Republic of Costa Rica
Capital: San Jose HDI: 0.766 (96th)
Language: Spanish
GDP (PPP): $74.3 billion
Currency:Colon
Population: 4.6 million
Costa Rica is a rugged, rainforested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Though its capital, San Jose, is home to cultural institutions like the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes and immense biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, rich with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds.
Costa Rica was sparsely inhabited by indigenous people before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It remained a peripheral colony of the empire until independence as part of the short-lived First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the United Provinces of Central America, from which it formally declared sovereignty in 1847. Since then, Costa Rica has remained among the most stable, prosperous, and progressive nations in Latin America. Following a brief but bloody civil war, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming the first of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army.
RESEARCH
Economic Overview
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Costa Rica Overview – World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/costarica/overview
An upper middle-income country, the country has experienced steady economic expansion over the past 25 years.
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CIA World Factbook – Costa Rica
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html
Economic overview and statistics from the CIA
Industry Trends & Business Climate
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Business Climate in Costa Rica
http://www.vipbusinessbook.com/en/business-climate-costa-rica
Costa Rica is a strategic destination for multinational companies operating in sectors such as services, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and light manufacturing.
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Business in Costa Rica
http://www.costarica.net/features/business.htm
Costa Rica remains one of the safest and most attractive country for foreign investment in Latin America.
Establishing a Presence
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Business Types – Types of Corporations — Costa Rica
http://costarica-information.com/about-costa-rica/economy/investment-business/costa-rican-legal-entities/types-of-corporations-1
Currently, in Costa Rica there are only two main types of Corporations.
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Business Types – Costa Rica.Net
http://www.costarica.net/features/business.htm
See “Starting Business in Costa Rica” on this site
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Costa Rica Incorporation
http://www.companiescr.com/Business_Start_Up_In_Costa_Rica.html
Business registration and license requirements
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Setting Up a Corporation – Costa Rica
https://costarica.com/business/setting-up-a-corporation/
Business Registration Requirements – The 5 steps required to register a new corporation are described on this site
Taxes
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Corporate – COSTA RICA – Taxes in Costa Rica
http://www.costaricaweb.com/business/cindetaxes.htm#corporate
See “Corporate Taxes” on this site
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Personal – COSTA RICA – Taxes in Costa Rica
http://www.costaricaweb.com/business/cindetaxes.htm#individual
See “Individual Income Tax” on this site
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Personal – Costa Rica Individual – Taxes on personal income
http://taxsummaries.pwc.com/uk/taxsummaries/wwts.nsf/ID/JDCN-89HS3X
Income taxes on individuals in Costa Rica are levied on local income irrespective of nationality and resident status.
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Corporate – Costarica-Corporate Tax
http://www.costaricatax.com/corporate.htm
Costa Rica has a graduated tax structure, capping out at a 30 percent tax rate for corporate income levels at $100,000 or higher.
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VAT – Costa Rica Sales Tax Rate | VAT | 2006-2016
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/costa-rica/sales-tax-rate
The Sales Tax Rate in Costa Rica stands at 13 percent.
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VAT – Costa Rica Taxes – A More Inclusive 13% Value Added Tax
http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/1034.cfm
The Government will keep the same 13%, excluding the professional services and rents which will be 6%
Visas
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Passport & Visa Requirements – Costa Rica
http://costarica.com/visa/
Costa Rica Entry and Transit Requirements
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Embassy of Costa Rica: Tourist Visa Requirements
http://costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/72
Not all people who wish to travel to Costa Rica need a tourist visa; this will depend on your nationality, purpose of visit, country of residence and duration of stay.
