Testimonials

“With Residency in Costa Rica, I had my Cedula in 6 months.”

I went with the wrong lawyer to try to save money.  That did not work out well and I did not get my Cedula. I then went with Residency in Costa Rica and I had my Cedula in 6 months! Have it done right the first time, and get sleep.  Thank you Javier and Mayanye.
F.H., US, Marriage/Relation (Vinculo)

“Exceeded my expectations.”

If your aim is to reside in Costa Rica then it would be in your best interests to seek out the services of Javier Zavaleta  It will become immediately evident that you are interacting with an experienced, dedicated skilled professional who will conscientiously and courteously guide you through the entire bureaucratic/documentation process to achieve residency  There is a team of highly competent advocates working on your behalf that are dependable, honest, reliable that provide you all necessary instructions, answer all questions promptly and work with you to resolve issues should they arise. The services provided exceeded my expectations.  Pura Vida.
E.R., US, Retiree (Pensionado)

“Very competent…step by step guidance.”

I can tell you that Javier is a very competent man, and is open to communications at any time.  The best thing about RCR is that you pay a portion of your fee to Javier and you will have step by step guidance and one less thing to be concerned about.  The only additional expense that I can recall with our application was the cost to send the documents to Los Angeles by FedEx.  I know that there are cheaper ways to get the residency, but the combination of having a contact person in the US to deal with the Costa Rican embassy here, which has direct day to day contact with the people in the embassy in Los Angeles is a big bonus.  Then, Javier’s sister, is well known at Migracíon in San Jose, the police station, and the US embassy.  With her guidance, it makes navigating the maze of rules that change almost daily here easy.
D.C., US, Permanent Resident

“You made the whole process so easy.”

Thank you for all you have done. You have made the whole process so easy. I have been singing your praises to everyone who has expressed interest to me in moving to Costa Rica. I will also send an email to Scott Oliver to let him know how pleased I am with the service you provide.  Again many thanks.
D.D., Canada, Retiree (Pensionada)

“Very little effort on our part.”

We were able to use ResidencyinCostaRica.com to get us through the system with very little effort on our part. I can’t imagine how we could have done it without them, especially after reading some of the stories as far as how long some have been waiting. I have friends that are using lawyers and have been in limbo for many times longer not knowing and they keep getting the “just a little while longer” story. I did not want to blow such an important deal and mess it up with someone that did not know what they were doing. Call and talk to Javier, you’ll see his number on the site if you still have concerns. I think that is all they do is to help get residency and they are great at it. I am not a paid spokesperson for ResidencyinCostaRica.com, just a happy customer.
Phil, US, Retiree (Pensionada)

“A miracle worker.”

My family used Javier and Mayanye of Residency in Costa Rica as well, 5.5 years ago. They are not only professional and knowledgeable, they are also wonderful human beings. The six of us applied under inversionista – perhaps the most difficult residency application. We had marriages, divorces, kids with a different biological father, etc. It was not an easy job for Javier. But he is a miracle worker. I could not have accomplished it myself. We were processed within 3 months of moving here and had our cedulas within 8 months. I know people who have been trying for years and still do not have residency. We have permanent residency and will apply for citizenship in a few years.
W.S., US, Permanent Resident

“The greatest.”

Thank you Javier, You are the greatest! I am enjoying CR very much… I will certainly recommend your service to anyone who is considering immigrating to CR. Pura vida.
E.H., the Netherlands, Retiree (Pensionado)

“The best without a doubt.”

There is no better than residencyincostarica. Javier and his sister are the best without a doubt. And leave all the others in the dust. Do not be fooled by others who claim to be cheaper and then very conveniently forget to tell you about other costs like…. $40. A page for translations… He does it all and then when you need renewal Mayanye is here is Costa Rica to help. Time is not an easy question as Migracion here has its own time schedule.. Check with Javier…
A.G., US, Permanent Resident

“Knowledge and heart.”

After my first immigration lawyer repeatedly messed up, I found Mayanye and Javier Zavaleta. Because of the small size of my social security check, it was imperative that I make application for my pensionada cedula pronto, before the “new” law became effective and raised the amount of money needed monthly to receive permission from the CR government for the permit.  Mayanye and Javier Zavaleta performed the necessary miracle. They were fantastic. They are brother and sister. Living in California, Javier speaks perfect English. Mayanye lives in Costa Rica and speaks no English. Her personality is magical. She speaks to everyone waiting in the long lines and puts them at ease. Clearly pro bono. One has no choice but to admire and love her… when they speak, they speak with knowledge and heart.
B.C., US,  Retiree (Pensionado)

“Absolutely fantastic job.”

EVERYTHING WENT VERY WELL AT MIGRACION.  MAYANYE DID AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC JOB IN WALKING US THROUGH EVERYTHING.  WE HAVE ALREADY RECOMMENDED YOUR SERVICE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE.
E.M., Poland, Retiree (Pensionado)

“Their fees are very fair.”

