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In the Mailbag: Tourist Visas, Driving in Costa Rica, and Cost of Living
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Our newsletters and posts generate lots of discussion, on our website, in emails, and on facebook. Here’s a glimpse into our mailbag.
Tourist Visas
From Phil:
I was wondering if you know of any way someone could stay long term or longer at least then the 90 days without leaving. We are a young family and I work online but do not have access to the amount required for investment for visa. Any thoughts?”
Residency in Costa Rica
Hi Phil,
Unfortunately, as a tourist (non-legal resident) you are limited to the amount of time granted by the immigration agent when you enter Costa Rica. It can be a little as 30 days and as much as 90 days but to my knowledge, it’s never over 90 days. We had heard that tourists can extend their visas by paying $100 but we didn’t have the specifics. We consulted our recommended residency expert, Javier Zavaletta, from Residency in Costa Rica. He states,
If you were granted a 30 day visa and would like to extend it, here is a link to the form from Micracion which explains what is required. The only other option is to leave the country, perhaps to visit Nicaragua or Panama, for a few days and then get a new tourist visa (another 30-90 days) when you reenter.
Driving in Costa Rica with an International Driver’s License
On a related topic, Don writes,
Drivers license is always interesting as the International Drivers License is never discussed. Costa Rica was a late signer to the International Drivers License but they do recognize it and it is valid for one (1) year. I have not found a single person in CR that can tell me why nobody seems to know this. Not lawyers, tour operators on residents seem to know this, so I do not expect the local cop to know this if I get stopped. Maybe someone you know will be able to shed some light on this so we don’t need to hop the border every 90 days.
Thanks for the newsletter!”
Hmmm. It IS accurate that you don’t need an international drivers license to drive in Costa Rica. According to the Costa Rica Tourism office (ICT) website, “You are allowed to drive with your normal drivers license for three months.” Of course, now that tourists no longer automatically get 90 day visas, your drivers license is only as valid as your tourist visa.
But what if you DO have an international drivers license? Does that change the rules? In researching the answer, it seems to be another of those gray areas those of us living in Costa Rica are so familiar with. According to AAA’s International Relations webpage,
The International Driving Permit (IDP) is a document that provides important information from your driver’s license in eleven different languages, including English. This document came into existence by virtue of a treaty signed in 1949 by the United Nations and other foreign countries. As an official document, the IDP is recognized in over 150 countries today. Carried in conjunction with a valid U.S. driver’s license, the IDP can help break down language barriers when traveling in non-English speaking countries. In addition, the IDP provides an additional source of identification… The IDP does not hold any powers of its own apart from your valid U.S. driver’s license, and therefore, you do not have a separate driving permit with an IDP. The IDP is valid only when carried in conjunction with and acts as a translation of a valid U.S. driver’s license. If you are traveling in a foreign country and were to be stopped by a law enforcement officer, your U.S. driver’s license and IDP should be presented to the officer. If a citation is issued to you, it will be reflected on the driving record that is with your driver’s license.
Our conclusion is that this gray area is one you probably don’t want to cross, even though the IDP states that it is valid for one year. Since the IDP is not a separate drivers license, and in Costa Rica your home country drivers license is only valid for 90 days, our best guess is that your IDP would only be valid for 90 days unless you exit the country and reenter.
Cost of Living
John B. wrote,
I love that you show the many benefits economically of C.R. But you leave out many savings, like almost no property taxes and caja savings here.Low car insurance, low legal cost. The truth is the soft cost are the biggest savings of all. Tell the whole story its worth telling.”
Thanks, John, for helping us tell the whole story. As renters, we don’t think about the low property tax here so we appreciate your input.
And from Patti,
Hi Gloria I noticed you made reference to using Vonage, and the cost was 31.00 something a month. We have been using Magic Jack which covers all of North America for 35.00 per year. We have found the service to be excellent with very few droped calls, for Costa Rican calls we use our cell phones. One of the things I like about Magic Jack is that when we go traveling it comes with us and we can use it any where there is wifi (via our computer) or at home we just plug it into our modem and hook up a phone (wireless phones work too.) We lent the system to our neighbour for the Xmas holidays and they had a try, now they have one too. Even though you are in Costa Rica you just set it up using your (or a friends) North American address, set up is easy through your computer. Canadians have to pay an additional one time fee for the phone number of $10 usd, and Americans can transfer an already existing number. Your friends and family can call you just as if you were at, the address you registered with. Since most have free North American talk with their landlines and/or cell phones their is no cost to them.
