Videos

After months of not being able to visit the beaches of Costa Rica and hearing pandemic news, I need a break out of the city of San Jose, so I drove down to Playa Jaco on a Saturday, which is about 1 1/2 drive. It was refreshing to see everybody relaxed and enjoying their time on the beach. Join me for a quick tour of what Playa Jaco looks like during this time of year. #VisitPlayaJaco #PuraVida

Local tourists are taking the opportunity to travel in their own country. Slowly we are receiving international tourists again as more flights are added to travel to Costa Rica. Hope to see you all back in Costa Rica soon.

For more information about Costa Rica

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Don’t get in trouble in Costa Rica, which operates a different legal system with cultural nuances. The Legal Guide to Costa Rica is your best source of information about moving, retiring, living, or doing business in Costa Rica.
Available from Amazon for $9.99 with the following link: https://bit.ly/legalguideCR

Why importing goods to Costa Rican can be expensive. Costa Rica has import duties on the majority of goods that are imported into the country. In some cases it will be worthwhile for you to import your product while othes it might be cheaper to buy it locally. In this video I go over the process to import products into Costa Rica via air freight or shipping cargo and walk you through the customs procedures. #ImportCostaRica

On this site they have a list of import duties that different products will pay: https://uniboxcr.com/calculos-de-impuestos/

These private third party import service providers all have online calculators to help you estimate the import cost for you:

1. Jet Box: https://www.jetbox.com/calculadora
2. Aeropost: https://aeropost.com/site/en/calculator
3. Transexpress : https://www.transexpress.com/en-US/calculaterates

If you are looking for Customs Logistics company to handle your imports the following are some options:

1. Sociaco http://www.sociaco.com/index2.php
2. Transmares: http://www.transmares.co.cr/english/freight.html
3. Tical: https://www.tical.com/index.php?page=agencia-de-aduanas
4. Rex Cargo: https://www.rexcargo.com/costa-rica/

Air freight imports generallly arrive at the Juan Santamaria International Airport or at Liberia International Airport. Shipping cargo arrives either at the port of Moin in the Atlantic/Caribbean or Puerto Caldera on the Pacific.

For more information about Costa Rica visit: https://costaricalaw.com/

Be sure to purchase a copy of The Legal Guide to Costa Rica to ensure that you stay out of trouble in Costa Rica: https://bit.ly/legalguideCR

The Legal Guide to Costa Rica is your best source of information about moving, retiring, living, or doing business in Costa Rica. Don't get in trouble in Costa Rica, which operates a different legal system with cultural nuances.

In plain English, the Legal Guide to Costa Rica will give you information on:

How to live legally in Costa Rica
Residency options
Buying and selling property
Renting
Taxes
Driving in Costa Rica
Working and starting a business
Setting up a company and management
Marriage and divorce
Wills and inheritance
HOA' and condominium laws
Criminal matters
The Costa Rican court system and litigation
Hiring legal advisers
Powers of attorney
The environment
Hiring and firing employees
Commercial and financial transactions

And much more information that will put you on the right track to settle in Costa Rica.

Roger Petersen was born in Costa Rica and has practiced law in the country for over twenty years. During that time, he has seen many of the challenges facing ex-pats as they settle in Costa Rica. In the Legal Guide to Costa Rica, he shares years of knowledge and experience to ensure you have a smooth transition into Costa Rica. The Legal Guide to Costa Rica has guided thousands of people to avoid any pitfall in starting a new life or business in Costa Rica.
If you genuinely want to enjoy the Pura Vida lifestyle of Costa Rica, then be sure you get the best advice in advance, and there is no better way to do it then with The Legal Guide to Costa Rica.
#TheLegalGuideToCostaRica

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Costa-Rica-Complete-ebook/dp/B08D7VBF7C

For more information about Costa Rica visit our website https://costaricalaw.com/

The San Jose International Airport opened for flights on August 1, 2020, but a tour of the airport on August 10 shows that there is still not much activity. Just a few flights are coming and going due to the government limiting the countries from which tourists can fly into Costa Rica. The initial rollout was for tourists arriving from Europe, Canada and UK.

