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My lawyer recently advised me that if I buy a property in Costa Rica and the seller neglects to pay the capital gains tax that it can be applied to me. Is this true? It makes no sense but I've lived here long enough to know the laws don't always make sense.

Thanks very much for the information! It is very much appreciated!

The US dollar and the colon are the two currencies used here. You can have bank accounts in each, if you want. Most of us do. That property seems to be within the range of reasonable rents. You can find larger apartments or houses for the same or less. While this is not a bad deal, you may want to shop around. If you can get it on a month to month basis without a lease, I would take it to give yourself a good home base when you arrive. When we arrived ten years ago, we rented a studio apartment for $500 for the first month. The next month we moved into a small furnished 3 br ho

Yes, it will be USD. Our CDN dollars are unheard of down here!

Hi, I am new here and only just started investigating moving to CR. Can you tell me if the $450 is USD? I am from Canada so seem to be seeing this a lot. Just trying to get an idea of the cost of living there. TIA for any info. Wendy

I came across a website that shows each province of Costa Rica and the boundaries of the cantons within it and thought others might find it useful.

Something I will try to remember.

Paul's right. We just went through this but it may be difficult to find. And he's right again. Having a prescription filled for you in the U.S and then having it sent here entails a world of bureaucracy. Instead, you should be able to get a local Costa Rican physician to help you through an expedited process that only s/he can initiate. Just recently, a friend has gotten our local primary care physician to order a medication for her osteoporosis. It's not available here. It will take about two weeks to arrive. So if you have a primary care doc, ask if s/he can help. Our doctor is here in

Gail, There's a rather lot of paperwork and permissions required to import medicines into Costa Rica. Have you tried checking with any of the larger private pharmacies in the Central Valley for you medicine? One of them might have it. Or they might have an equivalent compound for the medicine you need. If the latter is the case then you will need to go to a CR doctor for an evaluation/exam to see if he will write you a scrip for the medicine you need. Have you done a search of the ARCR Forums archives here? Importing medicines was discussed at some length only recently.

I am in need of a prescription medication I can’t get in Costa Rica for migraines. Does anyone know a process for getting a prescription mailed to me in Costa Rica?

No wonder Don is negative. His coins have 2 faces

I am pleased to announce that I have developed at home coronavirus test that is faster, less expensive, and as accurate as the test that is used at the White House every day. Even better, you don't have to buy it from me. Here is how it works. 1. Get a penny. 2. Flip said penny. 3. Heads you're negative. Tails you're positive. If you don't like the result, you can go 2 out of 3. This test may also be performed with the coins of other nations, but let's face it, the USA has the best testing.

You might do well to try going into the local super mercados or pulperias –or one of those little hole-in-the-wall bill payment places– in the neighborhood(s) or areas that you are interested in. There is usually a bulletin board with 3 by 5, cards etc. with hand-written announcements posted somewhere in those stores/offices and on those BBs there will be ads for rental places. That's one way that ticos look for rentals. Also word-of-mouth . . . Ask the waitress at the soda or restaurant you patronize. Someone will often know who's got something for rent, maybe a relative of the pers

Seeking small furnished apartment in the San Jose metro area - Central Valley. I currently live in Desamparados.

Hi JS, This is a very old thread (from ten years ago) and when this thread began there was a suggestion that it might be wiser, since nothing was really built there yet at that time that investigating some other developments which were actively building homes could be a wiser choice. If now, ten years later, there are still very few or no dwellings completed in this development it would still be wise to consider some other development that is active. Furthermore, a visit to this development would be useful especially if you could contact some to the homeowners in the development and

Jill, I'm not at all familiar with the area you're asking about, but I do have some thoughts about purchasing any real estate here in Costa Rica. First, come and see it with your own eyes. It's not just the property you're thinking of buying but also the adjacent ones that will impact upon your enjoyment. Then, if the area is acceptable to you, have your own attorney, not the seller's or the real estate agents', do a thorough job of researching the title to the property. Every parcel in Costa Rica is supposed to be registered in the National Registry. If it's not, back away quickly. Ther

Hello, I m interested in recent reveiws of Ventana del Pacifico, as I am considering purchasing a lot from them near Ojochal. Any experience you can share with me, good and bad? I visited Costa Rica in the late 80's and early 90's, and now my son is potentially going to be studying abroad there (environmental science) next year. I retired from a career with a conservation agency in the US and am interested in the right kind of area to build a small home. Thank you for any feedback you can provide. jill

Price reduced to $615.26.

Erin, any luck with your project ? I would like to know.

The single most interesting thing about newman's recent postings, aside from the fact that he has re-ignited the issue of having some substantiation for them, is the fact (and this is an indisputable fact) that the "total all out nuclear attack" he advocates being launched against China would likewise result in a total all out nuclear attack on the United States and the rest of the world. Should the U.S. launch newman's total all out nuclear attack on China, they would undoubtedly retaliate in kind and with equal devastation. That's the premise behind "mutual assured destruction" (you can

Anyone is free to believe whatever bizarre notion that pops into their heads. But if you post something, you presumably want others to share that belief. If the only basis for that belief is "because I think it's true" then you aren't going to persuade others to share it - so what's the point? As for the original post, yes, it's true that the US State Department is aiding Americans abroad in getting back to the US - but only because so many flights have been canceled since the pandemic surfaced that many are having a hard time getting home. The State Department did the same thing after Se

Hi I agree that there is not 1 shred of fact in the conspiracy theory that China made this virus. If they did, then did they make all of the previous Viruses that have been spawned in China? Something must be done about china though, more strong sanctions from EVERY country in the world, only to be lifted when China can demonstate that they have stopped all the live torture and slaughter of dogs, cats, bats and who knows what else, in open markets. D

Perhaps we can't, but they ought to –and should– be required to substantiate what they report so that others who are interested can verify the information. PM ==

Suggesting in unsubstantiated fashion that China has committed an act of war by manufacturing a global virus and that they should be retalliated against with a nuclear attack is not sensible. Not sensible when that report has be shown by Snopes.com to be false. Spreading such unfounded concerns can only cause unnecessary panic in sectors of the public so should not be encouraged without verification from reliable sources. PM ==

You can't convince someone who believes in conspiracy theories that they are wrong. T