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So, I also thought this renewing my temporary residency at the BCR in San Isidro was going to be very efficient.
I got an appointment about 2 weeks later. They told me all that I needed to bring including bank records stamped by the bank showing dollars converted to colones in the amount of $7200 per year, current CAJA receipt and passport.
I paid them $132 in fees. They took my picture and updated my address in their computer. It all took less than 1/2 hour.
Then they told me to pick up my new cedula at the San Isidro post office 5 weeks later. This is where the nightmare starts.
I went to the post office to pick up my cedula but instead of the cedula, I get this notice to come to San Jose for an appointment on March 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM.
I went to the Migracion office in San Isidro (somewhat angry because they did not send my cedula after I had done everything they asked of me) only to find out that Migracion in San Jose is closed all of that week.
They then told me to come the following Monday on April 1st. Now I have to still make a trip to San Jose! The trouble is, no one can tell me what they still need. The notice says “Requisitos EA5596, DEBE PRESENTAR COMPROBANTE EMITIDO POR AUTORIDAD COMPETENTE DONDE INDIQUE QUE MANTIENE ACTIVA LA PENSION” No one can tell me exactly what document would fulfill this request.
The US Embassy can only give me a confirmation of my Social Security pension if I make an appointment and I may not be able to get an appointment on April 1st at the embassy before my appointment at Migracion. Or maybe I only need something that shows I get SS such as a 1099 from the US or a USA bank record showing my SS deposit each month.
We are leaving in 3 weeks to go back to the states for 9 months and so our time is running short. I am disabled so going to San Jose is very difficult and very expensive for me.
I am also my grand daughter’s learning coach and when I am gone, she misses a school day. Maybe someone who has recently renewed a cedula can give me an idea of what is going on and what I really need.
As long as your Social Security is at least $1000 per month, your plan sounds very feasible. That will qualify you to apply for temporary residency and then after 3 years you can apply for permanent residency. Living on $1000 a month or a little over that won’t net you luxurious living but you would be able to afford something modest and comfortable. As Victoria suggested, look for an area that has the climate and interests that you enjoy. As a renter, if you find somewhere that you like more, you can move. There are apartments and houses for rent in numerous areas – near the beach, in the mountains, in cities, in smaller towns, and in gated communities.
Citi Bank bought up Banco Cuscatlan within the last 3 years. Banco Cuscatlan used to be a small friendly bank with short lines, tellers who knew your face and great customer service here in San Isidro. Once Citi got their hands on it, staff was reduced, customer service went out the window, and within a year and a half the bank was closed. The building now sits boarded up and empty with its small parking lot chained off. Sad
What the TESL certification course promoters are not telling you is that you can not legally work in Costa Rica unless you are a legal resident (which could take about 5 years to get only if you have a guaranteed income such as a pension)or if you are the parent of a Costa Rican citizen. From your post it does not sound like you are either.
It is possible that you might be able to open the bank account in the name of your corporation since a corporation is considered a person for business purposes in Costa Rica. You as the President and the Vice President would have the authority to conduct business in the name of the corporation. I don’t know anyone who has done this but I can’t think of any other way. BCR closed my accounts until I returned to Costa Rica and was able to “update” my information by showing them my cedula.
Out here in the mountains outside of San Isdro, 3g is our only option. We have no wired phone lines but we are in line site of a cell tower. We never get even the basic speed that we pay for and sometimes we get no internet at all. Once we trien upgrading to a higher speed service and it made no difference. We tried a friend’s Claro data stick and got no signal at all. I don’t know about TIGO. I will have to check in to that company. I have been told that ICE is renting the local towers to these competitor companies and that may be why our signal strength is so much worse this year than it was last year. Phone service is very bad also. Many times we can not even call out. We went into the ICE office and the service agent made a failure of service report on both the phone and the internet. Internet got a little better but not the phone.
