Moving to Costa Rica with an adult child

If your daughter plans to only live in Costa Rica for a year, she would probably be better off to get a 180-day tourist visa when she arrives. Then, before the 180 days are up, she will have to leave the country briefly and then return. If history is any indicator, she will be given another 180-day tourist visa.

My understanding is that your adult daughter will have to qualify for legal residency on her own merits. She'll need all the same documentation as you will, and she will have to demonstrate that she is self-sufficient. Your residency status will not influence her application.

Thank you for your reply.  So   would we  b able to get the Visas renewed for another 180  days without applying for temporary resident status? Would it be easier to get sponsorship through an unpaid internship?

So... when we expats say 'visa'...  we aren't talking about what you expect a visa to be... 

When you enter Costa Rica (Airport or Border crossing) you will go through Passport Control.  They ask a few questions, especially, how long you plan to stay, and Where you are staying.  Have an address... even if it's a hotel that you aren't going to stay in... use it!!  Tell them, if they ask how long, that you want the full 180 days because you are looking at real estate.  Have an answer.  They don't want slacker types who come here and try to get jobs at surf shops or bars... which is illegal.

The person at Passport control will 'stamp' your passport.  That 'stamp' is your visa... and the expiration date on it tells you how long you can stay.  There is no such thing as an extension... you must leave before it expires... You can think of it as a visa if you want.  But there really are no visas here outside of visiting 'doctors, professors, etc.'

If you overstay that time allotted on the passport stamp ... you will be forced to leave... without much time to close out your living accommodations; deal with pets, etc... and you may even pay a fine... but you will be forced to leave and most likely, told that you cannot return; ever.

Frankenbillie, above, you asked, "So   would we  b able to get the Visas renewed for another 180  days without applying for temporary resident status?" The answer is -- yes.

Tourist visas and legal residency really have no legal connection or dependency. They're two different breeds of cat. And they're treated differently under the law.

Tourist visas are automatically granted when you enter Costa Rica. Leave briefly at the end of that time and return and you're sure to get another visa for 180 days. Some folks play that game and keep up this "enter-stay-leave-return" routine for extended periods of time. They're called "perpetual tourists" who can be deported or denied re-entry at any time. They never apply for legal residency.

Legal temporary residency is for folks who aspire to living in Costa Rica long-term and who meet the financial and documentary requirements specified in the law. Once one becomes a legal resident, s/he has most (but not all) of the rights and privileges of citizens.

Once you have been a legal temporary resident for three years, you can apply to be converted to permanent residency status. The legal requirements for permanent residents are a little simpler.

And once you have been in a legal residency status (temporary and permanent) for seven years, you can apply to become a naturalized citizen. If you're older than 65, you do not have to pass the Spanish language test, you can vote, and enrollment in the CAJA becomes optional.

@daveandmarcia

Question... with your naturalized citizenship... did you get a Costa Rican Passport??   and... stupid question... you were able to keep your original passport, correct??

Both the United States and Costa Rica recognize dual citizenship. We became naturalized Costa Rican citizens in 2018 and renewed our U.S. passports in 2021. So there was no obstacle there.

We are eligible to carry Costa Rican passports as well as our U.S. ones, but for us we see no benefit to the C.R. one. We're not travelers. Haven't been back to the U.S. since before the pandemic and expect to keep it that way. If we aspired to travel elsewhere in Latin America, there might be an advantage to carrying a Costa Rican passport. The same is true (I think) were we to travel to Europe which is also highly unlikely for us.

@daveandmarcia  Thank you for all the information.  So, if I understand you correctly, I can leave prior to the expiration of the 180 days and then return after three days and ask or hope for an additional 180 days or can you say, could I have another 90 days?  How do they determine how long to give you on your return?

I've read about the trip to Panama - is that the easiest or fastest route to go?

First, you do not have to leave Costa Rica for three days before you can return and receive a new tourist visa. That's very old news. It appears that many (most?) folks travel to Nicaragua, re-enter the same day. Panama is an alternative. It depends, in part at least, on where in Costa Rica you're coming from.

Any tourist visa is a privilege granted by the Immigration officer who's on duty when you enter. His or her discretion governs. There is no avenue for appeal. If you repeatedly do the "leave and re-enter" "border run" thing, the Immigration officer may review your comings and goings and tell you that, since you're behaving like a legal resident, you should apply for legal residency. And yes, the Immigration officer may grant you a much shorter visa, but that seems to happen only very rarely and only when the "border run" is repetitive behavior.

Bottom Line: Don't worry about it. Be cordial with the Immigration officer and you'll be fine.

@daveandmarcia - You are correct about the length of time one must remain outside of CR to renew the visa - in and out the same day. The confusion has been regarding the 3 days (72 hours) that you hear mentioned. As I understand it, the 3 days (72 hours) is (was) to update one’s free customs allowance on entry. I’m not sure if that is even the case anymore. I love Costa Rica but I have found that the only thing that is constant here is change. ;-)

@daveandmarcia

Good to know.  Thanks!!!

I often wondered about the benefits of having another Passport that isn't from the USA.  A person does get

labeled by where they are from... inevitable.  I remember studying and traveling in Europe in the early 80's...  I literally had to buy a Canadian flag patch to put on my backpack because so many Europeans hated America, and especially Ronald Reagan.   

I wonder what it's like now???    Reagan doesn't look half bad compared to............... ???

I did travel to Peru in Feb...  but the Lima airport was so big and hectic that I could have shown a passport from Pluto and nobody would have flinched.

thanks again for the information.

I'm like you when it comes to 'returning'  up north anytime soon... I feel so fortunate to have been here for the pandemic.   

But so much to see and do... my South American bucket list will probably kill me; if the mosquitos don't.

Peace

Thank you all for the very helpful information.  I am sure I will undoubtedly have more questions along the way and appreciate having this resource to turn to!

I'd completely forgotten about the "leave for three days, then get a Customs waiver" thing. Does that even still exist? I dunno.

There are at least three companies who can bring in almost anything via air freight from South Florida and charge a flat $6.00 per pound all-inclusive. With that, there's no longer any reason to fly to the States just to fill up a suitcase or two.

@daveandmarcia Hello Dave,

Is enrollment in the Caja mandatory if you apply for permanent residency?

Enrollment in CAJA is mandatory before being issued your temporary residency and will be maintained throughout permanent residency.

    Enrollment in CAJA is mandatory before being issued your temporary residency and will be maintained throughout permanent residency.
   

    -@TerrynViv

That's right.