Importing Electronics into Costa Rica

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Importing Electronics into Costa Rica

May 8th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

If you are moving to Costa Rica you will probably notice that some things are highly overpriced. One big example is electronics. One reason I don’t like buying electronics in Costa Rica in they don’t really have any warranties. So, like me, you may want to bring your electronics with you.

When doing this you need to be very careful. Many people bring electronics into the country with the intention of selling them. This is illegal, unless of course you have an import/export business. The purpose of this article is to help you when bringing your things to Costa Rica to use in your home.

Before leaving your country of origin the first thing you Read more

Indian Restaurant in Santa Ana

April 27th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | 2 Comments »

In the entire country of Costa Rica there are only two Indian restaurants. Out of the two my favorite is Taj Mahal restaurant located in Santa Ana. I wouldn’t suggest traveling by taxi to get there, since not many taxis travel in this area which may make it hard to get a taxi back to your hotel. (If you do decide to take a taxi, get their cell number and then just give a call when you are through.)

This restaurant offers many delicious Indian delicacies all made with the freshest ingredients. Their naan bread is made fresh in a special oven when ordered. You can sit outside in

Using a Credit Card in Costa Rica

April 22nd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Often people think it is better to pay everything with a credit card. This is true in many cases because most credit cards have reward systems. So there is a benefit to paying with a credit card and then paying off your statement each month.

In Costa Rica you may find using your credit card to be a little more complicated than using it in your country of origin. When paying for different items in Costa Rica one reason you may not want to use a credit card is because most credit cards charge you a foreign transaction fee. What this is basically is your credit card company is going to charge you a percentage of your Read more

Getting a Car in Costa Rica – Buying here or Shipping your Vehicle

April 20th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation | 2 Comments »

When moving to Costa Rica you may want to think about bringing your car, but before you do that there are some important things you need to consider.

First of all having your car shipped to Costa Rica sounds like a bigger hassle than it really is. Normally the charge to have your car shipped from the United States to Costa Rica is around five hundred dollars. Once your car arrives at port it will be your responsibility to travel to its location and pick it up.

Cheaper Medical Care in Costa Rica

April 18th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

Good news for all of you traveling to Costa Rica for the medical benefits: they are getting things ready for you.

News from THIS WEEK IN MEDICAL TRAVEL:

Costa Rican Medical Care Announces Health Care Seminar
“More than 100,000 medical tourists, most of them Americans, are expected to travel to Costa Rica over the next five years solely for the benefit of less expensive medical services,” says the Costa Rican Ministry of Tourism.

Lake Geneva, Wis. (PRWEB) March 15, 2009 — Costa Rican Medical Care (CRMC), a division of HSA Clearing Corp, will be sponsoring a health care seminar in San Jose, Costa Rica, May 12 and 13, 2009.

Health care costs in the United States have exploded in the Read more

The Gringo Shares His Little Black Book…

April 17th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Adults Only, Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Gossip, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Gringo Owned Business, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Nightlife, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Places to Stay, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

There are a ton of different ways to go about getting information regarding traveling to and living in Costa Rica. But how do you know the information is reliable? Plenty of you have e-mailed asking for information, but as you know… I don’t always find the time to answer, and sometimes I just don’t have the answers! I can, however, connect you with the people who do have the answers!

I, together with all the other Gringo writers (see my blogroll for affiliate sites) have worked to create a database that puts you in contact with the people you need to reach in Panama (and Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and more!)

If you are looking for legal services, real Read more

The Cost of Starting a Costa Rican Corporation

March 30th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation | No Comments »

In counting the cost for starting a Costa Rican business, which is a necessity if you want to work in Costa Rica, there are many factors you need to take into account. The first of which, is finding a lawyer to help you get things set up.

If you do a quick internet search for lawyers in Costa Rica you will surely find a large number, and when asked for price quotes for starting a basic corporation, they will range from $300 to over $1000 dollars. You shouldn’t, however, have to pay more than $350 to establish a basic, bare-bones corporation.

The lawyer fees serve to register the name of your corporation, obtain tax books, and register your corporation at Read more

Working and Starting a Corporation in Costa Rica

March 27th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | No Comments »

Work, work, work! It is always on our minds. Costa Rica is a virtual paradise and this includes the permitting of foreigners to work in the country. Obviously as a foreigner we can’t work at a grocery store or a bank, but what you can do is start a corporation. If you have a certain skill and would like to charge for your services, you can setup a corporation in which your clients can pay for the services received. This, of course, is perfectly legal.

There are two main types of Costa Rican corporations: an Anonymous Society and a Limited Corporation. An Anonymous Society or S.A. in general is used starting a large business, like importing and selling Read more

Retirement Tours in Costa Rica

March 15th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation | 1 Comment »

George Lundquist is a retirement and relocation guide who knows what he is talking about. He spent a whole year researching Costa Rica from the States. He toured with Real Estate agents, he joined the ARCR. It was all helpful, he says, but it did not introduce him to what would eventually become his life in Costa Rica.

So now, George has developed tours to help real people relocate to Costa Rica. His no nonsense tours show people what it is like to live in Costa Rica. One of the reasons why George’s tours are so great is that he shares his firsthand experiences from living there.

He can answer the most common questions about the country: electricity, the cost Read more

Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

March 10th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | 2 Comments »

A year ago Costa Rican president Óscar Arias Sánchez announced the Costa Rica Multilingüe program, with its goal of having all high school graduates in Costa Rica speak English by the year 2017. (Currently only approximately 10% of Costa Ricans speak fluent English.)

A year later the program has called for some adjustments, with one of the major focuses being the improvement of the quality of English speakers.

The Casa Presidencial has decided to enlist the help of English speaking volunteers to train adult Costa Ricans who are learning English. With some 33.500 residents from the United States, Britain, and Canada living in Costa Rica, the program has an expansive resource at their fingertips.

The program is voluntary, and Read more