Residency or Not?? Looking for testimonials, not opinions. thx

You're asking about becoming a "perpetual tourist". As such, you will always be an invited guest in Costa Rica. You will not be eligible for health care in the CAJA system, which many find satisfactory, and your "right" to enter and reenter the country will always be entirely at the whim of whatever Immigration officer you happen to encounter. You have no guarantee of admission, so assume that you will not be readmitted and make provisions for the dog or cat, your money, etc. If you have precious belongings, take them with you when you leave.

Thanks, I guess.  I already knew about the No Caja; and 'whims' of the immigration officers.   

Do you actually know somebody who left and then when they tried to return, was not allowed to re-enter??

I'm looking for testimonials from people who are not residents nor citizens; but live here anyway and do the exit/re-entry thing.  Maybe I wasn't clear.

thanks

Sorry. In the absence of any replies to your inquiry from those who have done it, I thought maybe my insights would be instructive. Apparently not. I'll try to be more careful in the future.

Actually, I do know about a woman who went to Nicaragua and, upon trying to re-enter Costa Rica, was not admitted because she could not demonstrate that she had sufficient funds to support herself here. The Costa Rican Immigration officer was demanding that she be able to demonstrate  having $600, but I could be mistaken on that.

Hmmmm. This is an interesting post. I would definitely like to hear other’s testimonials.

@daveandmarcia

OK...  that is something.

The immigration officers at the border are going to possibly be a 'thorn' in such a plan.  I'm guessing that flying out and coming back in from North America, or elsewhere (anywhere but Nic. or Panama) is going to be the safer and most legitimate re-entry.  You can say that you went to a funeral for a loved one; or to visit a sick relative, a wedding, etc.   Just going to Nic for the day or for an overnighter will raise eyebrows... especially if, for some reason, you are memorable.   One would think that the guys at the border would be accustomed to this by now.  It's not like the perpetual tourists aren't Contributing to the CR economy, which helps to pay the border agent salaries.   Whatever.   Maybe the whole increase in drug trafficking has them extra cautious and suspicious.   

I wonder (because I've been here long enough to know things) ... if the woman you spoke of DID have $600 on her, if placing it in his hand would have made the 'return' a little smother?   Was he $600 short on his child support??  Car payment?  Perhaps he sould have tried for less and actually ended up with something.... ??

I know that in order to get 'into' Panama, a person has to show some sort of Plane or Bus ticket to EXIT Panama...  I get it that these countries just don't want a bunch of broke, backpacker 'slackers' wandering across their borders and thus, staying too long and trying to work in order to move on... This aint the 60's, or even the 80's when you could wander the world and spend a few months picking olives or oranges in order to pay for the next leg of your journey.  How lucky I feel to have lived back then... and picking oranges wasn't that bad!!  Cypress was worth it.

Anyway....    the world we live in...

Good to know, Dave..   

You always come through....   

Gracias.