Costa Rica has no treaties with other countries for child abduction when a parent has legal custody.
Last week another U.S. father was in Costa Rica seeking a son for whom he had legal custody of. Unfortunately, the father so far has struck out, forcing him to hired a private investigator.
This is just another case of a U.S. parent running out on a divorce decision and abducting their child. The case originated over a year ago in Boise, Idaho and the mother is believed to have fled to Costa Rica with the child. It is believed that hundreds (some say 1000s) of abducted children reside in Costa Rica.
The problem any parent faces is Costa Rica’s does not abide by interstate enforcement of custody and visitation orders. In other words, the right off the bat any parent had three strikes against them, first strike is the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, but like many countries, embassy personnel take a back seat and fail to act on information about abducted children when a parent tries to seek their help. Read more...(562 words, 2 images, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)
We were going to write about this six months ago, but when it comes to the government of Costa Rica, it can be heresy until it really happens. Or just a procrastration until something major happens like the bridge tragedy. But when talking to an U.S account doing business in Costa Rica, he pretty much cut our conversation short because he had an important meeting with his accountant. This Monday, he has to file his annual report for his sales and purchases with the Dirección General de Tributación, the tax collecting agency. Okay, Costa Rica is just like any other country, when one owns, one is required to pay.
But unfortunately, those expat businesses have a new surprise, this fiscal year these tax filings get more complex they will have to do the same every three months. Yes, three times a year one has to file a report on a two page form that lists all sales they have made in the year to a single customer that total more than 2.5 million colons, about US$4,500.
They must also list their expenses for purchases or services for more than 2.5 million colons. Read more...(510 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)
Every time I’m in Costa Rica it always amazing me of how that country is developing into a First-World country. One of my meetings was about developing a Costa Rica medical tourism website and then I had a much respected meeting with one of our competitive Bloggers, who was getting ready to do the same.
A few months ago we wrote about Costa Rica medical tourism, and then another about stem cell research, but now they have become such a hot items, so much so, that conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh was flooded with emails when he answered a caller who was offering some type of medical insurance package, where treatments were in Costa Rica. Obviously, affordable health care is on the minds of all Americans, and Costa Rica is becoming the desire place for health and fitness care.
Cost for health care can be 70% cheaper than those in the U.S.
Medical tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across borders to obtain health care. However, what is also becoming more, it also refers pejoratively to the practice of healthcare providers and doctors traveling internationally to deliver healthcare services. Read more...(536 words, 1 image, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)
This small piece of paper is becoming harder to get for Costa Ricans who want to visit the U.S.
Attending a business meeting in San Ana a few weeks ago, one of the associates of a client rant and raved about his dealings with the U.S. Consulate at the San José embassy US Embassy. He was Costa Rican, his wife was American and they had two children. All they wanted was to visit the U.S for a few weeks to see her parents. The kids had no problem (the duel citizenship thing) but he was running into major road-blocks on getting his visa to the States.
Frustration prevailed, and they went without him. He just did not have the time to deal with it.
It is no secret that the U.S Embassy continues to give frustration and just plain rudeness to those Costa Ricans seeking U.S. visas. Stories are so wide spread, that AM Costa Rica has started to post them on their website. However, AM admits that many of the letters that are send, if in fact, truly represent a fair valuation of the U.S. Consulate. Read more...(620 words, 1 image, estimated 2:29 mins reading time)
I had not been to Jaco in a while, in fact, we wrote about how wild Jaco is and how I predicted that the desire for tourist bucks will change it.
Those that experienced Jaco years ago had warnings about the lawless of the town. Druggies, prostitution, pickpockets etc, pretty much ran it. I’m proud to say, my predictions is coming true. Jaco has changed. The last time I was there, old men with their bellies protruding from Hawaiian shirts with whores on their arms was a common occurrence. And high-rise cranes littered the sky in development. Not anymore.
The new mayor is taking steps into cleaning up the town and now Jaco has a height limit on new construction and development is a new central park that’s about completed. The adult businesses like the Beatle Bar, Monkey Bar, and Poncho Villas have changed their style and are no longer a gunslingers hangout that were open 24/7, but now ONLY at night. The Beatle Bar a few years back enclosed their establishment and Poncho Villas now has a good sidewalk smorgasbord where one can get a plate full of local food for around US$4.00, which is a good deal if you are hungry and on a budget. Read more...(471 words, 1 image, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)
We were going to write about this six months ago, but when it comes to the 
