News

Jun 27
0

Immigration CD-19 Update

By | Costa Rican Laws, Costa Rican Lifestyle, Costa Rican Residency, Immigration, Move to Costa Rica, Travel | No Comments

 

June 27, 2020 —  Update

NOTE:  CURRENT AS OF 06/26/2020.  INFORMATION SUBECT TO CHANGE ON SHORT NOTICE.

We write to provide an update on the effects Corona Virus (CV-19) is having in the application for residency process.  The information provided is based on (a) 06.26.2020 Health Dept. news press release, and (b)  the latest Migracion bulletin, published in La Gaceta, the official newspaper of the government of Costa Rica, on May 31, 2020, and as listed in Migracion’s webpage ( http://migracion.go.cr ) and Facebook page.

CURRENT STATUS: 

 Migracion offices Closed:  Migracion continues closed to the public (since March 17, 2020). Reopens to the public July 20, 2020

The closure applies to all Migracion offices, including headquarters in La Uruca and regional offices (Migracion’s Facebook page, 05/14/2020).

Expected date of Migracion reopening for residency application business:  Monday, July 20, 2020.

Borders – Reopening date for tourists:   July 31, 2020 at 23:59 hours – airports open ONLY to  specific countries, based upon how successful the country is in controlling CV19.  Assume the US is not going to be in the first opening date.

https://www.facebook.com/migracioncostarica/

See also US Embassy website’s facts, at the end of this message.

In-bound commercial flights

According to the Costa Rican Consulate in Los Angeles, there is currently one in-bound flight from United Airlines, from Houston to San Jose, once-a-week.  Other clients report available flights from other airlines, but I cannot confirm that information.

Pending Applications – delay in processing: We expect at least a 45-60-day delay in the processing of applications already filed.  We have not received any new communications from Migracion via e-mail regarding status of applications since about April 14th.

Most frequently asked questions:

  • MOST ASKED QUESTION: If I have my application for residency in process, BUT I have not yet been approved, can I enter CR now, prior to the borders being opened?
  • Answer:  Most likely NOT. In the original announcement of the closing of the borders back in March, the ability to enter CR by a person whose application is pending was not addressed.
  • But, on Migracion’s website there is a paragraph (even now, also in the US embassy website) that says that someone with a filed application and who has the application number can enter Costa Rica prior to the opening of the borders. https://migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Cierre-de-Fronteras.aspx Item No. 2; https://cr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
  • However, this issue has NOT been mentioned in the last three most recent announcements—see below. Thus, we are not 100% certain of the answer but if I were to guess I would say there is at least a 98% probability that you will NOT be allowed in without being a legal resident. We sent emails to Migracion asking clarification to this question. Its answer, on 06/01/2020 was the highlighted info below, from the 05.31.2020 announcement.

05.31.2020 Announcement: Individuals with pending applications are NOT included in the very specific list of individuals who are able to enter Costa Rica prior to the reopening of the borders on July 1st:

 

“ARTICLE 5.- The restriction measures established in article 2 of this Executive Decree, as well as the sanitary actions that the Ministry of Health will carry out.

In this sense, they will be applied to foreign persons who have an

authorized legal stay under the immigration categories of Residence

Permanent, Temporary Residence, Special Categories or Non-Residents under the “Estancia” subcategory, that leave the country between 23:59 hours on March 25 and 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2020, both dates inclusive…” (Google translation)

TIME LINE, AS OF 06.26.2020 – Subject to changes on short notice

Event Old Date NEW DATE
Migracion reopens for specific emergencies only: issue passports to Costa Ricans, permit for a minor to exit CR, etc.

 

 04/18/2020 May 18, 2020
Appointments to obtain residency card –DIMEX—for the first time are made ONLY thru Correos Nacionales or Banco de costa Rica.   ONLY Pensionado to get first DIMEX card, and renewals:  Appointments at BCR or Correos Nacionales can be made now.

