Questions about moving to Costa Rica

Hi Mermaid, all good questions, I too am an older, single, early retiree as of next year and am planning the move myself. First off, half the country is beaches so you  need to figure out where you want to be, a lot depends on costs. Also weather factors into in as the northern pacific coast has a different climate than the southern Nicoya Peninsula or the Southern Zone. Also do you want to be surrounded by tourists? Other retirees? Expats? If so, Tamarindo and the Guanacaste area may be right for you, if you want something more secluded and off the beaten path then the southern zone or Nicoya Peninsula may be better for you, if you have decent money and you want easy drives Manuel Antonio is lovely... also there's a whole Caribbean side as well which is a whole other thing.... As far as churches go, I can't really help you there, I would assume they are not too hard to find in a Hispanic country....
There are Facebook groups and places where you can find other expats to meet up with in your area wherever that ends up being....
My suggestion is to do some traveling before you settle down. The beaches are not all alike so I'd check them out first before settling on one area.
As far as income, I know you need to prove an income to get residency,  I don't know if it can be from savings or an IRA but if you're renting out any property that would work....I'd ask an attorney in CR. I'm sure you could either find one online or I can refer you to mine. Lawyers do a lot of things in CR that they do not do here, dealing in real estate and sales, immigration, help with taxes, etc...a good lawyer is a must! Good Luck and I'm sure you'll get better advice from those who've done it already...

Dear Liholly,

Thanks so much for replying to my post! When are you planning on moving and to which city? I've been to Tamarindo and I'm thinking of moving there. When you recommend travelling first, well my plan is to already have a place to move into when I arrive. I don't see how I could travel first and move at the same time.  I will be selling my home here and my furniture,etc in order to move there. I don't want to make two trips.
Can you give me any tips on how to locate a house to rent in Tamarindo? I do want to be near other expats.
How did you find an attorney and what is he doing for you? I would love to have his name and contact  to ask him about residency at least.

Have you been to Costa Rica since the pandemic? Do you know how strict it is there now concerning mask wearing etc.

I look forward to hearing back from you
Mermaid

Hi back,

I've never been to Tamarindo or the Southern Zone, I'd like to visit those places before I finally settle on where I'm going to live for long term but at the moment I'm planning on moving to the Nicoya Peninsula to the Montezuma area on the east side or possibly Manzanillo on the west. I've set down some roots there and have friends in the area now....I've been to Costa Rica many many times and I have a lawyer because I owned a property there for several years which I sold about a year before the pandemic. It was a small bed and breakfast and we did good business but mostly broke even after maintenance, bills, etc....if I had kept the property I would have had quite a few expenses over this past year so although I would've liked to still have it, financially it was a good choice.

I am planning on renting for the first year or two before I decide to sell off my house and all my possessions, so that I know exactly where I want to be. Until then I will live off the income of renting my house, my pension and dip into my IRA if need be..... I will most likely buy land and build unless I find an existing property that suits my needs. As far as finding a rental, I'd call a local realtor and ask them about long term rentals in the area, I'd also check Craigslist CR as thats most likely your best bet for affordability, and see if there's a facebook group for the Tamarindo area and start asking around. Once you get there, you can often find places through word of mouth so you may want to go ahead of your belongings and have them shipped a few weeks after you settle in.

Personally, I'd like to be somewhere quiet and less touristy than the Tamarindo area...just north of Tamarindo are some beaches that are geared towards older expats which might suit you better as Tamarindo is very crowded and young ( from what my friends in the area tell me - they call it "Tamagringo" ) Although a friend of mine lived there for a few years and loved it.

I was just in Costa Rica this past Christmas and New Years and they do take Covid quite seriously there. All shops and restaurants have sinks outside where you wash your hands before going in, you mask up to go inside any store but outside you don't need to wear one and as most restaurants are outdoors you don't need one after you get in. Not a lot of signage regarding social distancing but everyone wears their masks and no one complains or whines about it infringing on their rights......This was in the peninsula so I'm not sure about the rest of the country but I would imagine that it's fairly consistent.

