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Hi Guys, I would like some advice on my potential move to costa rica. I am considering a job offer from a US based company that has an office in the Pavas district of san jose. I am still getting all the details but I will be paid in US dollars through the US office so it looks like I will have to leave the country every 90 days since I wont be an official resident.

I don't really see leaving the country every 90 days as an issue but every time I arrive back in Costa Rica do I have to have a pre booked flight that proves I will leave CR after 90 days? Does a bus ticket to Panama qualify? Can I just simply book a refundable ticket?

Are there any other issues that I am not thinking about? Any thoughts on if my local tico colleagues will look down on me or have the chance to rat me out if go through this avenue of employment?

I have been reading this site and other about apartment hunting and it seems the best advice is to stay in a short term hotel and then search out something more long term while I'm there.

Any thoughts on the Pavas district of San Jose? Is it a nice place to live?

Thanks! I know a lot of questions but any help would be appreciated.

From what you wrote it sounds like you are working for a company in the USA and consulting in Costa Rica. This should not pose problems. Pavas has its good and bad areas but within a few minutes of Pavas you have Romoser a higher end area where the US embassy is located. Before renting an apartment, I would stay in a hotel close to where you will be working. A weekly or monthly rate can usually be arranged and in the smaller hotels would probably be very reasonable.

As for having to leave the country, yes, technically you must leave every 90 days (if that is what they give you when you enter). And this is now where the problem lies. At the borders (Nicaragua or Panama) they can give you whatever number of days they feel like giving you at the moment. The more recent stamps in your passport, the fewer days has become the standard. They are cracking down on "perpetual tourists"!!! A friend of mine (who has moved back to the States because of this) was only here for about a year and the last time he re-entered from Nicaragua they only gave him 50 days and marked his passport for review the next time. I was only given 70 days the last time and told that the next time if I had not started the residency process I would only get 21 days. My residency application has been accepted and I no longer have to leave.

A bus ticket out of the country to Panama or Nicaragua will surfice. You can get a open-ended ticket from TicaBus for around $25-$30 (to Nicaragua) that is now only good for use at the border for a year. As for Panama, that country requires a ticket back to the country of residency. If that is the USA, you must have an airline ticket that is for a date within 90 days. Nicaragua does not require any kind of ticket out of the country (at least in probably 30 trips I have never been asked for a ticket out.).

You can book a refundable ticket out of CR or Panama also, but that ties up a lot of money (refundable tickets are much more expensive) and doing it several times might raise a "red flag" with the airlines.

Ticos: Some will look down on you just because you are not Tico - many (most) will not!! There is always the chance that someone might "rat you out" if you are working here illegally but I do not think it happens very often. If the place is checked and you are found to be working there without a permit you will be deported and not allowed back I the country. Most US companies seem to be able to get permits for their key employees.

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I would ask your company to sponsor you for a Temporary Residence visa or working permit. There are at least three classifications of temporary residence in the Costa Rican immigration code that probably cover your situation. I don't think I would live in Pavas, but, if you have a car, you will be just minutes away from suitable housing alternatives around Parque Sabana and Rohrmoser.

If this is a real job for a real company then they should apply for a work permit for you.

Working in CR on a tourist visa is a good way to get deported and banned from reentry.

If this company is not willing to get you a work permit then I would turn and run, not walk, the other way. They are trying to get around regulations and laws. What is next? Forgetting to pay you?

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

I think you are way overthinking things. All this should be provided by the company that you will be working for... the proper permits, visas, etc. There should even be recommended apartments.. maybe even subsisized.. However, since it sounds like you don't work for them currently, I would be very wary if they asked you to put up money of any kind.

Much good and useful advice in this thread. It's not that difficult for a company that has been setup legitimately to get a work permit for its transnational employees. There is actually a specific classification for this type of hire in the immigration law.

The upside is that you much prefer to pay just your normal FICA tax in the US and use the foreign earned income credit to get out of state and most federal income tax. The downside is that in Costa Rica the combined social security tax is 36 percent. You are normally much better off, getting paid stateside.

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What's your status in the US?

mh

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mh

What type of company asks their employees to break immigration law? If you get busted, you might spend some time detained before deportation.

A little background, I am Canadian and i was originally approached to work in this company's office in Florida however i recently learned they had an office in cr. I am still working it out but it looks like the job will involve me going back and forth between each office every couple of months. we are thinking i will start off on a tourist visa and reevaluate after six months and apply for something permanent. I am aware i dont have all the details i am just trying to get some intel while i am negotiating. Some of the points listed have been very helpful! I am almost positive i will be paid through the US office in US dollars which i am not sure raises red flags or not.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Dumb question but can an individual working in cr apply to be a resident while being paid in us dollars from a us company or is that what sponsoring is all about?

You can apply for temporary residency with the US-based company sponsoring you, and then after 3 years of temporary residency, I believe you can apply for permanent residency.

Thanks again for your thoughts! Long story short, I have decent offer on the table and I am pretty sure I am going to accept. They are setting me up with my apartment in either Rohrmoser or San Rafael Escazu. I don't have the exact address but the office is in the Pavas district. I definitely wont have a car so I am wondering just how close Rohrmoser or San Rafael Escazu actually is to Pavas. They are saying I can walk from Rohrmoser but will need to use public transportation for Escazu. How is the public transportation? Something I can rely to get to work each day no issues? Any opinions on each location?

edit. more details, office is located close to "oficinas administrativas de Pizza Hut" perhaps someone could suggest accommodations within a 30 minute walk to the area.

Thanks!

That is a commercial zone in Pavas and you can take the Interlinea bus line from Escazu. If you live in Rohrmoser, you can walk, but it could be a pretty long walk from some parts. You could technically live in Pavas, but understand that this is a middle-income neighborhood. There won't be too many gringos. Its kind of rough.

Concerning the company, can you just ask them to pay to your Canadian account until they get a work permit? If they can't get you a work permit, I wouldn't even think about it.

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