Costa Rica simply is not a foreign worker's paradise

By: Garland M. Baker B.

Exclusive to A.M. Costa Rica

Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated. We are currently preparing a comprehensive update. Sign up for our Alerts to be notified as soon as the revised content is live!

Costa Rica is labeled a paradise by many sources on the Internet: By visitors who describe their great trips in online blogs, by travel Websites trying to entice tourists to visit and Websites offering general information about Costa Rica's nature, history, culture, and the like.

Too many — especially young people — take the bait and move to Costa Rica, thinking they're going to earn big bucks teaching or by working in call centers. Only they get trapped earning very little and what they do receive is easily consumed by living expenses.

Validating child's citizenship easier than for spouse

By: Garland M. Baker B.

Exclusive to A.M. Costa Rica

Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated. We are currently preparing a comprehensive update. Sign up for our Alerts to be notified as soon as the revised content is live!

Many expats who have built families with a Costa Rican want to get their natural or adopted offspring a U.S. passport. Some believe that since they are U.S. citizens, the right to pass on U.S. citizenship is automatic. It is not. However, it does not need to be a daunting task, either. 

Whether expats are applying for their biological or stepchildren, the procedure seems to be less painstaking than getting their spouse U.S. citizenship. 

In a nutshell, there are certain permanence requirements for the parents to be able to pass citizenship on to their biological, adopted or legitimated children. The process is much smoother and faster for children under 18 years of age than for older children.