Stoic

FWIW, I don't think I ever brought up that PT in Costa Rica was something I would pursue. If I HAD to PT, there are other countries I would prefer to do that in. (probably less than 90 days from the move )

Thanks for the ideas. I'll give Charlie a call. Have never used Skype, but that's something we should start familiarizing ourselves with now. Yes, having a smaller dog might mean someone can fly down with her. We like SWA because it's cheap and we're based near Houston. I don't think SWA will let us bring a dog into the cabin on international, but it'd be worth paying a bit more to fly a more expensive airline to bring the dog. Maybe one of my parents can do that. We're excited. Probably will AirBNB for a few weeks while we check things out and settle on a long-term place.

Well, big delays in getting the house listed, but we're just a handful of days away. Have gotten rid of a lot of stuff! I have about 200# of books I want to bring down, but they don't have to all arrive at once. I'm hoping friends and family can bring them down bit by bit. Aside from the books and a bicycle I think we'll just be bringing what will fit in our checked bags : ) Then there's the issue of getting our dog in. She's about 14#. Just a ballpark, how much do you think it'll cost? She'll probably stay behind for a few weeks, and then maybe my parents can bring her down.

Hi Eleanor. The business ideas I am considering involve making a product in CR, or providing a service there, on the ground. Money tied up in the temp residency process (rentista) is money I cannot use in the business. By "residency" I mean formal residency recognized by the state. And my understanding is with temp residency I'd only be legally able to manage the business but couldn't really interact with the public. That would kill the deal. If I did not establish residency in CR, I would still need to establish it elsewhere. I want to leave the US, get another passport for me and my family, and never have to return. If CR residency is too big a deal, I'll get started with the process elsewhere. We will be moving to CR this summer, and we will be spending a lot of time there for the next couple of years. There is a lot of family to see, and my wife is not comfortable with our moving to a country where we do not have relatives close by, not with our boys still being young. Leaving every 90 days for a while will be a hassle, but I'm sure she will want to go back to the US once in a while anyways, and I'll want to fly out of CR for bird hunting trips. I'll be going to CR to speak with people about my residency options. There are questions I'd prefer to have answered face to face. My wife and I do not have government docs stating we are married, so I want to know the best way to go about satisfying those requirements. As far as showing means of supporting myself, I want to get specific answers on how to satisfy those requirements. In my particular case, I lived in CR for some years when I was a child. I have old passports stamped, and preschool photos and documents, so will those count towards "time in residence"? Is it cut and dried, or is there some level of bureaucratic discretion there? What documents will I need to get from my Costa Rican father? These are all things I want to get answers to face to face, so I can come back to the US and get what I need together. Are there documents in CR that will help my case (ER visits, baptism, first communion, etc), in which case I may not need to go through the time and expense of getting some docs in the US? Via Southwest Air I can roundtrip for under $50, the flight is about 3 hrs each way, I can bring some household items in, and I can stay with relatives for whatever handful of days I'd be there, so cost is pretty low. And I might want to check out a few places to live before bringing the family in.

House will be up for sale in a couple of weeks. We're boxing up things that will be going to Costa Rica eventually. Not too much stuff. We should be moving in July. I decided there's no big rush to get residency started. If we have to go Rentista, we won't have enough money to begin setting up a homestead, and running a business there will be too complicated..... at least for 4+ years. If that's the case, we may just live in CR for a year or two, while establishing residency elsewhere. If I can go Vinculo, we can get to work : ) I will be flying in to CR after our US home sells (hopefully before June) to look for a place to live short-term, and to get a better idea of residency options.

Congrats on the progress you've made paying down the debt!

Got started this month on getting the U.S.A. house ready for sale Won't be up for sale for several months, but this is when the move starts to seem more real! I might head to CR later in the year to touch base with contacts and decide how I want to proceed with foreign residency applications.

I live in Houston. I've spent time in other parts of the USA, and it is just way more hot and humid here than just about anywhere else in the States. I have been to CR, though. My grandparents lived in Santo Domingo and I spent a little time there. No, I wouldn't even TRY to do San Jose. Guanacaste is very nice, but it's low on the list mostly because of the heat. I don't want the city, but we'll probably be in Heredia in the beginning just because it will likely be a less bumpy place to start. I laid out some of the positive things earlier, because I was asked what I hoped to get from the move, or something along those lines. If Eleanor had asked what I thought the challenges or dislikes would be, I would have had a long list.

STILL a lot easier and safer than the move my ancestors made when they left their respective home countries

Well, I've had to learn what the laws are here in regards to schooling. And I'll learn what they are in CR as well. I discovered that what MANY people here in TX think is law is often wrong, and I expect that will be as much or more the case in CR. That said, I also know that here in the US you can follow their rules and still get harassed, so I don't expect CR will be much different. eleanor, I haven't glossed over what you say. In fact, yesterday I poked around the site a bit and read posts you made, and I figure you're someone I should hear out on a few things. T&M. Yes, we won't cross any lines.

I've yet to read the actual forced-schooling legislation. For me that bridge is still way up the road. If someone has links (to the legislation that is) that could be a helpful thread.

Thank you very much. Yes, remote work, not-school, that's us. I look forward to your input over the next few months.

Ha, I wouldn't be too keen on paying 35% of $2500/mo for 3 years. Eleanor, I feel like I have to leave the U.S., for many reasons. And I need my boys to be out. I won't go into any of those reasons here. SO, given that we're leaving, there are things about CR that appeal to me. 1 is proximity to the U.S. My wife will want to go back to visit or if there's something she needs to attend to. It's close enough and flights are cheap enough that friends and family will come visit us. And we'll have business ties. I want my sons to be fluent in Spanish, and immersion would be the best way IMO. I also think I could round out my Spanish pretty quickly. I have lots of family in CR and it would be very nice to get to know them better. Plus other opportunities that would present. I want my sons to experience cultural differences, and to learn to adapt to changes. I grew up on Tico food, and love it The climate, at least in many places Diversifying ourselves socially and economically. Perhaps a good path to citizenship. Lots of other reasons, too. We're making the move next year. How about you Eleanor? What is it about Costa Rica that you find appealing? What activities/experiences do you enjoy that you did not where you were?

Just want to say thanks again to everyone for the insights and things to consider. I just poked around the forums some and there's so much good info. I probably ought to take some notes.

The $60k / $2500-mo option is on the table and in fact it's the most likely path we'll take, but then it's still just temp residency for 3+ years, and possibly has us paying more into CAJA than might make sense for us (maybe, but I need to get firm numbers). Plus it would be a lot of money for us. My father is a CR citizen by birth. I have a US birth certificate, and my parents never registered me even though I did go through preschool in CR, and I'm now far beyond the 25-yr-old cutoff, so I can't go the easy route. It looks to ME like I might be able to go through the Vinculo process. There's a naturalization option for people in my situation, I just have to find out what exactly I need to do. That's something I'll do in the next few months. Yes, PT isn't my preference. There are other places I could go and get residence and eventually citizenship, but we want to plug into community in CR and not be on the fence for years.