By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Until 2018, the immigration (residency) process was relatively straightforward. Even though the DGME (Immigration) mandate was to process correctly prepared and submitted applications in 90 days, they went past that deadline. Still, my application approvals (and that of other competent service providers) averaged 4 to 7 months. Then came the crisis in Venezuela and Nicaragua (not a coincidence). Through its agreement with the U.N., Costa Rica was obligated to take in many refugees that it could ill afford. This overwhelmed the already faltering ..read more

By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Elections in the home countries of the U.S., Canada, and E.U. (and other countries) have been painfully divisive affairs these past decades as the social engineers behind the curtain pull on the levers of influence. As such, many of us are tempted to avoid the subject. We are either preaching to the choir or engaged in hostile exchanges with those of contrary opinions and completely closed to other points of view. So for the sake of peace, we remain mute. But the freedom to vote was hard-won with the blood of patriots... The post How the Presid ..read more

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rodolfo Solano, presented the US Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day with the award of the “Juan Mora Fernandez National Order in the level of Great Cross of Silver Plate” in honor of the conclusion of her diplomatic mission in Costa Rica. The ceremony was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the presence of President Carlos Alvarado. Chancellor Solano expressed his recognition to the work done by Ambassador Day which contributed significantly to the strengthening of bilateral relations of cooperation as well as economic and cultural exchanges between th ..read more

President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, exercised his right to veto a bill and said No once again to the practice of trawling. Alvarado gave a total veto to the bill, he explained that the analysis carried out to this date have not provided sufficient scientific elements and technical studies to guarantee the sustainability of the technique described in the bill. “For this reason and exercising my constitutional power and my duty to promote common wellness and ensuring the balance of the productive activity and the sustainability…” expressed Alvarado and he continued, “ with the available el ..read more

The practice of trawling in Costa Rica has been a topic of discussion for several years, and since 2013 the Constitutional Chamber had forbidden the renovation or emission of new trawling permits due to the environmental damages this practice causes. There are currently no valid licenses for trawling. However, the topic was brought back to life this past few days when 28 members of Congress approved the bill that would reactivate the issuing of said licenses for semi-industrial vessels. Today, the bill is being sent to the Presidency and Carlos Alvarado will have 10 days to decide if he exerci ..read more

Different Unions in Costa Rica have announced they will be protests in different areas of the country starting at 8 a.m. this Monday, October 19. This is part of what has been called a “national strike”, a movement that is trying to pressure the government to go back in their plan of creating more taxes, they are also protesting against the initiative of eliminating salary incentives for two years to employees of the public sector and the plan to reorganize the public sector. One of the biggest groups is expected to gather in La Sabana and walk towards the Legislative... The post Unions in Cos ..read more

The US Embassy in Costa Rica has the following message for US Citizens in Costa Rica that wish to submit their vote for the upcoming elections in the USA: If you plan to vote in the November 2020 election it is important to ACT NOW! Don’t wait, return your voted ballot right away! Remember U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places; same-day in-person voting is not available outside the United States – but you can get assistance in requesting and returning your absentee ballot. Many states require voted ballots to reach local election officials by the close of polls... The post US Em ..read more

The Government of Costa Rica presented this Thursday to the Legislative Assembly the proposal (Plan to overcome the fiscal impact of the pandemic) to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new loan of $1.750 Billion. “We need to maintain economic stability and activate employment to improve the situation in the country generated by COVID-19. If we do not act, the risk is in the high interest rates, devaluation, more unemployment, and poverty, which would affect everybody and in particular those with less resources. For this reason, we need to act and do it fast, the delay on this ..read more

Over 5,800 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first half of 2020, compared to 2,072 Americans who renounced their citizenship in ALL of 2019. How many of them are heading to Costa Rica? Why did they decide to leave? CNN, Newsweek, NY Times and Fortune Magazine have all reported recently that Americans seem to be leaving the US in droves. Many are permanently giving up their citizenship, and paying for the legal and immigration help to do so, plus the $2,350 government fee to complete the transaction. Explains Alistair Bambridge of Bambridge Accountants, who specialize in expat accounti ..read more

(Photo: Archive) Back on May 16 the Costa Rican Government announced its decision to limit the entry of foreign cargo drivers to the country with the purpose of preventing borders from eventually becoming an area of transmission of Covid-19. Before this Presidential decree Costa Rica was testing all cargo drivers for Covid-19 before entering the country, situation that was causing delays with cargo (getting the results could take up to 48 hours)and also causing problems for drivers that tested positive and had to be denied entry to the country. According to the Ministry of Health in the few da ..read more