New member

Hi bottlefed,

Nice introduction and welcome to Expat.com

Merry Christmas and Happy new year

Chris
Expat.com

Hi bottlefed...I'm in the same situation and have to tell you that I'm quickly becoming disappointed in the lack of support that the CR government is providing to expats. It's my understanding that they used to be much more expat friendly. I may, unfortunately, begin considering Belize or Guatemala instead. These countries still allow you to bring in one vehicle and $15 to $20k in personal belongings with no tariff / tax. Based on my best calculations it would cost over $20K in taxes / tariffs to do the same now in CR. I don't think I want to lose that much of my hard earned savings in the process. Either way, good luck with your decision and I hope you find great happiness in retirement.

Thanks for the replies,

Meliiv,

Yes I agree 100% on the whole import tariff thing.

It would be bad enough if used goods were priced fairly at a real established/published value, so that value could be established prior to shipping. however when you are in the situation of having to bring used goods and pay all the money to ship them and then have them "valued" by some guy/gal who may or may not have any idea of the actual value its really a crap shoot.

I have roommate who is kind of a hoarder and she has gotten rid of tons of crap but is really attached to her music collection. She has probably 250lbs of old records and 150lbs of old cd's, most all of which she has accumulated over time at a dime apiece or free......I can just imagine some Tico in CR saying OK a CD sells for $20 new and an album for $10 so they are worth $5 apiece and wanting to charge us 10K for something with no actual market value.

Then of course the other thing that is troubling other than the money is that (from what I have read) an ATV needs to be inspected yearly. When you after initial purchase put another 10 grand and a few hundred hours of love and care into building a 200hp ATV the last thing you want to do is to have someone else driving it...US or CR. A non enthusiast would never understand the analogy of letting another man "test drive" your loved one ;-)

Sounds like we're on the same page. It's too bad that the CR government seems to have lost interest in attracting expats. By far, Costa Rica appears to be the most varied and interesting location in Central America, but I'm simply not willing to let their government extract half my 401k for their own benefit, considering that by my just being there would be a significant contribution to their economy. I was all-in for CR several months ago but am now looking elsewhere. Good luck!

The simple reason for all of the import duties and lack of discounts/incentives is that the CR government simply does not care about expats.   They're happy enough with people moving here, dumping all of their savings into the country, and then leaving a couple of years later with empty pockets.  It keeps feeding their socialism and bureaucratic waste.  You might want to check out Panama.  They give pensionados multiple incentives and discounts and actually want people to move there.   Of course, that's the government policy.  The people's view could be different.

I disagree with your soured attitude.
I have loved every minute of my 26 years ago,,,And anyone who promotes Panama over CR ...well what can I say Yes they have such a screwed up system and  crime is at its peak ..no still growing ..so CHECK out first before moving there. Weird criminals abound .Did anyone know about the 2 gringo killers who went around just  killing ex pat  Gringos and with no interference from the corrupt Panamanians Police or Government just calmly moved into their homes and B&B;'s and carried on as "Owners after  cleaning them out of EVERY dime in their Banks even in Hong Kong banks. NO one cared or missed these people who were on a killing spree in  Panama )Mostly where lots of gringos buy properties " Boca de Torres" those who still live there IF they do will still shiver in terror to think how easily they got at all the properties and money .. Read it by googling "Gringos killing spree in Panama "  It is an amazing read to think they ALMOST got away with  Serial killing UGH.  Panama  still lures criminals because of the lack of Interest or corruption, Beware sure they try to lure more Gringos there but really do not like us ..They have not forgotten the Panama CAnal deal. Sure it is a bit cheaper for some things but you get what you pay for I prefer SAFETY to spend a few more dollars here.. Safer !

You are considering 2 of the most dangerous areas in Central America,,I have had n=both a employess int he past and their own folk are Terrified of living there and getting kidnapped.. THEY are AFRAID to go out most times especially after dark,,,Check out first where you THINK you will save on imprting "Stuff" that you can but in Costa Rica..not there you would have to import most thngs..Be sure to Vist Belize city..If you think San Jose is bad ,,That city takes San Jose look like Disneyland ..Take care and good luck .
I think the US Embassy has warnings  for travel  to those countries.about those countries the very worst if Honduras ..

pebs wrote:

I disagree with your soured attitude.
I have loved every minute of my 26 years ago,,,And anyone who promotes Panama over CR ...well what can I say Yes they have such a screwed up system and  crime is at its peak ..no still growing ..so CHECK out first before moving there. Weird criminals abound .Did anyone know about the 2 gringo killers who went around just  killing ex pat  Gringos and with no interference from the corrupt Panamanians Police or Government just calmly moved into their homes and B&B;'s and carried on as "Owners after  cleaning them out of EVERY dime in their Banks even in Hong Kong banks. NO one cared or missed these people who were on a killing spree in  Panama )Mostly where lots of gringos buy properties " Boca de Torres" those who still live there IF they do will still shiver in terror to think how easily they got at all the properties and money .. Read it by googling "Gringos killing spree in Panama "  It is an amazing read to think they ALMOST got away with  Serial killing UGH.  Panama  still lures criminals because of the lack of Interest or corruption, Beware sure they try to lure more Gringos there but really do not like us ..They have not forgotten the Panama CAnal deal. Sure it is a bit cheaper for some things but you get what you pay for I prefer SAFETY to spend a few more dollars here.. Safer !

