Residency Continued

I am always so proud of myself when I go into a bank or government building here in Costa Rica to conduct business. Every time I step inside the doors my heart starts pounding plus I have pretty big eyes already, but I think they double in size. I do not speak Spanish, and sometimes it is very hard to find a person that speaks English. At places like this there is usually one who speaks enough. Even knowing that I enter hoping I do not have to mime my way through it.

Before I moved to Costa Rica I had to get my birth certificate, Social Security letter, and a background check then send them all to Austin to the Secretary of State to have them notarized and an Apostille attached. All of these items had to then be translated into Spanish before filing my request for Residency. My attorney, Roberto Umana, took care of all this and the filing.

My request was approved and now to complete getting my Residency I had to go to the Bank Of Costa Rica today and purchase my Warranty and pay the cost of credentials and over staying penalties. These are for the final resolution. The "Warranty" money is to be used in case anything "goes wrong with me" there will be funds to purchase a one way ticket back to the states without Costa Rica having to use "public funds." What a novel idea! If the immigrant gets in trouble or does not keep all the laws of the country they send them back to where they came from on the immigrants dime. The other deposits were for the cost of credentials which would be my "Cedula" or card of proof that I live here legally. This has to be renewed every two years until qualifying for a permanent residency. The "over staying" penalty is a $3.00 charge in the case of having been here more than the 90 days allotted without permission.

Next I will need to gather my rental contract and all cost of living expense receipts and take them to the Caja to qualify for health insurance. Without it I do not qualify for residency. In other words, there is some financial responsibility for immigrants to pay for their own health care. The exact monthly cost I do not have yet, but with my income and cost of living it will probably be between $80.00 and $100. a month! That is for everything, plus most meds are free. This is a very big difference in what it would be costing me in the US for my medical insurance. The Caja does not include dental or vision insurance.

The business end of moving here is a little confusing but not terrible. You are much better off if you have a Costa Rican attorney to guide you. It is worth every penny. Roberto has been such a help plus the fact that his fee in one flat rate. I can call him or email him as many times as I need, and he does not charge a penny extra. He also speaks excellent English. Serves a great cup of Costa Rican coffee, too!

Pura Vida!