Category / Costa Rica / Expat Life
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Insurance Option to Enter Or Stay in Costa Rica for Long-Term Renters
UPDATE: Costa Rica’s Immigration department has just announced one last extension for tourists who entered the country between December 18, 2019, and November 30, 2020, their visa will now be extended until June 02, 2021. To take advantage of this extension you must send proof of insurance (the same coverage minimums as the entry requirement)…
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Why Costa Rica’s “Perpetual Tourists” are Heartbroken
For years Costa Rica has kept our relationship casual, not really acknowledging our mutually beneficial arrangement. They knew that visitors on tourists visas were staying much longer than a vacation, and able to do it by continuously leaving and re-entering every three months. Every once in awhile they acted like they might crack down and…
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2020 Must-Have Digital Nomad Gear and Services
There is so much gear to choose from when you’re a frequent traveler. Making sure you have everything you need for long-term wandering can be stressful, and there are even more things to prep for when you work on the road. If you’re going to less developed countries, it might not be easy to find…
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Why We Donated A Website to the Local Dog Rescue
Caution: Dogs Adopt You in Costa Rica When I moved to Costa Rica, I was the farthest thing from a dog-lover. I was actually pretty afraid of dogs, and had been ever since I was a child. Those fears were heightened when I was traveling Central America and constantly running into roaming street dogs or…
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How to Stay Sane as an Entrepreneur in Costa Rica
Originally published in The Howler Magazine, March 2019 issue. By Laura Galvin Entrepreneur burnout exists no matter where you start a business, but Costa Rica has proven to challenge the sanity of even seasoned business owners. Things like slow processing of paperwork, unrelenting heat and flaky employees are just examples of what may start to…
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How to Start A Small Business in Costa Rica: Branding and Marketing
In Part 1 we walked you through the legal process of forming a corporation in Costa Rica. Though that’s a multi-step process, we can promise you that’s the easy part! The tricky part of starting a small business lies in your concept, marketing and execution. This, however is our specialty. We’ve been helping small businesses…
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How to Start A Small Business in Costa Rica: Legal Process and Taxes
With Costa Rica’s tourist economy booming, international expat communities expanding, and an educated, often bilingual population of locals, it’s an amazing time to be able to start a small business here as a foreigner. Working for yourself is a rewarding experience anywhere, but being an entrepreneur in one of the most gorgeous tropical destinations is…
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5 Qualities Expats and Entrepreneurs Have in Common
Being an expat and a small business owner go hand in hand, because as a foreigner in Costa Rica (and many other countries) you cannot legally work, but you CAN legally start a business, or work for yourself online. But like us, many of our expat friends and clients are serial entrepreneurs because they love…
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Learn Spanish the fun, natural (and inexpensive) way
If you’re thinking about traveling to Latin America, and definitely if you are planning to move to a Spanish-speaking country, you should learn some Spanish. The more you learn, the easier getting around and getting things done will be. Plus you’ll avoid awkward, confusing or embarrassing scenarios, or more seriously, avoid being taken advantage of…
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Top Mistakes Expat-Owned Small Businesses Make in Costa Rica
We’ve been part of the expat community in Costa Rica for over 4 years now, and we work closely with many expats who are starting small businesses. Over the years we have also attempted quite a few small businesses of our own, and seen friends and acquaintances go through multiple business ideas as well. We…
