New Rule Allows Fast Shuffle With Company Books

May 28, 2007
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Norwegian artist Edvard Munch could have been thinking of bureaucracy as inspiration for his famous 1893 painting “Scream.” What is Tributación Directa doing? One does not know whether to get drunk, curse or cry. Tributación Directa is the tax collecting agency. Last year, taking company books to be legalized was a long process in San [...]

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A Real Estate Checklist for AFTER the Purchase

May 14, 2007
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Yes, there is more paperwork Real estate buyers need a good checklist to stay out of trouble when buying property in Costa Rica. However, most people forget about what needs to happen afterwards. Here is a checklist for after the closing. First, the property needs to be transferred at the Registro Nacional. This is the [...]

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Country Just Sets Itself Up For One Crisis After Another

April 30, 2007
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The rule of thumb in Costa Rica is when you cannot plan — or do not plan — panic. This malady is part of the culture. People in the campo, the rural areas, learn this from childhood. Parents instruct kids sent to the pulperia, the corner mom and pop grocery, to buy one egg for [...]

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Burden of Evidence is on Those Seeking a U.S. Visa

April 16, 2007
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Ticos have to wrestle with 55-year-old law A trip to the U. S. Embassy before Semana Santa proved very interesting and enlightening. The visit shed light on a long-standing irritation for Costa Ricans. An expat asked an embassy worker how he could expedite his Tica girlfriend’s tourist visa application so she would not have to [...]

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You Can’t Take It With You, So Don’t Leave a Big Mess

April 2, 2007
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When expats die, their kin have to pick up the pieces Can loved ones afford an expats death in Costa Rica? Are they ready for what they find here? Recently, a man died and his sister had to drop everything — all her responsibilities in the States — and hop a plane to Costa Rica. [...]

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Lack of Regulations Turning Immigration Into Circus

March 19, 2007
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Immigration law in Costa Rica is currently a circus. People’s tempers are raging. Immigration employees do not know the answers to questions. If one is lucky enough to get an appointment, it could be so far into the future one seriously wonders if he is going to be around to use it. There is a [...]

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The Legal Right to Steal: A Valid Power of Attorney

March 5, 2007
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The Gringo never even saw it coming A U.S. citizen returned to Costa Rica in February 2003 to find his lawyers living in his Pacific coast villa. They had taken all his possessions and burned them to complete the takeover. A criminal court case ensued, and the lawyers won. They got away with transferring millions [...]

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