Hi Patti,
Thanks for the info. We’ll be sure to share it with our readers. We started out with Vonage in the States and were able to keep our old phone number. You couldn’t do that with Magic Jack at the time. We wrote about it here. Even though it’s more expensive, we’ve stayed with Vonage because they have such good customer service and we need reliability for our business. But Magic Jack has gotten better over the years. If we could keep our same phone number we would probably change.
And on Facebook…
Arroz Con Mango Review
Recently on facebook, we posted our last “In the Mailbag” column which included a very positive restaurant review of Arroz con Mango near la Garita. Turns out some of our readers have had not-so-positive experiences at that restaurant. So, in the spirit of showing the good, the bad, and the ugly, here are their comments as well:
Dina writes:
We had been there twice – pretty good. Third time, I cannot tell you how incredibly bad our experience was, how terrible the food was, and just on and on…..consistency here is hard to find.”
And from Tricia:
I was surprised at the glowing review because I had heard just the opposite from several people.”
Despite some negative reviews, I think we will go back and give it another try in the near future.
Taking the Bus
Here are a few facebook comments in response to our article, “Paul’s Monthly Tip to Live for Less in Costa Rica: Taking the Bus:”
From Judy:
Another perk from taking the bus and walking and not having a car….3 months after we arrived in Costa Rica, we lost 20 pounds!!”
From Greg:
It’s been a year and a half for us with no car. I love the fact that we get to know our tico neighbors, who also ride the bus and of course the cost savings. It does add to the time it takes you to do anything – but hey, I have more time than money.”
And from Sheilah:
No one mentioned that senior citizens ride the local buses FREE!”
A San Jose Pedestrian Boulevard
San Jose
Here are a few comments on facebook about our article, “Costa Rica’s Museums: A Great Way to Spend the Day in San Jose:”
Michelle B. wrote:
I actually love walking downtown. It’s just a short bus ride from my home. I mostly go so I can buy fabric but we often take the family and grab lunch, sometimes go to the market (especially for fresh ground coffee), visit the Ropa Americanas, etc. Also, if you’re going to take the bus almost anywhere you kind of have to go there for your connection. We’ve embraced it.”
Judy S. wrote:
Yes, we loved San Jose and did many day trips there last winter since we were living in a village in the country. The Columbian Gold museum was awesome and there is a historical area walking map that was also fun on a warm day. Restaurants on the main boulevard walk are great. Lunch at the old Grand Hotel was a step back in history because John Kennedy was there in the 60’s. Costa Rica has so many different things to see from jungles to big cities.”
Charles M. had this to say:
I’m very optimistic on the future of San Jose. There is tremendous opportunity. Warren Buffet is famous for saying to buy when there is blood in the streets. That applies to investment in San Jose. Everybody shuns it but if you pay attention you can see how it is transforming in to a world class city. Remember it is the capital after all of the biggest tourist destination in the region.”
And Daniel L. wrote:
It’s sad when travelers to CR , and many of the gringos here, get advice to stay away from San Jose completely. San Jose has much to offer in the way of historic buildings. various museums and so much to experience there. People watchers paradise with a lot of natural beauties.”
And last, but not least, here are some facebook comments about Gloria’s article, “Reinventing Yourself in Retirement:”
From Robert F:
Great perspective; a journey not a destination, I like that thanks.”
From Joao:
True. I need to feel useful. If I don’t work I feel guilty.”
From Lori Ann:
People would ask me this before we moved. I worked a lot in the states. I have had zero issues adapting to not working. I love it.”
And we (Paul) posted:
I’ve asked Ticos, “Is it ok to do nothing?” They’re cumulative reply has been something like “sure, it’s part of life” In other words they don’t feel guilty about being non-productive. I also speak to the pensionados in the park, many of whom had good jobs during their working careers, & they don’t seem to feel guilty at all. A few younger ones work at part-time jobs to supplement their CR pensions.”
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