Costa Rica Expertise LLC

IRS Winning Friends Among Local Bank Officials

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

The sign of things to come: Banco Cuscatlan now requires citizens or resident aliens of the United States to fill out a W9 form for personal accounts at the firm's banks in Costa Rica.

Why? Because Citigroup bought Grupo Cuscatlan from Corporación UBC Internacional S.A. for $1.51 billion in cash and stock. Grupo Cuscatlan has operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panamá.

[...] Read more!

From Dream Home to Kindling: Hint of Things to Come

http://www.amcostarica.com/011408.htm

Beach house before destruction order.

Beach house is on its way down!

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

If they have property in the maritime zone, expats can look forward to a hard time this year from municipalities up and down the coasts. If that is not enough stress for 2008, the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía will be in line to add more tension. Some expats may be losing their comfy beach houses if they are located in the wrong places.

[...] Read more!

Judges Are a Girl's Best Friend When Extortion's Afoot

http://www.amcostarica.com/121007.htm

New chapter: 'I want my house back!'

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

The second part of a true story of an expat's agony and defeat is supposed to end today. The Gringo has to pay his girlfriend to get his house back.

This poor man was thrown out of his house one evening for raising his voice to his girlfriend’s adult son, a punk rock type known to use hard drugs like crack cocaine. The expat spent the night in a very cold and uncomfortable jail cell. In the lockup, he had to listen to his girlfriend yuck it up with the police officers who arrested him.

[...] Read more!

Sometimes Mandato is Just a Power to Skin Expats

http://www.amcostarica.com/112607.htm

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Powers of attorney are one of the leading causes of property and other kinds of fraud in Costa Rica. The cases surrounding stealing by means of a power of attorney also are the hardest ones to fight and win. Judges rulings abound where they tell plaintiffs they are out of luck because they gave someone else permission to steal from them. Expats can lose everything to a power of attorney.

Everyone living or doing business in Costa Rica should know the five basic powers of attorney and know when to use them and, most importantly, when not to use them. Many expats give the right to steal to others without even knowing they have done so.

[...] Read more!

Company Ownership a Loophole for Having a Gun

http://www.amcostarica.com/111207.htm

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the law is explicit: tourists should not carry guns or other weapons even though many would like to do so.

According to Costa Rica’s Article 63 of the Ley de Armas y Explosivos, the controlling weapons law, the only exception is made for foreigners who are temporarily entering the country with their weapon(s) for the specific purpose of competition or hunting. Article 50 states a tourist can buy a gun here, but only for use outside of Costa Rica, and the tourist must declare the weapon at customs upon departure. These facts may be particularly disconcerting to those foreigners accustomed to the right to bear arms, or to anyone who has experienced a theft or robbery in Costa Rica.

[...] Read more!