A second wave of Cornovirus has hit Costa Rica and in this video I go over the new measues announced by the Costa Rican government which will take effect through July 31st.

The government has divided the country into ZONES, depicting the pace at which the virus is spreading. The zone is either Orange or Yellow. Depending on the area, the more stringent the restrictions. The ORANGE area is where the amount of cases and spread is more prevalent.

For a detailed review of all the new restrictions imposed by the government see my Article here: https://costaricalaw.com/costa-rica-medical-and-healthcare/tired-of-coronavirus-costa-rica-gets-hit-by-a-second-wave/

For updates on the alert areas you can visit the website of the National Emergency Commission of Costa Rica: https://cne.go.cr/

For a list of airlines flying into Costa Rica you can read the article in La Nacion: https://www.nacion.com/el-pais/coronavirus-y-vuelos-cuales-aerolineas-estan/EBLX62FSUJCAZKYWG6Y46PYIUY/story/

Here is a summary of what they indicate in the article.

AIR CANDA : September 1 to Toronto
AIR FRANCE: October 1
ALASKA AIRLINES: August 3
AMERICAN AIRLINES: August 5th to Miami and Dallas
BRITISH AIRWAYS: October 17
COPA AIRLINES: August 6
IBERIA: August 3
INTERJET: August 2 to Mexico
JET BLUE: No information
LUFTHANSA: August 1 to Frankfurt
SOUTHWEST: Restart in 2021
SPIRIT: No information
UNITED: August 1 to Houston


You can also view the airport directory at: https://sjoairport.com/directorio-de-aerolineas/

The town of Atenas, Costa Rica, is located only 35 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city of San Jose. It offers the small-town countryside lifestyle for those that are looking for peace and tranquility. Join me in this video as I tour the town and surrounding areas of Atenas and visit some properties as reference for the type of living accommodations available in Atenas.

The population of the area is around 20,300, and Atenas has become a haven for ex-pats from many different parts of the world. Known for its climate, Atenas is often referred to as "best climate" because of the temperature ranges from 68 F to 89 F year-round.

For more information on the properties viewed, I am attaching the links below.

https://www.atenasbestclimate.com/Atenas/Alajuela/Homes/Atenas/Agent/Listing_361033543.html
https://www.atenasbestclimate.com/Atenas/Alajuela/Homes/Barrio_Jess/Agent/Listing_387093730.html
https://www.atenasbestclimate.com/Atenas/Alajuela/Homes/Los_Angeles/Agent/Listing_372286146.html

To contact Shelly Goettl you can do so via her website at https://www.atenasbestclimate.com/

A summary about Atenas from Fodor's https://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/costa-rica/central-valley/places/atenas

Some video footage courtesy of the Municipality of Atenas collection for their 150-year celebration. You can view the full collection here: https://www.atenasmuni.go.cr/index.php/about-us/distritos

Costa Rica has been in lockdown since March 18th and the impact on the economy has been devastating. When will the economy reopen ? In this video I go over the planned schedule to reopen the economy and the actions taken by the Costa Rican government to mitigate the financial consecuences of Covid on the economy.

For more information and details about the reopening schedule check out our article here: https://costaricalaw.com/costa-rica-facts/costa-rica-economy/when-will-costa-rica-reopen-the-economy/

Here is the reopening plan:

Phase I from May 16 -31

SPECIFIED NATIONAL PARKS will reopen at 50% capacity with previous purchase of tickets online.

BEACHES will be open Monday-Friday but only from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

RECREATIONAL SPORTS with no direct physical contact and high-performance contact sports without spectators will be allowed.

Food pickup at delivery window will now be available on weekends.

SMALL HOTELS with 20 rooms or less can open to 50% capacity.

Recreational physical activities are allowed

Phase II from June 1 -20

MORE NATIONAL PARKS will open at 50% capacity

RESTAURANTS can open with 50% capacity

MUSEUMS open for those with pre-purchases tickets and at 50% capacity

ALL HOTELS at 50% capacity.

