Flyboy wrote:
ID a while back you were so kind to remind me the difference between north and south. Let me take this opportunity to inform you and the poster that with a $200,000 purchase in a CR home, one may qualify for one type of residency. $2000,000 is not required for a home purchase.
You may be correct. However, the two residency websites referenced in this thread BOTH advise that the minimum amount necessary to qualify for Investor residency is $200,000 as does Costa Rica Law.com. Perhaps they are all mistaken but I think not,
http://www.residencyincostarica.com/Quote:
Inversionista – Investment Amount (important changes)
The investment made must have a registered or verifiable value of at least US$200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand dollars).
Type of investments: The investment can be made in any type of business, commercial real estate; and (new) non-commercial real estate.
Non-Commercial Real Estate (new): This type of investment can include the purchase price of a home in Costa Rica, and the purchase of land to be preserved for ecological, environmental or watershed preservation purposes.
Return of the Tree Farm Investment (reinstated): The 2012 Reglamento allows an investor to make an investment of at least US$100,000 in a qualified Forestry Plantation project. Typically, the investment is made in a Teak, or similar genus, farm.
http://www.arcr.net/residencyincostarica.htmlQuote:
Investor
• Investment of US$200,000 in a business or property.
• Must remain in country at least 6 months per year.
• Can claim spouse and dependants under 18 years of age.
• Income allowed from the project.
• Can own a company and receive dividends.
Then there is this this from
http://www.costaricalaw.comQuote:
Investor Residency Status – Guidelines and Procedures Explained.
The Costa Rican Immigration Law which was passed in March of 2010 created the immigration category of Investor. However the law lacked any guidance or direction regarding the type of investment required to qualify for this residency category. As such the most asked question we would receive was related to the purchase of real estate in Costa Rica and if that purchase would qualify the Buyer for investor status. Our answer was always “maybeâ€. The reason for that was that there were no clear guidelines issued by Immigration. This is about to change. On January 28th, 2011 the Department of Immigration published 366 pages of the proposed Regulations to the Immigration Law. Once the Public Comment period is over these regulations should become official and then implemented internally within the Department of Immigration.
These new regulations provide guidelines and requirements that must be met for those purchasing property or investing in Costa Rica that want to apply for investor status. The exact wording of the regulation which is Article 63 states that:
The applicant for the temporary residency category of investor must present an investment project of at least two hundred thousand dollars [US$200,000]. The investment can be in real estate, stock shares, negotiable instruments, productive projects or projects that are in the national interest. ““
The Regulations specify the documentation that will be required to prove the investment. The applicant must provide a detailed description of the investment that is being made. If the investment is made in real estate then the applicant must present a certificate of title issued by the National Registry of the property that will be the basis for the application. The regulations also require the applicant, once approved, to register the investment with the Costa Rican Department of Revenue before they will be allowed to renew the status. The residency status must be renewed every two years. However, the law allows an applicant to change status from Temporary to Permanent Residency after three years. As such you should be able to renew once and then before the next renewal apply for a change of status to permanent residency. Now here is the catch. The property taxes for the home will be based on the registered value of $200,000 or more if the recorded value is higher which may in turn also subject the property to imposition of the Luxury Home Tax which has a threshold of $175,000.
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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
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They also have a knack for telling you what you want to hear so they can collect a fee. 
Get a few opinions maybe one of them will have the correct info. 
