Pura Vida Job Application: Fill & Download for Free

How easy is it for a UK resident to move to Costa Rica?Reasonably easy. Your UK passport valid for at least six months will get you a 90 day, more-or-less automatic tourist visa upon landing. It is renewable upon a out-and-back trip over the border of one of the two adjacent countries. Many do this perpetually. But it’s best you peruse one of three of the more common paths to legal residency if you don’t want to live in a tenuous state. They are:Pensionado: Intended for those who can prove at least $1000/month US, guaranteed for life from an acceptable financial or governmental institution. Retirees fit this category nicely, and it’s the simplest and approval is straight forward. There is no requirement that the $1,000 be actually spent but it must be converted to the local currency. No real worries there as it will most likely cost you more than $1,000/mo to maintain a modest lifestyle here. The $1,000/mo covers a primary and dependents.Rentista: Intended for those who can prove income of at least $2500/month US for 24 months, from an acceptable financial or governmental institution. The most common way to do this is to deposit $60,000 US into a Costa Rican bank in the form of laddered CDs which will be redeemed monthly. At the end of the 24 months, you do it all over again. There is no requirement that the $2,500 be actually spent but it must be converted to the local currency. The $2,500 covers a primary and dependents.Inversionista: This is a “investor” category which has several possibilities. Opening a qualified new business venture is obvious but with a little catch - you can’t actually “work” in the business. Manage or control, yes but not as a actual worker. Purchase of land or housing is another possibility. The value of the purchase must meet certain standards to qualify. There are other avenues, all involving substantial monetary commitments. This is not a very simple choice and you should be guided by a competent immigration attorney if you choose it.After three years in one of the temporary channels above, you can choose to convert to a permanent residency. The principal advantage is to absolve you of ongoing financial requirements plus you will gain the ability to hold a wage earners job.All immigration routes require require the applicant to produce his/her birth, marriage, criminal history and financial documentation which must be appropriately authenticated or apostilled by the country of origin. These documents cannot be older than six months at the time of application. If approved, you must also enroll in the National Healthcare system, called CCSS, colloquially CAJA. A monthly fee is assessed, depending on a financial means test.There are more details but these are the primary points.CAUTION: DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT DOING DUE DILIGENCE - more than 50% of newcomers return to home within three years. Worse are those who made a leap of faith without resources to return and have had circumstances turn against them. This is not a trivial endeavor. It is culturally a much different country that is far from your place of origin and the family and friends you know now. Good luck and Pura Vida.

It's good. You can live “la Pura Vida! “, but it will require some adjustments as life here is slower paced, much less hectic.And it's a different culture, food and local language, unless you want to live in a “Gringo enclave”.. But then why leave the United States?——I am a Costa Rican citizen who has worked remotely for several multinational IT companies across 20 years (most from the USA, one from Japan, one from Germany.I can give you the local perspective and other Quorans will give you their expat views. This will be a LONG Answer 😉—You will need two independent internet connections (ie your house or apartments wifi and your mobile phone: either local or with data roaming. Local is way less expensive and more suitable for long time use. There are 3 major providers here: Claro, Movistar and Kolbi. All are good), this for reliability/emergency use. Specially if you work on critical applicationsThere are many ISPs: Internet Service Providers here. The major ones are Cable companies who will also give you cable TV and local and international phone service (“triple play). You can also get only internet service. A good rate is about US$50 to US$60 per month for 30 to 50 mbps theorical /about 5 to 10 mbps real. Which is good enough for most remote jobs.This is about 35,000 Colones - local currency -). You can pay with any credit card local or foreign in dollars or Colones.Good connections are more easily available in the Central Valley or Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM). About half the 5 million Costa Rican residents live here and its 2 to 4 hours drive from the beaches on the Pacific or Caribbean so you can easily go for the weekends. If traffic allows that is…google Costa Rica presasIf you prefer to live in the hotter coastal areas check and test beforehand. Most have good enough Internet service but more frequent outages and less speed.Finally taxes and other legal stuff: You can work as an employee or independent contractor. If you are an employee check which regulations and benefits (vacation regimes, pension plans, etc) will apply:.a. it can be either the United States ones you know, B. the Costa Rican laws (which have included basic universal health care /insurance and 10 days paid vacation per day, and a 13 month bonus 1 month pay every year… but you will have to become a permanent resident or citizen here which is a long process (you can have double nationality, you won't lose your USA citizenship). C. It can also be any third labor legislation both you and your employer both agree on.Finally (told you it would be a LONG answer!) the Costa Rican government is thinking about giving further incentives to Digital nomads postcovid19.. But they are still being discussed.