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 … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Income Tax – Expat Rules Are Now More Complicated
11/27/2009 by 3 Comments
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 … [Read more...]
U.S. Consulate – San José Embassy – Visa Problem
11/22/2009 by Leave a Comment
Attending a business meeting in Santa 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 … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Drug Smugglers Problem – Crocodiles
11/13/2009 by 2 Comments
As Costa Rica slowly but surely becomes the new hub for drug trafficking, and with San Jose now the place to smuggle containers of drugs to the US, it now appears that drug smugglers have a new problem, which is not the US DEA, local police or competition, but crocodiles! It’s no surprise that the Central Pacific between Puntarenus to Quepos with the hot tourist spot of Jaco between has … [Read more...]
Chinese Drywall and Costa Rica Building Contractors
11/06/2009 by 3 Comments
With China investing in Costa Rica big time, there may be a problem with some of the building imports in the eco-minded country. When Costa Rica builders were busy a few years a go, many homes/condos and commercial projects were using Chinese imported drywall. In the US many class action lawsuits have been filed. If you Google, "Chinese drywall," the pages are filled with the problems it has … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Porteadores vs Taxis vs Government – Protest Today
10/28/2009 by Leave a Comment
For a long time now there has been clash between taxi drivers and porteadores (the informal taxi drivers) with the government caught in the middle. Porteadores have always provided the public's alternative to transportation, particular in areas where the formal or legal taxis would not provide service, but more likely in smaller towns. The service as "porteos" provided that personal … [Read more...]
Illegal Street Vendors in San Jose, Costa Rica, Crackdown
10/13/2009 by Leave a Comment
Years ago a renovation project spearheaded by the San Jose Municipality, labeled San Jose Posible, was design to give a total face-lift to the downtown area, adding more walking boulevards, planting trees, paining facades and offering incentives for Costa Ricans and residents to move back into the city. The Central Avenue Boulevard and its surrounding parks and plazas have been called the biggest … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Toll Roads and Gas Fees Keep Raising
06/09/2009 by Leave a Comment
In a country that is known for some of the worse drivers, unreal traffic (San Jose in particular), and poor road maintenance once again, the government has added to the public misery by 1) cigarette tax hike, and NOW, 2) tripling the toll road fees and 3) raising gas prices ... all this has happened in the last 60 days. Motorists have begun paying a new toll on the Próspero Fernández Highway … [Read more...]
Costa Rica, Rod Blagojevich and Robert Vesco
04/16/2009 by Leave a Comment
When I heard that the ousted major of Chicago, Rod Blagojevich, who pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and fraud charges last Tuesday is trying to become a contestant in a reality show to be filmed in Costa Rica, my head shook slowly, dropping to my chest. I understand that Costa Rica’s economy is bad right now (tourism down 50%) but really, is Costa Rica that hard up? It appears the … [Read more...]
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