By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica The Pandemic situation has some of you intrepid types thinking about a more tranquil, warm, and safe country in which to live. As one who once immigrated abroad with a toddler in tow, I understand the burning need for realistic and meaningful information. Hopefully, this will help you move beyond dreams into action. Costa Rica boasts a very low...

By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Well, no big surprise here, but never the less frustrating and stressful. The line in the sand just got moved again. The Department of Immigration has long been scheduled to open this coming Monday, May 18. But the news today is that the "Open to the public and legal representatives" date has now been moved way out to July 18. Obviously, anyo...

By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Based on many recent communications from clients stuck outside or inside Costa Rica, it seems that the most common ailment out there is Cabin Fever. The #1 request is about the lifting of travel restrictions in or out of Costa Rica. It is interesting and very telling that those “stuck” in Costa Rica seem more comfortable with that situation than...

All corporations and limited liability companies in Costa Rica are required to have legal books. Corporations or SAs are required to have three books as follows: 1. General Assembly to keep the minutes of shareholder meetings, including all decisions to amend the original articles of incorporation by changing the corporate structure, legal address, raising capital stock, granting powers of attorne...

Family-owned franchisee brings the “Original New York Pizza” to Costa Rica, opens two stores. San José, Costa Rica. The Sbarro brand, located in more than 28 countries all around world, opened its first two stores in the country October & December, respectively, of 2019. The “Original New York Pizza” brings the flavor of a globally known brand for New York Style XL slices, along with an Ita...

Location: Costa Rica Press Release — Level 4: Do Not Travel The U.S. Embassy in San Jose and the U.S. State Department have coordinated with United Airlines to offer a commercial flight from Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica to Houston, Texas (IAH) on Monday, April 20. The flight will depart SJO at 12:00 pm and arrive at IAH at 4:46 pm. This flight is open to public booking; y...

By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Over the past ten years, there have been many exchanges between myself and clients or would-be clients about the advantages of living in Costa Rica vs other so-called popular countries recommended by such sources as International Living. The list includes but is not limited to Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay. Inquirer...

During almost a year, Diverse Weddings, an LGBTQ+ destination wedding business, has waited for May 26th 2020, the day that same sex couples will be able to celebrate love and a historic moment for Costa Rica! Nowadays, we´re facing an unprecedented global health emergency due to Coronavirus Covid-19, with borders closed and an unforeseen impact in Costa Rica´s tourism industry. Diverse Weddings ...

PRESS RELEASE : April 8th 2020, San Jose Costa Rica  Unfortunately the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to take many precious lives. The resulting economic fallout is negatively impacting businesses worldwide – in a truly unprecedented way. As the largest English newspaper in Costa Rica, The Costa Rica Star has long been an industry leader in providing reliable, quality news and informati...

UPDATED April 9th 2020 Since the March 24th article about residencies being revoked for ex-pats leaving Costa Rica,  there still seems to be confusion and understandable anger over this temporary edict. This tough measure was primarily directed at Nicaraguans heading home to Nicaragua for their annual celebration of Semana Santa (Easter Week) – a week early. There were also a significant number...

You’ve chosen to live in Costa Rica for many good reasons, not the least of which being the breathtaking beauty, amazing weather and an idyllic life measurably better than the one you left behind. By now, you have also heard a common refrain from your realtor or other engaged professionals, neighbors, or experienced ex-pats here in Costa Rica: Get your residency! Why? There simply is no othe...

By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Since 2017, the quality of service from the DGME has steadily deteriorated. Ironically, with the Immigration front gates closed to the public last week until May 18th, things might improve. Up to the end of 2017, and sporadically to the middle of 2018, my submitted residency applications were getting approved in 5 to 8 months on average, depe...

Video Credit and thanks to Adam Baker and Namu Travel Group. ***Repost from the President of Costa Rica*** We all know that small businesses, restaurants, workers in the service industry, etc. have been affected economically by covid-19. The entire travel industry; airlines, hotels, tour companies, travel agencies, entire countries, and everyone in between were immediately impacted by cov...

Location: Costa Rica Event: Update on COVID 19 Situation in Costa Rica The Costa Rican Ministry of Health confirmed 87 cases of COVID-19 in Costa Rica. The government of Costa Rica has implemented enhanced screening and quarantine measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice. U.S. cit...

First the US elevates the travel alert due to security concerns and now Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has downgraded the Government of Costa Rica's long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings to B2 from B1 and changed its rating outlook to stable from negative. The key drivers for today's downgrade are as follows: 1. High fiscal deficits leading to an upward trend in debt met...

As the old saying goes, you don’t get to choose your family. Only your friends. And your pets. One of the perks of moving to Costa Rica is distance from certain family – or ex-family - you just as soon never see again. Good friends on the other hand will be difficult separate from. But the beloved pets? They get to come along. Based on the frequency and intensity of questions to residency ex...

