With the strong religious beliefs of this country, I do not believe that this law will ever be turned over.  The country is 80% Catholic.

This month we brought in a bird from Honduras.  Birds from Central and South America are not permitted entry to Costa Rica but we did it and Phoenix is with her mother on the Pacific Coast, both very happy.

If you are coming out of the United States, you must first get the permission of the US Fish & Wildlife Agency in the form of what they call a CITES permit.  This is the first step towards getting your bird OUT of the US.  You must then get a CITES from the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and approval from the MINAE.

After you have all of this, you must get your bird to Costa Rica within 30 days of the issuance of the Costa Rican CITES or your window of opportunity is gone.

This is not a process that is simple by any means.  You must know who to talk to and truthfully, have a little pull with them or it never gets done.

This year so far, we have brought 4 birds into the country.  We are now working on 3 more.

Do NOT try to bring your bird with you on the plane as it WILL be taken away from you when you arrive at the airport in San Jose and you might never see your bird again.

To avoid the horrible traffic jams between LaUruca and Heredia Centro, TAKE THE TRAIN!  If you have ever been on these roads you can fully appreciate the idea of finding another way to get to where you are going than sitting in the traffic that is SOOOOO bad in his area.

The one-way fare is supposed to be 350 colones or about .62 cents.  Do not try to give the conductor US money though.  They will only accept colones.

The train will make two stops along the route, includint one at Cinco Esquinas in Tibas.

Costa Rica is not considered a rabies controlled country as is all of Central and South America.  Because of this, your dog  must undergo a blood test by your veterinarian or ours.  After this is done, the blood is sent off to University of Kansas in the US for the titre test.  It usually takes 3-4 weeks to get these results back, BUT…your pet CANNOT leave the country for 90 days from the date that the blood draw took place.

This is the case for the majority of European countries.  When you are going to England, Ireland, Sweeden or Malta, there is a completely different process.  Your pet MUST go into quarantine for 6 months as these are considered rabies free countries.  There is no way around this.  The only option that you would have is to move to the US for 7 months and do inhome quarantine and testing there.

When going to England, and many other countries, you must acquire and import permit.  There is also special documentation that is required to travel with your pet.  Without this paperwork, your pet can be returned to Costa Rica or if you cannot afford to pay the fare back, your pet WILL be euthanized.

This is why it is so important to work with someone that does this all the time.  So many of the veterinarians in Costa Rica will tell you they know just what needs to be done to get your pet to Europe then the pet is returned because the vet didn’t know what the heck he was talking about.

Don’t make the mistake so many others have made at the cost of losing a loved one.  Contact a local pet transportation specialist to help you with all of the documentation and following of the laws of the country of which you are entering.  They can work together with specialists in the country of which you are going to ease the process for everyone.

In Costa Rica there is one company that does this.  They are members of IPATA (Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association)  If you are considering a move to Europe, please contact them so that all is done correctly.  www.worldpettravel.com or you can email to info@worldpettravel.com.

Check out the website and good luck with moving your animals in and around Europe.

Just when you think you have heard everything, along comes the Huffington Post to report that former Illinois governor  Rod Blagojevich is negotiating with NBC to be dropped into a Costa Rican jungle for a reality television show.

The ex-governor is facing federal racketeering and fraud charges. The television network plans to drop 10 well-known individuals into the jungle and follow them as they make their way out.

The Huffington Post notes that Blagojevich is under court order not to leave the United States. Costa Rican immigration officials also might not admit someone who is named in a federal indictment.

One of the real deals for expats is the ease of getting a Costa Rican driver’s license.

Assuming that the expat already holds a valid, unexpired license from North America or Europe, the whole process should not take more than a few hours.

If the expat does not have a valid license, the nightmare is just beginning. An unlicensed expat would have to take weeks of classes, a written exam, hands-on training and a practical test. Not to mention shrugging off bribe requests along the way.

This week only, the Consejo de Seguridad Vial is maintaining extended hours at its main La Uruca location. The license issuing agency will be open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. to make up for the time lost during the Semana Santa holidays. Normal closing time, starting again next week, is 4 p.m.

When the licensing bureau was in south San José, the facilities were rough but there was a bank for payments inside the facility. Now applicants have to make a bank visit as well as the usual medical visit.

Generally those who can walk into the individual private medical offices and generally make out the outlines of the eye chart are given an OK, a dictamen medico. The typical cost is 10,000 colons or about $17.75. Doctors with offices near the facility handle dozens of exams a day. Many speak English.

A new twist is a requirement that a medical applicant provide some evidence of blood type. Without some kind of document, about 5,000 colons in lab work is required. Some medical facilities have an internal lab. Accepted documentation would be a note from a blood bank or some other paper issued at the time of a donation.

The applicant would then go to Banco Nacional or Banco de Costa Rica to pay the license fee. In La Uruca there is a Banco Nacional just 200 feet east of the main entrance to the Consejo facility.

Some medical facilities are authorized to collect the fee, too, so one-stop payment is possible. Those getting a license for the first time pay 4,000 colons or about $7. That is for two years. A five-year renewal is 10,000 colons.

Expats might be able to shop around for a better price on the medical exam. Some physicians still maintain shop in the vicinity of the former licensing facility in south San José at Avenida 10 and Calle 7.

For a fee, some bilingual taxi operators and expat associations will provide a guide for the process.

