the restaurant. Buying an established business does not mean you are buying into anything easy. You don’t have the benefit of having set up licenses or permits, nor have you filed paperwork on your own, so you’re literally flying by the seat of your pants. An existing corporation doesn’t equal a clean corporation & even having an accountant & a lawyer review it doesn’t mean something cannot pop up later. Paperwork doesn’t always catch up to the corporation in a timely manner in CR. Anyways, good luck with whatever you decide. We sold our restaurant & I will never own another in CR. Period!
Jessica
I’m actually shipping a Land Rover down in about a month. We already have our quote (the same person will handle it who handled our container when we initially moved). We will be shipping it from Ft. Lauderdale. My house is near Esterillos so only about 30-40 minutes from you (I’m currently in FL getting the vehicle serviced & prepped for shipping). I don’t know if there is a way you can message me on this site? I can put you in touch with our shipper. I just don’t want to post my e-mail address on here.
Jessica
Our 20-foot container was around $5600 in 2007. I don’t know how much the shipping charges or customs duties have changed since then. I also know many shippers will do container consolidation & pair you up with someone if you don’t have a full container.
Jessica
Thank you for posting the article about rip tides. The May 2011 drownings were at my beach. We lost 4 people during Semana Santa 2011 as well. My friends/neighbors were involved in trying to help save some of these & were left totally distraught in the aftermath. I hope everyone takes the time to educate themselves about rip currents & what to do to get out of them!!!!
Jessica
We shipped a 20 foot container in 2007. The price was cheaper than sending the 40 foot (we also didn’t have enough to fill a 40 foot). Have you looked into just doing a 20 foot container?
Jessica
Scott – We have a lot of drownings at our beach (10 min south of Esterillos Oeste). I can say that many people go in at what they consider a safe distance, say waist high, not understanding the severity of the rip currents.
My son was standing in literally knee deep water & a huge wall of white water knocked him over & sucked him out. I barely got us both out of the rip current. I grew up in FL at the beach so I was prepared.
I’m also in my 30s & in pretty good shape. We’ve had several who drowned who were in their 60s, not in great shape, just taking a “dip” after their afternoon cerveza.
Two of those times, the waves were minimal size but the rips were horrible. I think a lot of people mistake safety for when the waves are small, not knowing how to pick out a rip tide visually from shore.
Jessica
Well, hopefully I’m not going to jinx anything here…but I got an e-mail today from my attorney & she said our resolutions are being signed today. She is going back tomorrow to confirm it has been done. She also says she was able to get my resolution back with the rest of the family so they can be signed together. Now, I’m specifically not typing any exclamation points in this post because I don’t want to get my hopes up. I’ll post back to let you know if the almost 3-year wait to get our permanent residency (3 years after applying for the status change, to be clear) has actually come to an end.
Jessica
Honestly, I don’t think immigration would approve your residency status this way. If it were this easy to gain residency, why would they have categories for pensionado, rentista or investor? We have our residency through the rentista program. You may want to look into that.
Jessica
After 5 years of driving a crappy used car we bought in Costa Rica from a “reputable” agency, I’m finally doing what I originally wanted to do & what David above has suggested – shipping a Land Rover from the US.
Jessica
costaricafinca & David are right on. We had to fire someone in 2010. We caught him drinking on the job & had written him up for this previously. The final time, we caught him as he took a sip of guaro! Even with 100% coverage on our part for releasing him, we had to pay out all the things he was entitled to. The most important thing you can do, in my opinion, is type up the payout in clear terms & have the person sign it as acceptance that you have paid out everything you are legally required to pay. That way they cannot show up a year from now saying you still owe them money.
Jessica
I also have an internet-based business & earn sufficient income to maintain a home/life in Costa Rica & a home/life in Florida. Working as I do is the only way we could achieve this. We’re 37 now, but moved to Costa Rica in 2007 at the age of 33 with our 4 children. We have legal residency in Costa Rica but I am able to work since my business is based in the US (actually we’re waiting on the final 2 members of our family to be approved for permanent residency, & then our work status will no longer be an issue).
Jessica