Infrastructure
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Costa Rica: Transportation – TripAdvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g291982-c109576/Costa-Rica:Transportation.htm
Thuis site provides links to recommended public transportation
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Costa Rica Transportation – Anywhere Costa Rica
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/transportation
There are a variey of public transportation options in Costa Rica
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Telecommunications in Costa Rica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Costa_Rica
Telecommunications in Costa Rica include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
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Costa Rica – Telecoms
http://www.budde.com.au/Research/Costa-Rica-Telecoms-Mobile-Broadband-and-Digital-Media-Statistics-and-Analyses.html
Since Costa Rica’s telecom sector was liberalised it has shown considerable growth in the number of subscribers for all services. – See more at: http://www.budde.com.au/Research/Costa-Rica-Telecoms-Mobile-Broadband-and-Digital-Media-Statistics-and-Analyses.html#sthash.86wzidex.dpuf
Employer Obligations
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Labor Law and policy in Costa Rica
http://www.therealcostarica.com/costa_rica_business/costa_rica_labor_law.html
A summary of key employment regulations
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Hiring Employees and Labor Laws
http://costarica-information.com/about-costa-rica/politics-and-government/labor-laws-1
See “Firing, Quitting and Severance” on this site
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Labor Laws – Costa Rica
https://costarica.com/relocation/labor-laws/
An overview of Costa Rica’s labor laws regarding minimum wages, work hours, overtime, vacation, holidays, maternity leave, severance pay and social security.
Culture/Living
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Cost of Living in Costa Rica
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Costa+Rica
Cost of living in Costa Rica is 23.01% lower than in United States (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in Costa Rica is 56.07% lower than in United States (average data for all cities).
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Costa Rica: Climate & Weather Information
http://www.travelcostarica.nu/climate
A guide to weather, seasonal temperatures and the best time to travel in Costa Rica
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Safety and Security in Costa Rica
https://www.passporthealthusa.com/destination-advice/costa-rica/safety-security/
Petty crime is the most common threat to visitors in Costa Rica, especially in tourist areas and in downtown San José, which should be avoided at night.
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Safety And Security | San Jose, Costa Rica
http://costarica.usembassy.gov/uscitizen.html
Travel and safety advice from the US Embassy in Costa Rica
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Education – Costa Rica Education
http://www.entercostarica.com/travel-guide/about-costa-rica/education
Costa Rica boasts a literacy rate of 96 percent making it the most literate population in Central America.
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Education – International Schools in Costa Rica
http://www.expat-quotes.com/guides/costa-rica/education/international-schools-in-costa-rica.htm
This lsite lists the most popular international and bilingual schools in Costa Rica
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Holidays and observances in Costa Rica in 2016
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/costa-rica/
National and seasonal holidays and observances
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Holidays – Costa Rica Public Holidays 2016
http://www.qppstudio.net/publicholidays2016/costa_rica.htm
Bank, national and public holidays for 2016-20
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Cost of Living – The Real Cost of Living in Costa Rica
http://www.costaricarealestate.com/the-real-cost-of-living-in-costa-rica/
The cost of living in Costa Rica lures a large quantity of expatriates, but it’s important to become educated on effective spending habits
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Business Etiquette – Customs & Etiquette – Costa Rica
http://costarica.com/business/customs-etiquette/
Dos and Don’t of business etiquette in Costa Rica.
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Business Etiquette – Etiquette in Costa Rica | Frommer’s
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/costa-rica/735814
In general, Costa Ricans are easygoing, friendly, and informal.
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Costa Rica Weather, Climate and Geography
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/costa-rica/weather-climate-geography
In the Central Valley, where the main centres of population are located, the average temperature is 22°C (72°F) and the region enjoys a spring-like climate year round.
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Demographics – CIA World Factbook – Costa Rica
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html
Demographic facts and data from the CIA
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Demographics – Costa Rica – Demographics
http://www.costarica1realestate.com/crliving-demographics.php
Demographic data
Trade
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Costa Rica Customs Regulations
https://costa-rica.visahq.com/customs/
Costa Rica Customs regulations and procedures for importing and exporting goods at border.
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Costa Rica | Export.gov
https://new.export.gov/countries/CR
Information for US exporters to Costa Rica
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WTO | Costa Rica – Member information
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/costa_rica_e.htm
This site provides key information on Costa Rica’s participation in the WTO. Costa Rica has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 24 November 1990.
Housing and Rentals
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Lodging Costa Rica
http://lodgingcostarica.com/
Accommodations in various regions of the country
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Costa Rica Hotels and Accommodations
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/hotels
Costa Rica’s diverse accommodations enable visitors to experience the country any way they wish
Travel
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Travel – Costa Rica
http://costarica.com/travel/
Get practical information and travel tips for planning your Costa Rica vacation. From bus schedules and packing suggestions to passport and visa info
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Costa Rica Tourism: Best of Costa Rica
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g291982-Costa_Rica-Vacations.html
TripAdvisor has 693,410 reviews of Costa Rica Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Costa Rica resource.
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