Today we got our Permanent Residency and it was a process made simple by the fantastic work of Mayanye and Javier Zavaleta at ResidencyinCostaRica. . . . I can’t say enough and highly recommend them to anyone at any stage of dealing with immigration or residency issues. Their fees are very fair as well. Pura Vida,
Jerry, US, Permanent Resident

“Smooth and painless. No hassles!”

We used Javier and it was smooth and painless. They handled ALL of our paperwork without us having to leave the country. Took the bus to San Jose, his sister met us there and within 2 hours we were done with fingerprints and photos, signed a power of attorney and were back on the bus to San Ramon. No hassles!
L.F., US, Retiree (Pensionado)

“They get the job done in record time.”

Use ResidencyInCostaRica.com — they aren’t lawyers, but they get the job done in record time. I used them, as did ten or twelve of my friends. Some folks I know who used a real lawyer still don’t have a cedula, whereas everyone who used Javier Zavaleta got theirs toute de suite. Javier is in Los Angeles, California and his sister is in San Jose.
T.S., US, Business/Investor (Inversionista)

 “Excellent service.”

I can highly recommend Javier Zavaleta and his firm “Residency In Costa Rica” for obtaining residency. Javier and his sister Mayanye are very knowledgeable about the residency application process and provide excellent service. Javier works the application process on the US side; his sister Mayanye works the process in Costa Rica.  I used them for obtaining residency and have recommended them to others who are pleased with them.  Let it be noted that neither Javier nor his sister are attorneys; however they do use an attorney in the application process.
B. E., US, Permanent Resident

“So glad we found you.”

We could never have done this on our own!  We are all so glad we found you guys! Thank you for ALL your help.
M.G., US, Retiree (Pensionado)

“I cannot recommend Residency in Costa Rica too highly.”

This note is in praise of ResidencyInCostaRica.com. When Charlotte and I arrived in Costa Rica, we were completely unknowledgeable with respect to the Costa Rican fascination with stamps, seals, authentications, apostille, and all of the other assorted ribbons and bows required of documents here. When I showed my pension letter from the Raytheon Corporation to our first lawyer, he laughed. Finally he said that although the law says corporate pensions may be used, he had never known of one to be approved. Since I was 61 then, he advised being Perpetual Tourists until I hit 62, and then using Social Security. So we did.

When I turned 62, I called Javier Zavaleta of ResidencyInCostaRica.com (the telephone number is on the website). We told him what we had in terms of un-authenticated documents. Javier lives in the U.S., his sister Mayanye lives here, and they work the business together.  Javier set us up with an all-day appointment with Mayanye, starting at the Embassy. She took all our documents, and guided us through getting the Embassy pension verification letter just the way CR likes it. Then she took us to a Costa Rican police station for fingerprinting, we got cédula fotos taken, and we finished out the day with the attorney they use.

She sent the documents to Javier and he did his US-magic. He figured out what each document required, and that effort included several challenges along the way. To give just one example of the level of service he provides, my Kentucky birth certificate was one I had bought online from the State of Kentucky website. It looked good to me, but was not acceptable to CR because it was machine generated and had no by-hand signature. Javier figured out whom to call in the State of Kentucky offices to get exactly what was needed. There was also a problem with Charlotte’s Texas birth certificate, and with our Marriage Certificate. In Texas, Marriage Certificates are county documents, and the state government did not want to authenticate a county document. Javier figured out all of that.

So finally he turned in all of our documents, loaded up with ribbons and bows, to the CR Consulate in Los Angeles, California. That was the first week of August, 2007. For fourteen months, Mayanye regularly visited Migración to check on the status of our applications as well as all of their others. Finally we are approved. There is no telling how long it might have taken if she had not been pushing and had not known exactly how to push.

I cannot recommend ResidencyInCostaRica.com too highly. They were even patient when I got steamed at the long wait. If it were not for them, I might still be wandering around the U.S. trying to get stamps and seals on documents, or wandering around Migración trying to find out the status of our applications. Cheers,
David, US, Permanent Resident

 “So exciting.”

We picked up our Cedulas today!   It is so exciting to have them.  Thanks for making this happen.   I am SO excited to become a resident of Costa Rica.
D. W., US, Retiree (Pensionado)

 “Amazing!”

Well, I am official! …. She suggested we ask (with a big smile) if we could get the cedula today. He asked how old I was, smiled and said that was close enough to 65 and we could wait. Might be 1 hr, he said. Well, from 11am to the time we were back in the car with the cedula in hand, it was 45 minutes in total! Amazing!  My day is made! I am a happy person.
M.H., Indonesia, Retiree (Pensionado)

 “I will recommend you.”

Thanks to you and your wonderful sister. THANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! All the best to you two and your family, I will recommend you whenever somebody needs you, that’s for sure. Greetings from my heart,
C.F., Germany, Permanent Resident

“It feels so good.”

I hope Mayanye told you I cried when they gave me my cedula.  It feels so good to have accomplished something so important. Once again, thanks for everything.
C.C. US, Retiree (Pensionado)