You might want to use the quote button.  It makes it easier to understand who you are replying to.

As to me promoting Panama?  I did not do any such thing.  All I did was reply to concerns over the lack of incentives for people to move to CR.   I simply stated facts as to Panama's incentive programs for expats.   If you read my last two sentences, I stated that this was government policy and that the people of Panama's attitude could be much different.     

As most people understand, there is no paradise, even in your wonderful Heredia Hills.  You have to add up the pluses and minuses and form your own conclusion.  Don't take anybody else's advice for something as important as where you want to live.  Most people posting here are the slim majority who stay long-term.  It's common knowledge that most people don't stay in CR more than a year or so.  Bottom line in my opinion:  1) leave your stuff in storage, 2) rent, don't buy!

Thanks to all for your input.

I can certainly understand CR's desire to have those who move to their country pay a premium for goods purchased outside their country. I just wish there was some way to establish approximate value on older used goods prior to arriving with said goods.

In my research CR has a lot more to offer for someone in my shoes than other countries. Sure there is (IMO) room for improvement but the same holds true for every country, business, or the guy I see in the mirror :-)

I posted earlier but do not see it now, that Belize by comparison seems a lot less interested in helping poor pensionado's than CR. While Belize allows you to bring a car and some home goods, they also require twice the monthly income CR does. On top of that along with the car you can also bring an airplane up to 11 thousand pounds...So it seems to me they are catering to the rich rather than trying to provide refuge. Panama and other central and south American countries, to me, do not seem to offer the relative safety and security/stability that CR has to offer which is of course a concern for anyone particularly as we get older.

bottlefed wrote:

Thanks to all for your input.

I can certainly understand CR's desire to have those who move to their country pay a premium for goods purchased outside their country. I just wish there was some way to establish approximate value on older used goods prior to arriving with said goods.

In my research CR has a lot more to offer for someone in my shoes than other countries. Sure there is (IMO) room for improvement but the same holds true for every country, business, or the guy I see in the mirror :-)

I posted earlier but do not see it now, that Belize by comparison seems a lot less interested in helping poor pensionado's than CR. While Belize allows you to bring a car and some home goods, they also require twice the monthly income CR does. On top of that along with the car you can also bring an airplane up to 11 thousand pounds...So it seems to me they are catering to the rich rather than trying to provide refuge. Panama and other central and south American countries, to me, do not seem to offer the relative safety and security/stability that CR has to offer which is of course a concern for anyone particularly as we get older.

Interesting conversation. From my travels, my impression is that all the major cities in Central America are "dangerous". The most promising place I've researched lately is Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize. Zero crime and people get around on golf carts. The government allows you to bring $15,000 in personal belongings and a vehicle (not that you need one there) at ZERO import duty. In addition, I personally don't mind that Belize requires $2000/month income as opposed to $1000/month. If you are financially able, why not move where people who are more financially secure are moving for retirement?
In addition, the lower income requirement in CR makes their tax/duty amounts even more confusing. Why would a country with very small income requirements assume that a person could afford to pay the duties/taxes on personal belongings when they only have income of $1000 to $1500 per month. My best calculation indicates that I would end up paying $15,000 to $20,000 in duties if I were to retire to CR...I just don't get it. Truth be told, I'm disappointed. CR was truly my first choice until I looked more closely at the incredibly high duties. I welcome any insights that the very educated participants on this site are able to offer.

To each their own ..... we looked at Mexico for over five years and one year in Belize.  Not trying to shoot you down, go with your gut.  We found our niche here but your decision will be what is right for you and yours.

Not at all...appreciate your response. CR would be my first choice if the duties / taxes weren't such a ripoff. I shouldn't have to pay for my belongings twice. I guess that once you've spent the money on the duties / taxes it's no longer an issue and you can settle into retired bliss! I'd rather spend that money on trips home for visiting friends and for medical care, as well as other perks.

The import taxes are a concern for people bringing in a lot of "stuff" they "need".
I think it's a good idea to downsize and not bring in so much stuff, buy a car here instead of importing it, and so on.
But to each his own.

Agree SamRamon.

The only reason I am contemplating bringing the side by side ATV is that CR does not sell either the model or the parts to modify it so importing is the only option.

The only thing I would add is that for anyone buying a late model used car in CR is to be careful of unscrupulous dealers....There are a lot of branded/salvage title vehicles sold as "Excellent single owner" vehicles. So always take the time to verify the VIN and run the VIN on the web to make sure it is not a Flood or Totaled vehicle....PS I do not blame Tico's for this, US dealers used to sell these until the states made it very difficult to get away with it.

As a side note: I would be very surprised if the supply chain of these type of vehicles did not involve N Americans.

Bottlefed & meliiv, there is a company in San Jose that sells many different brands of ATV's and 'side by sides' ; An acquaintance recently bought this one and we purchased a 'legal road ready' ATV there a few years ago.

Unfortunately many  dealers will not let you do major work yourself...

Also here is a ad from Craigslist today.

Many of them around, if you chose to look...