www.CostaRicaTicas.com

There are numerous threads on this topic and this thread has a different slant. To be short and to the point - I now qualify for residency through a first blood relative.

So, I'm not asking "how to qualify" but I'm asking "how to get it done fast and cheap."

Okay - I've been back and forth to migration a few times and I've read up quite a bit and talked to many people. I've tried running solo for while... got a copy of my birth cert, went and had my fingerprints taken for Costa Rica, currently sending my request for a criminal background check to my last residence in the US. THIS IS A BIG PAIN IN THE ASS FOR ME. I have the fingerprint cards for the FBI and Illinois here in CR and cannot find anyone who will take them for me!!!! The US embasssy won't. The same friggin' agency that took mine for the CR background check won't, because it is not their responsibility. Short of going to Office Depot and buying ink and doing it in my kitchen, I am lost here. Strange - I have a relative in Australia doing the same thing and she just walked into the local police station and got it down there. I tried that in Escazu and they looked at me like I was on crack.

What I'm hearing over and over again - I'm wasting my time doing this on my own. It will take twice as long and I will need an attorney in the end anyway. The newest nightmare I heard about was the need for a foreign consulate to certify all my paperwork from EEUU. Meaning a tico in the consulate in IL and NY need to certify all my docs from the US. What a nightmare!

I have one quote from a respected attorney and here it goes:

1. $1800 per person. $900 down and $900 upon completion. All expenses ($250 or so for stamps and bullshit) are paid by me - so in total about $2,000. They claim it will finish in about 4-8 months.

I'm waiting for another quote - and expect it would be at least twice as expensive.

I know guys on here have used ACRC (Bilko... chime in????) Is his a feasible alternative? How do I get started? What are the costs?

Thanks!!!

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http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

ARCR is considerably cheaper and probably a good place to start; but, in any case, you will probably have to do a lot of you own legwork.

When I got my residency in 2002, each required document (in my case, proof of lifetime retirement income, birth certificate and criminal record check) had to be authenticated and re-authenticated all the way up the ladder.

For example, I had to get a notarized copy of my Cook County birth certificate, then have that document authenticated by the Illinois Secretary of State's Office, have that in turn authenticated by the U.S. State Department and finally have the whole mess authenticated by the Costa Rican Consulate In D.C. (where I was living at the time).

Same with the proof of retirement income and criminal record check.

Since I lived within walking distance of the State Department, DC Metropolitan Police Headquarters, the FBI and the CR Consulate in DC. I was able to get all of this done within a little over a week on my own. The biggest delay being getting the birth certificate from Illinois.

I then brought the whole packet down to ARCR, paid them something like $400 and received permanent residency papers in about two months.

The fact that I had my packet all in order greatly facilitated things. It might be worth a trip to Chicago just to get the stuff together yourself rather than relying on lawyers or others to do the legwork.

I know that some of the procedures have changed since 2002, so ARCR would probably be a good place to get the latest information.

Good Luck

_________________
It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

I was referred to ARCR by someone else. I just got off the phone and received their quote.

Their price now is $1,600. $800 payable upfront and $800 in the end. This doesn't include expenses associated with stamps, shipping and all the other junk.

Based upon this - I'm siding with my attorney who works for a large and respected firm in San Jose that caters to mostly Americans.

Any other ideas?

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

Can you provide us with a CIPHER to decode your messages?

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

I used ARCR and it wasn't as much as it is now, apparently. There may be cheaper alternatives, I went with people who have done this countless times. It can be a hassle for some of the stuff if you aren't in the USA. If you want to msg me with any further questions, I will try to answer.

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

I have no personal experience with these folks, they came on the scene after I was granted residency, but they have received some very strong recommendations on the Yahoo group Costa Rica Living. They are a brother/sister team with one based in the States and the other in Costa Rica which seems to overcome a lot of problems in gathering the paperwork on both ends.

You might want to get a price quote from them.

http://www.residencyincostarica.com/

Good luck.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

A friend reported that he got his residency and some other work done in about 45 minutes (after he had his papers in order). The cost was $4000 and she walked him through to the head of every line they encountered.

I will get contact info if anyone would like.

_________________
"Your love gives me such a thrill
but your love don't pay my bills,
I NEED THE MONEY!" - John Lee Hooker

Disclaimer: The above is merely the opinion of the author unless specific scientific data is included.
Your mileage may vary. https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewto ... 978#206978

6 months No way. That was years ago. Time now is a year or more. My renewal was due in February 2008 and because of the backlog Migracion extended that until February 2009 and then gave me an appointment in February 2010.

No nothing about abogodo Mattey but to blame him for the time it took is blaming the wrong person. Migracion is the problem.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

The realistic attorneys have told me that it takes between 8 months (best case) and two years (worse case). That is, if everything is in order and there are no delays.

The biggest hurdle I see is not in CR, but in the US. I have to fly to two different big cities, get a background check in one, and get documents certified by the CR consulate in both.

My novia and I talked this morning and agreed, it might not even be worth the aggravation. If I'm legal to work in CR, I'm facing making 100x less than I can make in the US. In otherwords, I can work for about 2 months in the US and relax the rest of the year or work 40 hours a week in CR and work all year round. Screw that!!!!

I'm an independent consultant and choose when and where I want to work. We decided to worry about my residency, as it is convenient. I'm not busting my ass and flying all over the place, unless I can make money where I fly.

So, I will chose an attorney and pay the upfront fee. And, not stress out on this account...

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

Can somebody point out a chart of the advantages of residency vs. the other options? I can think of 2-3 but there may be advantages of permanent tourist status unknown to me too. Serious question here.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

There are lots of advantages if you are retired. There are many web sites that talk about this.

If you are not retired, I don't see nearly the advantages. If you need to work, with residency you can apply for a job at HP and make about the same amount that people make working the deep frier at McDonalds in the US. The highest salary that I've heard of is about $12k per year, other than working for a sports book. To get a legal job in CR is to work for peanuts.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

As a resident, you can apply for dual citizenship and vote for Laura Chinchilla.

Oh wait a minute, the waiting list for getting an appointment to take the citizenship test is 15 years.

_________________
It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

The advantages of residency, for me, are as follows:

1. I don't have to leave the country every 3 months for 72 hours. Even going very cheaply, this costs at least $100 a pop, but more likely 200 up. It is also rather boring, a waste of 3 days unless you want to spend a lot of money at some resort, which I don't.

2. I can join the CAJA. I get most of my medicine free along with doctor visits and if I need hospitalization it won't put me in the poor house.

3. I can just show my cedula to the cops and they leave me alone, no 'I can't read the passport stamp' bullshit. And yes, I have gotten to use this more than once.

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

Another advantage of residency (BTW, you are not entitled to vote unless you are a citizen): next time you fly in, look at the immigration line for nationals, it's at the extreme right and usually has 5 people waiting. If you're a resident, you'll be number 6. I like the fact that I don't have to exit every 90 days to get my tourist visa renewed. Another reason, less BS buying a gun. I'm going to check with my lawyer for the latest pricing, but last year it was a $500.00 legal fee to get pensionado residency using his office.