www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Expats risk half their assets with lengthy love nest
By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

This is how to trap an expat into marriage, a big payoff or a lifetime of alimony payments. It is not just a woman’s guide, but as public service to men and even expat women to save them from themselves in Costa Rica.

Many men come here to play around with women. Many of them are married in their home country, and they come here because playful women are plentiful and they seriously believe their wives will not catch them. Others are here because no other women will have them. A smaller number of women are in the same categories, but the sex most affected is male.

In Costa Rica, the one-sided laws favoring women get men into trouble and they usually do not even know they are in trouble until it is way too late.

“Some women swindle with domestic violence law” and “Judges are a girl's best friend when extortion's afoot,” cover some of the ramifications of living with a woman in Costa Rica.

However, many have asked what constitutes a legal marriage in this country when two people live together. The answer is a surprise and so are the repercussions:

Here are two phrases every expat should know. “Union libre” means living together. In the 1960s it was called “living in sin.” Today such a state is called “committed relationship of mutual interdependence.” Costa Rica law upgrades two persons living together for three years to a “union de hecho” or union in fact. This means they are living together as if they were a married couple.

In some parts of the United States, living in a committed relationship of mutual interdependence for six months designates two people as domestic partners.

In Costa Rica, if two people live together for two years where one is 100 percent dependent on the other, the law states the dependant has rights to some type of financial support after a breakup. This has been true for some time, and many people do not know it. Constitutional Vote 0346-94 overturned as unconstitutional Article 49 of the Rules for Disability, Old Age and Death where Ch*ldren were a prerequisite for one party to obtain benefits and rights in a relationship of less than three years. Now offspring are not necessary.

In other words, expats who pay for their partner's every whim are making a big mistake. Paying for everything makes the other member of the relationship a dependent, and the fine line between “union libre” and “union de hecho” narrows dramatically.

Girlfriends living as a dependent or past the magic threshold of three years of living in “union libre” can file a simple court case against their boyfriend to have the court determine them legally married. Once the case is decided, the woman can ask the court to validate their right to their mate’s assets. The rule of thumb is a 50-50 split of everything they can get their hands on or know about. If the man disagrees, the court will auction off everything and split up the dough.

The dependent partner can file an action up to two years after a breakup.

Some expats believe they are safe if they do not cross the three-year mark and they can do

tied up and branded

anything they wish. This is not true at all. They are damned from the outset in Costa Rica with many different laws a woman can use to hog tie a man and skin him financially.

What is really scary, and expat men need to listen up to save themselves from a big faux pas, the domestic violence law makes no distinction between “union libre,” or “union de hecho.” The law just refers to a relationship — any relationship no matter how short.

Gay activists in Costa Rica are petitioning the legislature to revalue the whole law regarding “union de hecho.” They want the time reduced dramatically in determining domestic partnerships following the examples of the United States and other parts of the world.

Instead of living together without a plan and eventual getting skinned, expats in Costa Rica could follow a new plan: They could exercise a little discipline in a relationship. And it would not be a bad idea to keep quiet about major assets outside the country.

If a man insists on getting romantically involved with a woman in Costa Rica, it is better to date someone with her own life and a real income — the emphasis here is on “real” — than a person that will be totally dependent. And those wealthy expat women who find Costa Rican boyfriends should also follow this rule.

An expat should wait a prudent time before
thinking of marriage or moving in with a partner. Before marriage, an expat should sit down with a legal professional and draw up a prenuptial agreement with the proposed partner to protect assets.

Article 37 of the Family Law 5476 regulates these agreements between men and women in this country. Preparing a prenuptial agreement is done before or during a marriage outlining the distribution of past, current and future assets of the parties to the marriage.

Good read. I have known many residents who tell me everytime the brings a chica back to his big house, not only do they want to move in, but the Tica wants to move her family in as well. He even made the mistake of falling for some sob story and let the Tica, her mother K*ds, and Tia move in. It was supposed to be for 1 week, lasted 3 weeks. Luckily, he had a nice guest room, but we you know thsaying, "Guests are like fish, after 3 days they stink!"