Phase III June 21 – July 12

Stores can reopen at 50% capacity

Movies and Theaters can reopen at 50% capacity

Churches and places of worship can open up to a maximum of 100 persons and with social distancing in place6

Phase IV July 13- August 2

Classes will resume for grades 1-6

The BEACHES reopen

Contact and high performance sports events reopen with 20% capacity for spectators

What is the plan to reactivate the Economy ?

1. Announce the economic reopening schedule outlined above

2. Decree to the banks to make available low interest loans for working capital to the business sector.

3. Investment of 3.1 billion Colones in infrastructure construction

4. Support to the productive sectior of the economy.

i Improve technical training,

ii. allow flexible work schedules previously prohibited by the labor law

iii. reduce electric rates for commercial activities

iv. Improve 104 regulatory guidelines

v. Eliminate or consolidate the permitting requirements of 25 government institutions

5. Attract Investments to Costa Rica

i. Program to assist small business enterprises (PYMES)

ii. Create a digital services economy for PYMES

iii. Attract expats and Baby Boomers for retirement in Costa Rica

iv. Attract a Wellness and life sciences hub for Costa Rica

v. Approve the cultivation of Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis

6. Modernize Agricultura Practices with agro innovation and precision agriculture

The video presentation done by former Vice-President Luis Liberman and Gerardo Corrales on the impact, mitigation and the consecuences of Covid-19 on the Costa Rican economy and the local banks can be seen on the Facebook page of Banco Promerica. The presentation is in Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/510806525598386/videos/695342661230745/

Video images provided by the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism. https://www.ict.go.cr/es/servicios-institucionales/material-audiovisual/videos.html

Costa Rica had its first Coronavirus (Covid-19) case on March 7, and the government declared a National Emergency on March 16, and all borders were closed on March 18. The country is currently under a mandatory lockdown through April 30. In this video, I go over the lockdown procedures and the laws and regulations which the Costa Rica government has passed to address the health, social, and economic impact of Coronavirus in Costa Rica. I am including the link to the official orders issued by the Costa Rican government related to the emergency orders.

The lockdown order (in Spanish) updated April 13, 2020 https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/sobre_ministerio/prensa/docs/med_admin_temp_atenc_activid_concent_masiva_v16_13042020.pdf

Ministry of Health of Costa Rica https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/

Ministry of Labor of Costa Rica Covid contingency matters http://www.mtss.go.cr/elministerio/despacho/covid-19-mtss/COVID19-MTSS.html

Ministry of the Presidency news feed https://www.presidencia.go.cr/noticias/

Department of Immigration Covid contingencies https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Medidas-Administrativas-COVID19.aspx

Join me on my visit to Playa Jaco in Costa Rica. We walk around town then take a tour of Jaco beach. We stop off at the Jaco farmers market, then drink a "pipa fria" and have some ceviche. For those of you looking to spend more time in Jaco, there are hundreds of vacation rental options and hotel accommodations as well. Airbnb Jaco listings were starting at US$50 per night and up. Same for hotel listings with the average listing according to booking.com running at around $130 per night for January. Prices will fluctuate depending on the time of year. On the way out of Jaco, I stop off in Tarcoles to visit my favorite fish market to pick up some snapper and tuna.

If you are considering living or retiring in Costa Rica visit my website which provides the best unbiased information about living, retiring or doing business in Costa Rica. https://costaricalaw.com/

If you need to use a public document issued by any State in the United States or by the Federal government in a foreign country then you will need to have that document Apostilled. An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of that public document.
In this video, I review the Apostille process using a birth certificate issued by a US state as an example. The most common documents that require an Apostille when applying for residency in Costa Rica are the birth certificate, marriage certificate, and the criminal background report.
You can view the complete Apostille Guide from the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign documents here: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille
In the United States to Apostille state documents, you will need to contact your Secretary of State. Here is the list of their contact information: https://www.nass.org/membership
For US Federal documents you will need to contact the U.S Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/office-of-authentications.html

If you require a background search from the Federal Bureau of Investigation - F.B.I. then you can contact them here: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

For more information about Costa Rica be sure to check out our website at: https://costaricalaw.com/ and our YouTube Channel @CostaRicalaw