 

 
Airports schedule to re-open, allowing travelers from countries who are controlling the number of CV cases.

 

 06/15/2020 August 1, 2020 at 00:01 hrs.

 
Migracion reopens to the general public, starts to accept new residency applications, get copies of files, etc.

 

 04/18/2020 July 20, 2020
All scheduled appointments at Migracion are postponed to a date after:

 

   July 18, 2020
Tourist visas extended.  The tourist visa of a tourist who entered Costa Rica after 17 December 2019 is extended until:

 

 Varies August 18, 2020

 
Driving with a non-Costa Rican driver’s license extended for the same amount of time of the tourist visa extension:

 

 Expires when the tourist visa expires August 18, 2020

 

 
Expiration date of any document (birth certificates, FBI reports, income letters, etc.) is extended to. 6 months after issue September 18, 2020

For example, the document was issued October 1, 2019, but could not be filed prior to its expiration date of April 1, 2020 because Migracion was closed, will now be valid and accepted until September 18, 2020.

 
Time to respond to a “prevencion” – a request from Migracion to the applicant to present additional information or documentation, most commonly an FBI report – is extended.

 

 Varies September 18, 2020

 
Attorney appointments at Migracion are re-scheduled for dates after:

 

 Varies September 18, 2020

 
Validity of Permanent Resident  DIMEX cards that expired after December 18, 2019 is automatically extended until

 

 Varies September 30, 2020

 
Validity of Pensionado, Rentista, Inversionista and all special category DIMEX cards that expired after December 18, 2019 is automatically extended until

 

 Varies September 30, 2020

 
The time to renew all expired DIMEX card is extended without penalty for:

 

 Varies Up to 90 days after September 30, 2020

 

NOTE: “estancia” DIMEX cards have different rules/deadlines

 
     

 

 

 

Mar 14
0

$1700 Birth Certificate

By | Costa Rican Laws, Costa Rican Residency, Immigration, Move to Costa Rica | No Comments

$1700 Birth CertificateThe client, born during the tumultuous period of time when Indonesia gained its
independence from the Netherlands, needed to get a certified copy of her birth
certificate to apply for residency. A simple request to the Netherlands should have
solved the problem, right?

Wrong. The Netherlands denied the request because the client had become an American
citizen. Essentially, our client was told to go get it from Indonesia.

Because she had no family or friends in Indonesia, we hired an Indonesian private
investigation firm. The investigators had to go in person to three locations and
manually search for the right volume where the six-decade-old birth registration could
be found. It took two months to find it. All we had left was to get, it and it was
free!

Wrong again. Indonesia does not issue apostilles. It uses the old and tedious
authentication method called legalization. Our Canadian clients are painfully aware of
this process, as Canada still uses it. Worse yet, at that time Costa Rica did not have
a consular office in Jakarta as it does now, so we would have to do Third Country
Legalization.

Once the Indonesian government authenticated the birth certificate, the investigator
took it to, you guessed it, the Canadian consulate in Jakarta. Then it was FedEx’d to
our document processing agent in Ottawa, Canada. Once in Ottawa, the document went to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Costa Rican Consulate. Our agent next FedEx’d
the document to our office in San Jose to get its final signature at Casa Amarilla.
Now fully legalized, we filed it with Migration.

The moral of the story is to be patient and creative in finding a solution to the
problem. It took us close to five months, 53 emails, and almost $1,700 paid by our
client to get this one document. Fortunately, this was a very unusual case. Getting a
copy of a birth certificate usually costs about $10.

I am happy to report the client is not only a resident but she is now a permanent
resident!

written by Javier Zavaleta of Residency in Costa Rica

article first appeared in AM Costa Rica 3/14/18

Oct 02
1

U.S. income tax avoidance drawing some to Costa Rica

By | Costa Rican Laws, Costa Rican Lifestyle, Financial, Move to Costa Rica | No Comments

Another reason to live in Costa Rica? This article appeared in www.amcostarica.com last week. It points that some American citizens are moving to Costa Rica and once there they continue to work by “telecommuting.”  In many cases, telecommuting allows that individual to take advantage of IRS tax rules and they do not pay taxes on foreign earned income of up to $101,000.  Tax savings could be substantial. We strongly recommend you consult with a tax professional familiar with the Foreign Earned Income rules, and how those rules apply to your own circumstances.