Also, lookout for the Tico boyfriend furniture scam. She moves in, they buy brand new furniture, and the Tico boyfriend comes in cleans the place out with a well placed "misplaced" key, or a story that the gringo beats her, giving her the house. And it is true, they know how to get around the 3 year benchmark. As for my friend, he now will no longer allow a chica to stay more than 3 days. By the way, you ought to see this house. hell, I wanted to stay there.

PURA VIDA!

_________________
Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

Could you imagine one of these girls going after your real estate or financial assets outside the country and the CR courts going along with it? Wow, that's robbery.

Headline... gringo hires female thugs to kick the living shit out of the said offender..... All these weak guys being scammed by chicas make us all look bad.

Not that I am contemplating marriage, but does anyone know about prenups here and/or a "partner agreement" for live-in Novias?


I have never heard anything definitive on this.

BKTUNA
I am never going home

Sounds like a DR hooker to me

During my JUNE/JULY 2007 trip to CR, one of my regular chicas suggested we get married when I returned for my JAN/FEB 2008 trip. The worse thought that came to mind was.......I wasn't for certain that she even knew my name.

Needless to say....it didn't happen.

Zebra

Sounds like the "Gringo-hater" that writes the "family laws" is a puta or atleast has a few in the family.

_________________
"With foxes, we must play the fox." ~ Thomas Fuller

I don't know about that. Man hater, maybe. Gringo hater? I'm willing to bet that this law is being enforced probably 10 or 100 times as much on ticos, as opposed to gringos. Whoever makes those laws is probably trying to target all the ticos that knock some girl up and ditch her. The irony is that probably the biggest tico offenders don't have shit to take in the first place.

The fact is that a lot of ticas out there are stupid when it comes to men. The same tica who will only do a CBJ with a gringo and knows how to pull his heart strings so that he is sending money every month is probably letting some random, no job having, tico Phuck her bareback after a little bit of sweet talk. This certainly isn't limited to ticos and ticas. You can find them in any city and town in America.

While I don't think this law/set of laws is targeted at Gringos, I think it is much more dangerous to us than Ticos simply because lots of Ticos have little to contribute and aren't worth chasing for support. I can't tell you how many times I have talked to working girls who have several K*ds and receive no support whatever from any of the fathers (yes, usually more than one) of their chiquitos. Gringos, on the other hand, usually have enough assets and/or income to make us worth taking to court.

_________________
"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I would be interested in that "partner agreement" also, not that I have any intention of getting one anytime soon, but it's something to keep in the back of ones mind. Of course all the Tica has to do is claim abuse and your out on your ass. VB seems to have the right approach, keep them only for a few hours at a time.
ShyOne

Hide all your assets; have more than one bank account and have them in different banks; do NOT give the novia any safe deposit box keys and in fact do NOT mention you might have one. Keep money in a foreign country and, at all times, keep your hands in your pockets and get ready to meet every tom, dick,and harry who shall be passed off as a relative. Be certain to be "culturally sensitive"....that's more important than staying solvent.....

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

[quote="Counte Dante"

The same tica who will only do a CBJ with a gringo and knows how to pull his heart strings so that he is sending money every month is probably letting some random, no job having, tico Phuck her bareback after a little bit of sweet talk. This certainly isn't limited to ticos and ticas. You can find them in any city and town in America.[/quote]

One of my favoritas admitted that she barebacks ticos only while gringos always have to cover up.

I doubt that a CR court could touch any assets in a Canadian or American bank. I have been wrong before though.

_________________
The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

I do not know the answer but wold be hesistant, Devo, to make your assumption. At the very least, if you are an American citizen, I would believe she would have standing to bring an action. South FLorida family courts are full of tales of wealthy Central American husbands and their antics with grinaga spouses (not to diss Central Americans but one Palm Beach County case stands out that was reported on extensively in the PB Post). Your "novia" gets up with dougpi and he fines her a hustler atty in Miami, defending such nonsense in the courts here in Fla (assuming you had some assets) could be a huge financial drain, even if you prevail. And you have no recourse to tax her for fees, as she has nothing and would be judgment proof.
So, respectfully, if you boys want long term, live-in novias down there and have $ or assets here in the states or anywhere, I would suggest a consulation (which won't be complementary) with a highly competent attorney in the fields/jurisdictions encompassed. You know that quote about an ounce of prevention
Of course, YMMV and best of luck to ya.