Everything You Need To Know About Moving To Costa Rica

If you want to create the life of your dreams in a Paradise-like country where the sun is always shining and you can spend your days swimming in the ocean then Costa Rica is what you want. It is a wonderful place and you should consider living here, as long as you are ready to deal with the rainstorms and give up on consumerism. However, sacrifices are worth it. Here is what you should know if you think about moving to Costa Rica.

The country will grant you a 90 day tourist visa

Even if you want to become a legal resident, you should still take advantage of the tourist visa. Foreigners are allowed to stay in the country for three months if they can prove they are tourists. The visa will be given to you for free at customs, but you should have a plane ticket or any type of evidence that will demonstrate that you will leave after 90 days. Visiting for a prolonged period of time is also a great way to see and the country

Many people take advantage of the tourist visa and they use it to live in Costa Rica almost permanently. All they have to do is go to a neighbor country for a few days (or even hours) and then return and receive a new tourist visa. This method is called Border Shuffle, but it is not completely legal, so if you decide to do this you should leave Costa Rica for longer periods of time, just to be safe.

Find a place to live

You are going to spend some time in Costa Rica you will need a place to stay. You can use a property management company to rent a house, but this can be expensive. Prices range from $350 $1,000 per month. You can consider buying a house if you have the resources.

Living there permanently

After visiting for a prolonged period of time you may decide to live there forever. And it is easy to understand why, Costa Rica is a beautiful country with an amazing community and you can easily be charmed by the ocean, the sea and the dance parties. Nonetheless, becoming a legal resident can be difficult and it takes time. Luckily, you can always get some help from expert citizenship programs such as CACitizenship.com. Specialists will make the residency process less complicated and it is nice to know you have someone who can guide you through this.

Learn the language

You will be surprised, but many expatriates living in Costa Rica do not know Spanish, even if they lived there for years. That is because English is spoken in most beach towns, especially in those where the locals have Afro-Caribbean English speaking roots. Nevertheless, you can get some lessons in order to learn the basic things. You will need Spanish, especially if you want to move there permanently and become part of the community.