Before I got my temporary residency and thus my cedula, I owned a corporation. With the corporation, I was able to get in the name of the corporation: electricity, 3g telephone service, a 3g data stick and internet service, and a prepaid phone Simm card for an unlocked 3g phone that I brought to Costa Rica. When I got my cedula, I dissolved the corporation and got all of the above in my own name. You could also get someone with residency or a Costa Rican citizen to get any of these things in their name and you could pay the bill for them.
All of the car expenses you have named can be paid for with cash. Of course, without a bank account you will need to be able to access cash using an ATM card from a bank account in the US. There will be fees to access your cash. It is not as convenient as having a bank account in Costa Rica but it is doable. Having a friend in Costa Rica that you trust will go a long way to keep fees paid when they are due unless you come and go often. The Marchamo is due before the end of the year and the RTIVE (inspection) may be due in a different month and requires a physical inspection of the vehicle. If there are deficiencies found in the vehicle, there will be expenses to repair or correct the deficiencies. Once I had to buy 4 new tires for my car to pass the RTIVE. Not having a bank account may require having more cash on hand than you might otherwise.
Costa Rican banks are closing all accounts of foreign expats unless the account is tied to the information on a residency card. All of our accounts were closed while we were gone to the states. When we returned to Costa Rica in December, I had to reactivate my accounts using my DIMEX residency card. Formerly, the accounts were tied to our passport numbers. At one bank, CoopAgri, my husband and I both had accounts. They would not allow him to reopen his accounts because he does not have residency. They did give him the money that was in his accounts at the time the bank closed the accounts. I was the only one who could reopen my accounts because I do have residency. The net effect of this is that anyone who does not have a current residency card can not open or continue to have a bank account in Costa Rica. The banks told me that this is a new law in Costa Rica. This was the first time that I had heard anything about this. I had heard about Costa Rica not giving a driver’s license to people without residency but not about the banks closing accounts that were tied to passport numbers.
Renewal for temporary residency is for 2 years but after 1 more year you can apply for permanent residency. I have read that the permanent residency process can take up to 1 year. So theoretically by the time the temporary residency is ready to expire again, you will have your permanent residency. I think I have read that permanent residency is for 5 years. I am curious as to the requirements to apply for and renew permanent residency (besides being a temporary resident for at least 3 years).
It is now a requirement that an expat have residency in order to open or keep a bank account in Costa Rica. Our accounts were closed by the banks last year and could only be reopened (reactivated) if I had a DIMEX card which is my cedula. Before this new law took effect, the accounts could be opened using a passport number. Now, that is no longer possible. So now, if you are not a resident, you can get neither a bank account nor a driver’s license.
When the scorpions have eaten all of the cockroaches (their favorite food) in the house, they will go somewhere else. If I find a scorpion in the house, I will kill it – several whacks with a rubber flip flop usually does the trick. If I see one outside the house even if it is on the house, I leave it alone. They eat some really big insects, such as giant grasshoppers and cockroaches, and spiders that you really don’t want in your house or eating your garden. Scorpions don’t want to eat us. We are not on their menu. Scorpion stings are the result of accidental encounters between man and creature.
By the way, you should never try to deter or deflect army ants. They are nature’s cleaners. They move en mass and eat anything alive that doesn’t run or fly away and then they leave. If they invade your house, it is because there is food for them in there (bugs) and you should just leave for an hour or two but take your dog and your caged birds with you.
I am not sure that you will find what you are looking for until you get south of Dominical. Some beaches between Dominical and Uvita are virtually deserted and still beautiful. However, if you live close to Jaco or Quepos, Dominical might be too far to go just for a peaceful stroll.
No, you do not. They will ask to see your return ticket at the airport but when you show them your Temporary Residency Dimex Card they will ask no more because you are now a resident of Costa Rica. As long as the Residency card is not expired, you are good to go with only a one way ticket. Last year I came to Costa Rica with only a one way ticket as I had not purchased the return one yet and I had no problems after I showed them my Temporary Residency card.
