Tag: renewal

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Renewal of Cedula or Residential Card Accomplished Today

This two-year one expires in May
and the new one is also good for two years.
Then I qualify for a “permanent” Cedula
good for up to 5 years.

To get my first Cedula I used a lawyer and spent a lot of money! This time was less complicated but still involved knowing where to go and what to do and all in the Spanish language which I am still not adept at conversationally. So I used a less expensive source whom I highly recommend, who charges a very fair price by the hour and speaks fluent Spanish. I used a local school teacher, Belinda Seabrook, originally from England. It was a delightful and easy half day trip to Alajuela Post Office where I was interviewed and photographed. Doing this at the Post Office is NEW this year and everyone says is easier than renewing at Immigration in San Jose. BUT . . . you must be prepared and here are the six things Belinda asked me to have for the interview:

  1. My current Cedula
  2. My CAJA or health insurance number
  3. Proof that I have paid my CAJA charge each month for the past 3 months (receipts)
  4. “Comprobante de pension” or letter from my Costa Rica bank proving that I have deposited a minimum of $1,000 a month into a bank here. (I have my SS check auto-deposited here,)
  5. Receipt from a different bank, BCR, showing I have paid $123 USD into a given Immigration bank account number in payment for this new Cedula (within 24 hrs off interview).
  6. And lastly come to the interview with ₡7,515 (=$13.23) cash which might be the fee that the post office is charging for the service, but I don’t know for sure. 
Correos de Alajuela – Alajuela Post Office

We waited less than 10 minutes for one of their 2 interviewers and in maybe another 10 minutes we were finished including the photo. It went smoothly & quickly because I had Belinda with me as a fluent Spanish speaker. Without her I would have been a nervous wreck! I highly recommend Belinda for this essential service for you expats here in the Atenas area. And she has a car which made the trip to Alajuela quicker and easier for me who depends on the buses. Call or email me for contact information on Belinda.

And I was informed that I could pick up my new Cedula at the Atenas Post Office on April 2. I then take it to the Clinic to register my new Cedula with the CAJA medical services. And I have a one month cushion since my current Cedula doesn’t expire until May 13. Until this year we had a separate medical card called a Carnet, but now we use the Cedula for everything! A national ID card of sort. Glad to have this bureaucracy requirement behind me for another two years, though I can apply for the permanent one in another one year if I wish. 
¡Pura Vida!
¡Costa Rica!

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Babbling Brook to Roaring River!

The afternoon rain yesterday turned the beautiful little mountain stream into a roaring river breeching its banks where we stopped for both meals on our Visa Run to Nicaragua border. Before & After Photos:

A little mountain stream at breakfast!

And overflowing at lunch time in a heavy rain!

I’m hoping this will be my last “Visa Run,” the 14 hour trip to Nicaragua border to get visas renewed. That means I’m hoping my residency paperwork is completed before January when my 90 days will be up on yesterday’s visa. Yesterday’s trip was uneventful except for the heavy rain and bumper to bumper traffic on the way back.
And oh yeah! Ol’ stupid here left his umbrella somewhere on the border! But I’ve been here nine months and it is the first time to totally loose one (just left locally where I could go back and retrieve). And not as bad as having my cameras stolen Wednesday! By the way, I checked the duty free shop on border for cameras and all they had were a few little pocket cameras, so next will be a dreaded trip to San Jose to a camera store before comparing with online prices (+ shipping & import taxes). It will be expensive, whatever I do! Above photos by my cell phone which is my only camera right now!