Ticos have been using the idea of "inactive compaies" along with the concept of wrapping up their cars, homes and other assets in shell corporations for a LONG time. The gringos who come here are just following the lead of the rich people who run Costa Rica.

Consider that also to really manage or work at your own business it is necessary to be a PERMANENT legal resident, which is a status only available after living in Costa Rica for three years as a TEMPORARY legal resident under one of the programs offered to retirees with guaranteed income. Factor in another year or two for paperwork processing delays.

You can try to get permission to manage your own business, but those requirements are complex and require minimum levels of investment certified every step of the way by a local accountant.

The bottom line is that if your business idea requires a public presence or labor relations, then it will be necessary to hire a Tico manager if you want to get setup quickly.

The facts in the case of the man who was arrested for sexually assaulting a female employee of the Banco de Costa Rica were not completely reported in the English language press.

According to reports in La Nacion the man initially grabbed the woman's butt, and then proceeded to chase her down, hold her down, put his hand up her skirt and insert his fingers in her vagina.

This was a full on sexual assault in broad daylight, and was only stopped when several other women came to her rescue and brought the police.

The man was arrested and taken to the flagrancy court, because he was caught in the act. He was required to serve the full sentence because he was already on probation for a weapons violation.

I do not dispute the thesis of your article, but again this particular incident is being misreported over and over again in English.

I really do not think Intel is paying the same rates as the rest of us for electricity in Costa Rica. Their operations are already tax free, and what they are essentially saying is they will not expand unless they get a better deal. Asking for special considerations is possible when you have the president of the country pay you a visit in your own country.

Yes, having children in Costa Rica is like voting in Chicago, early and often :)

The best way to protect your assets in Costa Rica is to keep it in the United States beyond the reach of the local judicial system. The multiple corporation thing does not work anymore when dealing with a divorce. Anyone can go to the Registro Comerical in Plaza Mayor and do a complete search on your name and find all your shell corporations, which had previously been anonymous.

The primary reason why I think the ten year security plan will fail is that it does not have any constitutional mandate to reform the judicial branch of government.

Under the Costa Rican system the judicial branch of government has the exclusive power to investigate criminal activity, and in fact the police investigators take their orders from the attorney general who reports to the supreme court.

The president and the executive branch have a very limited role in fighting crime. I am hoping to address these subjects in another article.

Thanks for the informed comment.

Thanks for your comment Casey. Some day I might get around to revising that because it's more difficult than it may seem.

I wouldn't be discouraged. Sutel has actually been getting money refunded from ICE. Before they existed I never heard of that happening.

I have to say the quality is not that bad in San Jose, meaning its possible to get the relatively low bandwidth they offer in many places downtown. However, I understand that the service is far from reliable in the countryside or at the tourist destinations.
http://wp.me/p1563s-yI

Check out the above link where the telecom regulator is now asking for official complains related to the 3G service. It seems they want to obligate ICE to pay when the service is not as advertised.

Great article. I have to agree there are quite alot of street vendors out there with pirated movies.

The funny thing is that the municipal police only deal with the problem, and the regular Fuerza Publica stands there and watches them. I'm not sure if bringing them into the fray would solve the problem, but they certainly have more manpower than the city police.