The real test comes when the the expat enters the main gate of the Consejo complex. They may have been able to hoodwink the doctor down the street, but the licensing facility is a good 1,000 feet from the main entrance down a concrete sidewalk. Wear good shoes.

Expats getting their first Costa Rica license have to present their North American license to a Departamento de Licencias official. A guard at the door of the licensing facility is a helpful guide. The applicant needs a photocopy of the foreign license and a passport with a valid visa or appropriate immigration documents.

Although there are Consejo offices in all the provinces, the first expat license has to be issued in La Uruca where the foreign license can be verified.

A foreign license is only valid here for the 90 days of a tourist visa.

The actually licensing process is short. A half dozen workers in separate cubicals take down personal information and quickly send applicants to a waiting line for a photograph at five photo stations. The machines being used by the Consejo spit out a new license about every three minutes, so an applicant just hangs around the photo machine for a few minutes.

Parking is in short supply at the Consejo complex. There are employee spaces and plenty of room for cars confiscated from drivers who were caught drinking and driving. But visitors probably should arrive by taxi or be dropped off.

The usual collection of young men patrol the entry and offer help, but a wise visitor does not use their services.

There are several private medical locations devoted to providing licensing medical reports near the Consejo. Some announce their presence with giant banners.

Costa Rican Consejo employees do not confiscate the North American license of applicants, allowing successful applicants to have two.

Costa Ricans as young as 13 can have a license for light motorcycles. Farm youngsters can get a tractor license at 16. The normal age is 18 or unless the applicant is married.

Expats normally will get a B-1 license for passenger cars and light trucks. A motorcycle endorsement on the foreign license results in the same here. Without an endorsement, the applicant has to go through the classes and practical tests.

A stolen license can be renewed for 5,000 colons if the holder has reported the theft or robbery to the Judicial Investigating Organization.

Costa Ricans can renew their license at Banco de Costa Rica. Depending on the bank, expats may be able to obtain a renewal appointment.

Those 65 and older are only supposed to obtain a two-year renewal, but the Consejo does not seem to be enforcing that rule.

Costa Rica was taken off the list on Tuesday when officials with the OECD evoked a commitment for improved exchange of tax information.

This means simply that you cannot any longer hide your money in the Costa Rica banks and avoid paying taxes.  IRS can now find you in Costa Rica since this information is shared at all levels of the government and banking industry.

Over the weekend there was an Equadorian boat stopped  in the Parque National Corcovado near Golfito by the  Servicio National de Guardacostas (Costa Rica coast guards).  They confiscated 320 kilos of cocaine.  The drugs were taken to the Judicial building in Golfito.

Yesterday (Thursday) 5 men came into the Judicial building carrying sub-machine guns and stole the cocaine.  They tied up the 2 police officers in the building and took off with the loot valued at 1.6million in Costa Rica.  This will be worth much more if they get it to the United States.

The government feels strongly that this was an inside job since it went off the way that it did.

Who knew that there would only be 2 police officers guarding the Equadorian find and who knew that it had not yet been transported to San Jose where it was to be destroyed?

Although road blocks were set up all around Golfito, the culprits were not found.  The officials commented that they think that the men took off into the Parque until the heat is off.

What do you think?  Inside job?

SPECIFIC BENEFITS USING THIS PROGRAM TO OBTAIN LEGAL STATUS

If the applicant chooses to obtain their Permanent Resident Investor status through this type of project they receive the following benefits:

1. Application can be made directly to the Immigration department here in Costa Rica or application can be presented to the Costa Rica consul or embassy closest to applicants home.
2. Application is pre-approved. No additional review or approval required from MINAE (El Ministerio del Ambiente y Energia).
3. Applicant receives all the rights that a natural born Costa Rica has except can not get politically involved.
4. If the applicant(s) chooses to work they are not restricted to working in the field of their investment.
5. Applicant is required to be in Costa Rica only 1 day a year. This 1 day facilitates the renewing of the individuals status.
6. The time the investor spends in Costa Rica with his legal status is applied towards the time requirement’s in order to obtain a Costa Rica passport. (if desired).

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF PERMANENT RESIDENT INVESTOR STATUS.

PLUS
Costs incurred in the processing of the application with Immigration are not borne by the applicant. Legal fees, local documentation and official stamps are included in the investment amount.

I understand that “Garage in Costa Rica” is a rather strange subject but it is something that you need to think about if you are moving to Costa Rica.

In the US and other countries you CANNOT leave your bicycles in the carport, because if they don’t leave the same day you leave them out, they will be gone soon.

We have had both carports and garages in our homes in Costa Rica.  We have lived in protected neighborhoods and unprotected but very nice neighborhoods.  One morning as we were all leaving for school, my youngest, son at the time 6, went to the front door and squealed.  When we ran to the door we saw a man trying to crawl back over our 10 foot wall, with spikes at the top.  In his hands were one of our nicer adult bikes.  Well in an attempt to get away, as John tried to chase him, he dropped the bike and took off.

You NEED a garage, even if you are in one of the nicest neighborhoods, if you are planning to keep ANYTHING outside.  This is with the exception of a dog.  No one ever tried to crawl over our back fence, that opened up onto a golf course, because in the back we had 250lbs of Akita’s walking around.

Garage or carport? Definately a garage if you can find it.  If you can’t don’t leave anything outside that you want to keep thinking it will be fine for a minute.  NOT!