Now that Chris and I have started the residency process, it is time to start getting our paperwork in order. We often hear from people in our group, or friends who have gone through it... that this step is a doozy. 

Not just because any piece of official legal paperwork will need to be translated by a local, government-approved translator... but because some of the paperwork has a time limit on it. 

Until now, I have never had to deal with an Apostille. As far as I can tell, the person who issues and Apostille document is similar to a Notary in that it is their job to verify or confirm that a document is accurate. 

However, someone who can issue an Apostille is higher up the food chain, so-to-speak, meaning that they are trusted with authenticating the more important documents that you will need to use when applying for residency. Each province or state must determine which body has the authority to do this.

Where a document that is Notarized usually has a stamp impressed into the document, an Apostilled document has a red wax seal. Once that seal is affixed, the document is considered legally validated for a limited time. In the care of residency documents, that time is six months.

If you don't get all your ducks in a row before the six month period, you will have to take the document back to the issuer of the Apostille and have them re-authenticated. This seems to be where a lot of the issues occur, and in my opinion, that is simply because people don't have all the information up front. They get there with their paperwork in hand and find out they are missing something, but they don't have time to get what they need before the time runs out.

I don't plan to have that problem. I'm one of those paranoid pre-planning types who makes copious notes and lists. Lucky for me, our legal eagle Oscar is ready with his own lists that I can follow.

On my last post, I mentioned that he was sending me an email letting me know what I would need to start the process. Now I would like to share that information with you. Keep in mind though, that we are applying to Investor residency, so if you are applying for a different type, your list my be different.

What I Need to Get For My Investor Residency Application

I am reaching out to follow up on your recent conversation with our legal team regarding the documentation required to begin your residency process. The following list houses the main requirements to apply for the Costa Rican residency within the Investor Category. Please take note that the items with 2 asterisks (**) will need to come apostilled from your country of origin.

1. Birth Certificate**: A birth certificate issued in the country of origin, which must be duly legalized, authenticated, or apostilled.
2. Recent Passport-Sized Photograph: A recent passport-sized photograph.
3. Criminal Record Certification**: A criminal record certificate from the foreign national's country of origin or from any country where they have legally resided for the past three years. This certificate must be duly legalized, authenticated, or apostilled.
4. Document Proving the Investment: For the investor category, the applicant must provide evidence of a valid investment worth a minimum of $150k as per Costa Rican enacted Law No. 9996.
5. Marriage Certificate: Dependent applicants must provide a valid marriage certificate, along with a birth certificate and a criminal record check. Proof of investment is not required for dependents.

Also, please find attached our Economic Proposal, detailing the estimated costs and general information regarding your residency process. 

For detailed instructions on obtaining an apostille for these documents, please refer to the following link: Government of Canada's Apostille Information.

Additionally, there are private companies that provide apostille services. For your convenience, here is one such option: Document Authentication Canada.

Finally, we created a file for you to upload the documents as you get them, so they can be reviewed by our legal team. The link is the following: Client Shareable Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Talk about prepared! I love the fact that they have created a drive so that we can both share any information and documentation without having to deal with paper copies.

I also like the fact that they document that I shared above gives a clear list of all the costs with an explanation. I don't like being blindsided by surprise fees in the middle of something.

We now have a fairly clean idea what to expect going forward. Now the next step is up to us... go get all the paperwork on the list!

I mentioned in my last post, that I was a bit worried about obtaining my long-form birth certificate because of the in-depth information that it requires and the fact that my mom isn't capable of helping me get the answers. 

After writing that post, I received a message from Oscar stating that I may be able to get an affidavit written that will help me solve my problem. He is going to look into it for me and hopefully, provide me with the contact information that I need.

That's a huge relief for me. So far, I have to admit, this is looking much less stressful than anticipated.

We know what we need, we know when we need it, and we have the tools to help us get it. What could possibly go wrong, right?

I will definitely be writing follow-up posts as we move forward, so that you have an idea what each step was like and how we get past any hurdles that may arrive.

Until then,

Pura Vida!