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.

Costa Rica Cedula Renewal the Second Time Around - A Pleasant Surprise

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Sometime around the end of 2013, I started to faintly hear a giant sucking sound, which I soon identified as an impending residency cedula renewal event fast approaching. 

That giant sucking sound of cedula renewal

If you've followed this blog for long, you may recall that we had completed our first renewal the middle of last summer, which makes it appear that Dec. should have been way too early to fret about renewal again. For all the bloody details, read about that first renewal, but the takeaway was that it consumed far more time than it should have, turned out all-right in the end, but left us a short window to the next renewal.

The Very First Time Through the Maze

In hindsight, our first renewal difficulty was rooted in our out-of-the-mainstream initial residency application and the procedural swamp that characterized Costa Rica's immigration process back in 2008.

Guest Post: Why You Should Make the Switch from Tourist to Resident in Costa Rica

Guest post today from VivaTropical.com. I think it makes a great counterpoint to my recent post about the value of residency.

Ziplining through a waterfall

A country with access to the Pacific coast, the Caribbean Sea, stretches of tropical rainforest, and spring weather valleys, Costa Rica definitely lives up to its reputation. Bordering Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica is by far the most popular expat destination of the three, but while Costa Rica might be a fantastic place to vacation, what exactly is it about this Central American gem that is causing people to make the big switch from tourist to resident?

To rediscover the value of family

One of the most common reasons that expats are making the move down to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica with their families in tow, is to spend more quality time together. Life in North America is busy and can often revolve around work and money, and because of this, things like family can sometimes take the back seat. In Costa Rica, things tend to slow down and the people here definitely embrace the laid-back lifestyle. Here, family can come first and while it can be a difficult transition for some expats, others find the end result a rewarding breath of fresh air.

 

Costa Rica is developed

Unlike some of its Central American neighbors, Costa Rica is quite developed and there is already a well-established expat community. For this reason, expats can retire to Costa Rica knowing that many of the North American comforts that they rely on, like cable, shopping malls, and English movies and books will be easily accessible. For many, this can make the transition go a lot smoother and life, much more convenient. Expats don’t have to feel cut off from the rest of the world, there are international flights coming in and out of the country on a regular basis, there is easy internet access and even if you don’t own a computer, there are an abundance of internet cafes sprinkled across the country. Heath care in Costa Rica is world-class, the school systems are strong, and everything is supported by a stable and non-invasive government.

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.

Is It Really Worth the Trouble and Expense to Obtain Costa Rican Residency?

Knowing what I know now, having been through the residency process (as it was five years ago) and one renewal last year, I am not at all sure that I would do it again. Solely from an economic standpoint, I no longer think it's worth it for most people. Obtaining Costa Rican residency costs more in hard cash than in almost any other Latin American country.

It also does not come with many fringe benefits. For example, Panamá last year did an upgrade to their residency requirements that makes moving there very tempting form a financial viewpoint. You can get permanent (not temporary like in Costa Rica) the first time and with very little money in the bank. They also have huge discounts for retirees on just about everything. You bring in your household goods duty-free and the list goes on. You pay full freight in terms of duty and taxes when you move your stuff to Costa Rica. Sure, you'll get some big discounts at the  Costa Rica national parks and passing through Customs seems to be easier when you are a resident, but those advantages are very minor in the bigger picture.

Weighing Costs versus Legal Requirements

From a freedom of lifestyle perspective, residency might even be thought of as a detriment since once you are invested in it, you want to keep it going and thus, its presence may hinder you from trying another place. That is especially true during the first couple of years when you are still seeing if you can adjust. I will try to leave aside such subjective measures in the following calculations though. Which is why I also won't belabor all the physical and mental hassles of obtaining residency. Some people, crazy people, might actually enjoy those!

Bear with me as I walk through the calculations. Who knows, by the time I am through I may have even convinced myself that it is the right way to go. In all these calculations, I am figuring the costs for a couple who are applying for a Pensionado visa. The overall costs for rentista would be higher (see discussion of Caja below).