This is the third installment of The Costa Rica Star’s exclusives six part original series of the upcoming book, “Drug Diva”, by Carol Vaughn the story of one of Central America’s fiercest female narco-traffickers, Cristel Gomez Espinoza. You can read our previous published first installment here and the second installment here. It is well known how dangerous La Reina del Sur de Costa Rica is –...

When we reached out to residency specialist Laura B. Gutiérrez of Immigration Help CR, she told us there is often confusion about children of ex-pats in Costa Rica and the need for them to have residency. While strictly optional for any dependent child under age 18, it is advisable for them to apply for and obtain residency at the same time as the parents. The procedures and required documentat...

Do you feel that your organization needs to be more innovative? Are you facing challenges that are not easily addressed through conventional problem-solving approaches? Are you finding that planning for the future, both personally and professionally, is more complex than before? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider approaching your professional and personal...

A significant number of ex-pats have lived in Costa Rica for many years. But for various reasons, they have put off getting their residency. Others have just arrived or will be very soon. For some, here is the big, save-a-buck question: Can I apply for Costa Rica Residency on my own? The short answer is yes. But likely not a very good idea. It is similar to filling out your tax returns. Most...

We will assume that the readers of this article are conscientious individuals who have come to the realization that life in Costa Rica is best lived as a legal resident. You have also read previous articles about the folly of perpetual tourism. (Border runs as a way of living under the radar.) It also assumes 95% of you will be from the U.S., Canada, or the E.U. This article covers the four mos...

Costa Rica Residency for Expats 101: Most Costa Rica residency applicants start off surfing the net for any articles they can find on the subject, particularly on Google where most of the results stem from sites with paid ads. Once devouring that information, some, unfortunately, think it safe to go it alone. If they speak Spanish, they currently have a 20% chance of success accompanied by off ...

To run or not to run that is the question: Border Running is the practice of traveling to either the Panama or Nicaragua border for the sole purpose of obtaining a new 90 visa stamp on one's passport as an economical alternative to returning to one's home country for the same reason. In and out and back to Costa Rica within 60 – 90 minutes. (Those who specifically go to shop for cheap goods, mu...

This past spring, there was a lot of anxiety swirling about the ex-pat community in Costa Rica over vaccines in relation to residency in Costa Rica. It all started with an article in a major Spanish national news outlet and echoed into other minor publications and blogs. The Costa Rica Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) and Ministry of Immigration (General de Migración y Extranjería – DGMIE)...

In his Costa Rica Star column of March, 25, Britt Nelson claimed Special Counsel Robert Mueller had “vindicated” Donald Trump and concluded that there was no “collusion” between members of the Trump campaign and agents of the Russian government. I re-read Britt Nelson’s column in the wake of Robert Mueller’s public statements on May, 29, and could only wonder how Mr. Nelson could have come to s...

Three or four years ago, I wrote a column for Gloucester Daily Times here in Massachusetts in which I described the sordid, bipartisan, history of the United States’ involvement in Latin America generally, and Central America specifically. (Central American Triangle) That letter predated Donald Trump’s election and included some pretty harsh criticisms of administrations of both parties. From  ...

You can only snicker when commenters on The Costa Rica Star state that ‘opinions’ on American politics have no business being carried as newsworthy to those in Tico land. Sorry folks, but what happens in Costa Rica’s biggest trading partner can not only affect the lives of its citizens and residents but it's future wellbeing…BIG time. We will try and make a complex subject simple. People are se...

When dining out in Costa Rica knowing where to go is important. Let me take the guess work out for you. Nestled on the main strip in Manuel Antonio (Waze) with a menu fueled from inspiration culled from the coasts of Thailand - Samui Thai Restaurant is one you most definitely want to visit. The indoor/outdoor venue features a retro-chic aesthetic, decked out with wooden accents, industrial ceiling...

By John McPhaul President Donald Trump has declared that the United States has an emergency on its southern border. In response to the emergency, one of the president's tactics has been to cut off humanitarian and development assistance to the so-called northern triangle -- Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador -- alleging that the counties have done nothing to with the assistance to stem the ...

By John McPhaul All the elements of a development of hydrogen energy in Costa Rica to power public transportation, trucks and even part of the electric energy grid have been invented and are proven technologies, now all that is missing is putting the elements together to sizably reduce Costa Rica’s carbon footprint, said Juan del Valle Gamboa, Director of Operations for Ad Astra, the Costa Rica...

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Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica (April 5, 2019)                                            Crazy Jungle Love, the shocking tale of love and despair based on the true story of American millionaire John Felix Bender’s exploits in the jungles of Costa Rica, is now available on Amazon and Kindle. Written by journalist Carol Blair Vaughn, Crazy Jungle Love makes use of Vaughn’s intimate knowledge of La...

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