Should you select Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately when marrying a Costa Rican? It has become common for US Persons to find love abroad. You’ll often hear of an American moving to Costa Rica and marrying a young Tico or Tica. A U.S. citizen or permanent resident needs to consider a few tax…
See how Paula gets a new Caja carnet. Paula is a Canadian who moved to Costa Rica with her husband quite a few years ago. The Easy Times has had numerous requests from readers to help find a solution to the problem of getting or renewing the Caja carnet. The Caja carnet is necessary to…
To use a corporation to purchase real estate in Costa Rica is a pretty common way. The purchase transaction usually goes through a shelf corporation or newly constituted one, called an S.A. For many years, attorneys recommended foreigners to use a corporation to purchase real estate for several reasons. Those clients took the recommendation so…
Why would you need an exit visa for your car in Costa Rica? If the car is yours, why would you need an exit visa to cross a border with it? Unfortunately, if you ever plan to leave Costa Rica WITH your car, you need to go through the red tape of getting an exit…
An easement is often created to give access to a property. But what happens if that easement is not registered? Should a listing agent worry about it when listing the property? For those who are really into easements, there are many different easements possible. Water, power, drainage and water treatment. Check other blogs on this.…
Do you need the repatriation of a deceased family member? Most of us don’t want to hear this kind of information. But when you plan to live in Costa Rica, getting information about Costa Rica residency and Costa Rica real estate is not enough. When you read this article, do not call us to take…
If you have assets in Costa Rica you also need a will in Costa Rica. A will from another country is no good for your Costa Rican assets. Thousands of retirees move to Costa Rica every year and do not plan to die here. If you move to Costa Rica to retire, there is a good…
Are you buying a condo Costa Rica in the wrong place? Before you buy a condo Costa Rica for sale, here are 18 reasons you can be buying in the wrong place. This past weekend, I was showing some condos to clients. While some administrators do not maintain their community and the common areas look…
The property owner stole the city park and hoped the buyer wouldn’t figure it out. I’m sure the property owner sold that property to someone else who did not know what was done. I would like to make you aware that there can be certain issues about a property that will not be seen by…
Should you have a good look at the property survey before signing the check to purchase a property? I bet you do! Learn why. You are ready to put an offer on a Costa Rica property. Have you had a look at the survey map, also called the plot map? You probably have not, but…
Ocean view property in Jaco Beach is definitely your best choice if you’re in the market to purchase beach property. If you have traveled as much as I have, then you know that it doesn’t matter where you are, great views are a premium. When you reserve a room in any hotel you will find…
Last week I received a call from someone who bought a condo in Costa Rica from a developer. He ended up working for them after buying. We had a discussion about the size of the Costa Rica condo. Now he wants to sell the condo he bought there. Which is what made me write this blog.…
For many years now buyers and sellers of Costa Rica real estate have been evading the Costa Rica Property Transfer Tax Law. The seller transfers the shares of the corporation that owns the underlying property to the buyer and this changes everything. By selling the shares of the corporation the parties in a real estate…
You must have heard about the famous marchamo in Costa Rica. If you own a vehicle in Costa Rica, you have to pay the marchamo once a year. This is paid before the end of December. Let me tell you what a marchamo is all about. The laws of Costa Rica oblige all vehicles to carry the proof…
In this 3rd and last blog on this matter, I will tell you about the powers this tax law will give the Costarican government. In my first and second blog about the changes in Costa Rica 2013 Tax Law, I explained about Law of Compliance with Standards of Fiscal Transparency and Law Strengthening the Tax…
There are some significant changes in the real estate tax procedures in the air that you should know about. In my first blog about Costa Rica Fiscal Transparency, I explained about Costa Rica’s legislation being on the verge of passing two new laws. This will bring about significant changes to the tax structure currently in…