Will Citizenship Add Coolness to My Already Astonishing Life in Costa Rica?

I've been arguing with myself for over a year about pursuing citizenship here in Costa Rica. I've put in the time, which is 7 years, why not get something for it?

 

There are a lot of benefits, such as drastically lower health ins. premiums (like so low they fall into my budgetary noise), a free 10-year cedula, easier banking, ability to leave CR and return at will and return of my $200 residency security deposit.

I've also been told by those who have gone this path before that many everyday transactions that involve use of ID become somehow easier because you are no longer a foreign contaminant in the eyes of Ticos, especially those that control various process gateways. Doors open that swung with difficulty before and the wheels of bureaucracy in general suddenly present less friction if you are perceived as "normal." Those benefits are rather intangible to me at the moment.

And, of course, one mustn't overly discount the "coolness" factor of having dual citizenship and that inoffensive passport when visiting certain places disagreeable to the latest U.S. meddling around the world.

One drawback that I was hung up on for a while was the name change thing.

Eliminating the Worry of Shipping Your Car to Costa Rica

Are ready for an extended stay or retirement to the Land of Eternal Spring and have already decided you prefer to enjoy the freedom and convenience of driving your own vehicle while living in Costa Rica?

Buy a Car Inside Costa Rica or Bring Your Own?

Always check the tire quality!

We'll assume you already hashed out the pros and cons of vehicle ownership in Costa Rica. The next question is whether it’s wiser to buy a vehicle in-country or ship your current vehicle from North America. From my experience, if I had to do it over again, I’d bring in my own car without hesitation.

Why? Well, if you add up all the costs including shipping and import fees, you probably come out about even, but you’ll have one overriding advantage, which is complete confidence in your vehicle. That is something not available when purchasing a used car in Costa Rica.

Getting Your Driver's License in Costa Rica - New rule

If you stay more than 90 days in Costa Rica (and drive), you are required to get a Costa Rican driver’s license. I’m sure there are lots of folks who will tell you that they have been in Costa Rica for years and never bothered to get a Tico license, or that you don’t need one if you have one of those international licenses. Could be, but I’m just telling you what the law says here.

** Update Feb 2014: Since sometime last year, only citizens and approved residents (versus in-process residents) can obtain a CR driving license. If you have applied for residency, but not yet received your cédula, and you want to drive in Costa Rica, then you will have to leave the country when your visa expires (usually 90 days) in order to keep using your home country license. **

If you’re a foreigner, then the first time you get your Costa Rica license you have to travel to La Uruca in San Jose to visit the main COSEVI office (COSEVI = DMV). Renewals you can do in your local COSEVI office next time.

So, Tamara and I got our docs together and made the trip up to the Uruca office this week. I was prepped by a friend of ours down here to be ready for confusion and long waits in line. We risked getting kicked back to the penalty box if we were missing a document or something.

In reality, it was a relative breeze, and we were both out of there with our shiny new licenses in under an hour and a half. We couldn’t have done it so quickly without the expert help of the gun-carrying guard at the front door who spoke fluent English. He kept us on track as we entered the system and in fact, he was really the uber-organizer of the whole place. The rest of the staff was equally pleasant and helpful.

Driving Habits in Costa Rica - Play a Strong Defense

This article just came out on Inside Costa Rica:

¢250.000 Bought A Drivers License in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has some pretty bad drivers. And though most know pretty much why, Judicial officials confirmed it yesterday with a raid on the licensing offices of the MOPT, where they confiscated documents that will assist their investigation into the purchase and sale of drivers licenses.

The article strongly implies that because many skirted around their driving exams that that explains the poor driving here. The rest of the article is about how OIJ (oh-ee-hota, CR's version of the FBI) is busting public officials who took bribes to issue those licenses. 

I don't refute the idea that driver's licenses are up for sale. Last year, OIJ busted several "hawks" and employees of COSEVI right here in Pérez Zeledón who were greasing the way through license acquisition. Those who bought their license (I believe it's a minority) are likely to make poor drivers, yes, especially given their exceptional disrespect for the rules. Personally, however, I find it difficult to attribute the widespread lack of good driving skills in Costa Rica to a lack of valid licenses. Allow me to speculate as to the real reason you need to have honed defensive skills plus some risky willingness to participate in the "dance" they call driving here in Costa Rica.