Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes 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. Before you read on, check our…
Estimated Reading Time: 9 Minutes Probably you have decided that buying a car in Costa Rica is much easier than bringing your old one. Bringing your own car only makes sense when you ship your household anyway or if your car has low mileage. But the hassle of bringing your own vehicle is often not…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes More and more Canadian retirees plan of moving to Costa Rica in search of nice weather. There is always a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to live in and adapt to another country. We all become used to the way that things work and operate in…
I had this very strange small car accident and I’d like you to tell about it. Collisions sometimes do have a happy ending. This could only happen in Costa Rica. I went to buy some medicines in a Farmacia (Drug Store) in Rohrmoser. This place is at least 50% or cheaper than many others. The…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes It’s difficult not to get lost in Costa Rica. Particularly when you are not familiar with the way we give directions here. Few countries in the world use such directions. Instead, in most countries, giving an address involves a street name and a house number. Well, not in Costa Rica!…
You should pay special attention to the parking when buying a condo in Costa Rica. That is because the parking space might or might not be included in the condo you’re buying. Does what you think is your parking spot indeed belong to you, or maybe someone else? I know, we all assume there is…
Is it easy to renew a driver’s license if you don’t have legal residency in Costa Rica? In the past, just about anyone (residents and non-residents alike) could get a driver’s license in Costa Rica. Once it expired, it was easy to get a renewal. But, last year, everything changed. The government announced that new…
Wondering what to do when you have a car accident in Costa Rica? If you are a tourist, citizen, or legal resident in Costa Rica, and you have a car accident, no matter how small or ugly the accident is: DO NOT MOVE YOUR CAR. If you are blocking traffic in the middle of a…
An expat in Atenas tells all about her experiences of moving to Costa Rica. Some weeks ago, I posted a very nice blog by guest blogger and expat in Atenas Judy on my other website. Two sisters (Judy and Roxi) are creating a whole new life in Costa Rica post-retirement from the United States. Hear about their…