I can give you info on lawyers, you can email me at [email protected] and I'll send you a couple of references.
Laine

When planning a Pensionado residency application, the applicant must be receiving a 'guaranteed for life' pension of at least $1000 per month, so receiving rent is not acceptable by immigration. Personally, I wouldn't rely on this amount to live on, especially on the popular beach locations where costs tend to be more expensive like using A/C, running a car, eating out and enjoying a social life...once covid-19 allows us too.

'For more info from Costa Rica Law' check here.

"The Pensionado (Retiree) applicant must demonstrate a lifetime pension source of income of at least US$1,000 per month. The typical applicant in this category has a government, private sector pension or social security retirement benefits. The legal basis for the pensionado category under the immigration law is Article 81 of Law 8764. If you do not have a pension then the income based rentista program may be an option."

Ok. Thanks so much for your reply.  What is the income based rentista program? CAn you tell me more about that. I have income over $1000 but it is not f rom a pension.
Thanks again for your help
Mermaid

Suggest you read all the info regarding residency in CR as that should answer your questions.

Applying for Temporary Rentista status requires that you deposit $60K and two years later are required to deposit a further $60K so this is not an inexpensive option. $2500  a month, will then be transferred into a special account for your living expenses.

All Temporary Residency  applications will likely take over a year or more.

Bonjour,
Je lis beaucoup de choses concernant le CR ainsi que des vidéos pour m'informer sur mon projet de venir y vivre
Vous parlez de déposer 60000$ en mon arrivée, puis la même somme 2 ans après.
Un contact français du CR m'a dit qu'il suffisait d'avoir une pension de 1000$ /mois pour pouvoir s'y installer ????
Quand est il réellement ?
Merci beaucoup vous votre réponse

Oui, lorsque vous demandez le statut de Pensionado pour résidence, une pension 'garantie à vie' est acceptable, mais ce montant n'est PAS suffisant pour vivre.

Veuillez accepter mes excuses pour une traduction électronique.

Can you repost in English please? I dont speak French but am also interested in this subject.

Here it is.

"Yes, when applying for Pensionado status for residence a 'guaranteed for life' pension of the amount of $1000  is acceptable, however, it is NOT enough to live on.

Please accept my apologies for an electronic translation."

My apologies, but my Spanish is much better than my school days French, which was many years ago, and the written amount of $1000 never made it onto my earlier post...

bonjour,
1000$ n'est pas suffisant pour vivre au CR. ???
Cela correspond il à une location de maison, les frais annexes et la nourriture ???
Ce qui veut dire qu'il ni a que les personnes qui ont au minimum 2500$ qui peuvent y vivre ?
merci pour votre réponse

Traducción electrónica:

No, en mi opinión, US$ 1000 no es suficiente para vivir, a menos que viva frugalmente, no conduzca, no salga a socializar, mantenga un vehículo, etc.
Sin embargo, aún puede solicitar / obtener la residencia de Pensionado con los US$ 1000, pero necesitará fondos adicionales para vivir 'cómodamente'. Si quieres vivir "en la playa", es probable que cueste aún más.

Con suerte, alguien más responderá a su consulta.

Electronic translation:
No, in my opinion, US$1000 isn't enough to live, unless you live frugally, don't drive, don't go out to socialize, maintain a vehicle, etc...
However, you can still apply/get Pensionado residency with the US$1000, but you will need additional funds to live 'comfortably,.' If you want to live 'at the beach' expect that it will probably  cost even more.

Hopefully, someone else will answer your query.

os agradezco vuestra respuesta. E importar mi 4x4 que ya no está del lado de Argus pero que está en excelentes condiciones, ¿conoce los procedimientos y condiciones financieras? te quedas en el CR? Utilizo un traductor porque mi nivel aún es bajo.

Voici un lien vers un article sur les nouveaux changements qui sont envisagés. Je ne vis plus en CR, mais j'y ai vécu pendant plus de 18 ans jusqu'au décès de mon conjoint.

Here is a link to an article on the new changes that are being considered. I no longer live in CR, but I lived there for over 18 years until the death of my spouse.

https://www.crhoy.com/nacionales/apuran … nsionados/

et vous êtes en France ???
Merci pour ce lien, mais je ne trouve pas les modalités pour m'y installer et y emmener mon véhicule
pourtant je cherche 

Je suis au Canada maintenant.