Legal Resident of Costa Rica

It is official...I am now a legal resident of Costa Rica! My standing is good for two years then all I have to do is submit a request for another two years. After that I can request to be a permanent resident.

Now that I have been through all the hoops it does not seem that it was all that hard. At times during all of this I was almost overwhelmed. Especially at the end when I had to make sure I had all the receipts for all the deposits I was required to make. Sounds easy, but not so much. Some were requested in colones and some in dollars, but all the receipts were in colones. I finally went to a friends house, and she and her husband helped me figure it out. Thank goodness every thing was there!

One of the receipts was for joining the Caja which is the Costa Rican medical system. It cost about 1/16th of what it cost me in the US, and my doctor visits are all free and most of the meds are free! This is a huge benefit to living in CR.

Some people say it was very fast. It would have been even faster if not for the fact that the immigration approved my request in December. It was the holidays and everything comes to a stop. Then I received a four day notice in March that it was time to go to immigration and become a resident. I, unfortunately, was on my way to La Fortuna and Arenal with friends visiting from Texas. I was not going to be near San Jose on that date. We had to request another appointment date. So on April 25, 2018 this little Texas girl became a legal resident of Costa Rica with my sedula in hand.

At times during the appointment with immigration I was a little nervous. I don't speak Spanish. During the first part my attorney was with me, and he took care of all the legal parts. Then when he took me to the office where I go in and give them the paper work to receive my sedula (Government card showing I am legally in this country)my attorney, Roberto Umana, told me he was not allowed in that area and to listen closely for my name because it would be pronounced as "Clla-de-a Sujens." Oh my gosh I don't speak Spanish! I heard the new version of my name, but not the number of the cubical I was to go to. I went to the first one and pronounced my new Spanish name. He looked at me like I was crazy and said something to me in Spanish. Oh my gosh I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH! Why did I not learn more before now? I went to the second cubical, said my new name and got the same reaction. Finally a guard came over to me (I think I am about to be thrown out!) and I said my new Spanish name. He looked at a clip board and told me numero siete! Yes, I know my numbers! Now I am at the correct cubical. Paulo starts speaking to me in Spanish. "OH NO! Why wouldn't they let Roberto in here with me?" This man took pity on me and used Google Translate on his computer to tell me to sit outside and in 40 minutes they would come and deliver my sedula to me. Almost to the minute out came a man calling for Clla-de-a Sujens! I had it!!!!! I was almost jumping up and down leaving immigration.

THE PROCESS IN A NUT SHELL:
Before coming to Costa Rica
1. Obtain your birth certificate with your mother's maiden name on it
2. If you are married your marriage certificate
3. Document showing either monthly income from Social Security, or you have made a deposit in a Costa Rican bank that satisfies the requirement, or you have made an investment in CR that satisfies the requirement.
4. FBI Federal Police Clearance (Background check within one month of filing.)
5. Up to date Passport
6. Send all to the Attorney General's office of your State to have an Apostil attached to each document and sent back to you.

When I had all this ready I gave it to my attorney to translate into Spanish and submitted to the immigration office in Costa Rica.

Next: All these deposits go into a special numbered Government account with your name
1. Warranty Deposit $300 (This is to insure the Government that if something goes wrong while you are in CR there will be money to buy a one way ticket back to the US)
2. Cost of Residency Credentials $48.
3. Cost of Procedures $50
4. Application fee $250.
5. 2 year Residency $98.
6. Join the Caja and pay your first months payment

Hold on to all these receipts because they will need to be presented when you go to immigration for your final paperwork and receive your residency (Sedula).

Pura Vida!