Costa Rica helps digital nomads extend their stay

Costa Rica helps digital nomads extend their stay
Costa Rica helps digital nomads extend their stay
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

Costa Rica has become an ideal destination for foreigners who choose to work remotely

  • Digital nomads from the United States, Chile and Portugal highlight the advantages of living and working from Costa Rica
  • They mention natural beauty, the “gift of its people” and the countryโ€™s superior management of the pandemic against COVID-19
  • Their stays are for months and some add another year, thanks to the extensions granted by Migration and Foreigners

Costa Rica has become an ideal destination for foreigners who choose to work remotely. The country, they say, offers them adequate management of the pandemic and the possibility of combining the work of their countries of residence with surfing classes, trips to the mountains and the Pura Vida.

Digital nomads from Chile, the United States and Portugal have lived and worked โ€“ some for periods of months and in other cases for a year โ€“ in areas of the country such as Jacรณ, Manuel Antonio, Santa Teresa de Cรณbano and Monteverde, among others.

This experience could soon attract more people who do not depend on a fixed location and use technology to carry out their work, as currently the deputies of the Legislative Assembly are analyzing project No. 22215: Law to attract workers and service providers to the country for remote services of an international nature.

The Portuguese Viviana Gomes Lopes, financial and strategy director of a consultancy in Mexico, thinks that if you like surfing and nature, Costa Rica is the ideal place.

“In the first instance it is an incredible country,” said Gomes Lopes, who lived in Santa Teresa. “They have controlled the pandemic very well, one of the main reasons that made me stay and not go to Mexico City, my city of residence,” he added.

Gomes Lopes arrived in Costa Rica in February 2020 to stay for three weeks. The pandemic took her by surprise on Costa Rican soil and extended her stay in Santa Teresa de Cรณbano, Puntarenas, as long as her legal residence permit allowed. From there, he combined his professional work with surf lessons. His dream is not to return to Costa Rica.

โ€œTourists who stay for longer periods of time redistribute their money more in the value chains generated by tourism, since they make more local purchases, rent a car for several weeks or months, use services such as the beauty salon, the supermarket, restaurant, soda, laundry, greengrocer, medical services, among other businesses in the community, hence the importance of becoming an option for remote workers,” said Gustavo Segura Sancho, Tourism Minister.

Captured by Costa Ricaโ€™s Ethical Beauty

If the bill is approved in the Legislative Assembly, remote workers would obtain a permit to stay for one year in the country, extendable for one more year, they would have the possibility of opening bank accounts and the use of their country’s driver’s license of origin, among others.

“In the current situation, where the recovery in tourism could extend for up to three more years before recovering the pre-pandemic demand, the segment of digital nomads is key to the rebound of the sector, a bet that other destinations in the world have already advanced world,โ€ said Minister Segura.

For her part, Megan Kennedy, head of the country office of the Selina accommodation company in Costa Rica, explained that the concept of digital nomad has been part of this chain since its inception, since they have always had areas equipped for work and with sufficient Wi-Fi connection capacity, which has allowed them to experience an increase in the number of guests from all over the world who come to work remotely from Costa Rican soil.

โ€œWe are amplifying the speed of the Internet, creating more private places for work calls, as well as co-working areas. The benefit for Costa Rica is obvious because people are going to come to live here, to buy their food, their clothes, to rent a car, participating in the economy while continuing to work,โ€ Kennedy said.

โ€œThe beaches are wonderful to surf, the affectionate treatment of the people in all the towns is outstanding, the climate has enchanted me, as well as the nature and the national parks. Costa Rica is ideal to come to work remotely,โ€ commented Raรบl Reeves, Chilean entrepreneur and digital nomad, who since January has taken advantage of his work stay to enjoy destinations such as Jacรณ, Nosara, Tamarindo, Santa Teresa and recently Monteverde.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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