Jan 12
0

New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists

By | Costa Rican Laws, Travel | No Comments

The Sunday, January 12, 2014 electronic edition of The Costa Rica Star, a local English-Language publication, contained an article titled “New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists.”

While we, at Residency in Costa Rica, do not condone or encourage being a perpetual tourist, those inaccuracies have caused undue concern and worry to individuals currently living in Costa Rica as perpetual tourists. The article is not accurate in many respects. The statements attributed to Mario Zamora are from the year 2010, and are not effective in 2014.

Here is a link to the Costa Rica Star article (and its explanation as to why the article was published, as it appears in the January 13, 2014 edition: http://news.co.cr/new-law-in-costa-rica-for-perpetual-tourists/31555/

Here is a link to the original story, published February 19, 2010 by amcostarica.com See also our archives for February 19, 2010: http://www.amcostarica.com/021910.htm

We wanted to correct some of the inaccuracies of the article and to put to rest some of the fears and concerns created by the article. Please read a Letter to the Editor of Costa Rica Star sent to the Editor this morning.

Saludos cordiales,

Residency in Costa Rica

Dear Editor. I write to call to your attention that the article “New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists” that appeared in the 1.12.2014 edition of your publication is not only almost four (4) years old but it is inaccurate in many respects. It’s great for my business but you are causing unnecessary panic amongst the many perpetual tourists residing in Costa Rica. Strongly recommend you check your sources and information more closely.

I have no idea why The Costa Rica Star published today, January 12, 2014, an article that almost four (4) years old yet it is made be to current. I strongly suggest you read the amcostarica.com edition of February 19, 2010 (also reprinted with permission in our website), a more accurate newspaper where they write their own stories. Please feel free to search the archives of amcostarica.com for the quote from Mario Zamora.

ERRORS AND INACCURACIES – PARTIAL LIST

  1. “Costa Rica’s new immigration law goes into effect March 1.” That was correct back in 2009, but not in 2014. The changes to the Ley de Migracion were approved on August 2009 and the new Law took effect on March 1, 2010.
  2. “Mario Zamora, the director general of Migración y Extranjería,” ==Mario Zamora has not been the director of Migracion for almost three years. He has been the Ministro de Seguridad Publica in the Chinchilla Administration since April 28, 20113
  3. “Mario Zamora, the director general of Migración y Extranjería, said Thursday that a tourist will not be able to go to the same country twice and that after two trips to renew a visa a tourist will have to stay out of Costa Rica for a minimum of 15 days.” ==Zamora made those off-the-cuff remarks in a radio interview almost four years ago. It is NOT the law. It was never in the law and it is not effect now.
  4. “Instead of traveling to another country to renew a tourist visa, a foreigner can go to any immigration location and renew another 90 days for $100.” ==NOT so. US, Canadian and most Western European tourists who enter Costa Rica on a 90-day tourist visa DO NOT qualify to renew their visas by paying the $100. That method of renewal is available ONLY to tourists who enter Costa Rica on a 30-day visa.
  5. “The rule that a tourist cannot renew a visa by traveling to the same country twice is new.” ==This NOT the law – it doesn’t exist anywhere. This was part of the radio interview remarks.

Please use caution when reprinting articles from unreliable sources. You are creating great harm to the community.

Saludos,

Javier Zavaleta

Residency in Costa Rica
Box 86352, Los Angeles, CA 90086
Tel (323) 255-6116 – Fax (323) 344-1620
In Costa Rica: Tel 506.2226.0755 – En español
On the Web at www.residencyincostarica.com