Panama vs. Costa Rica

swedph · 09-07-2007

Hi all, thank you for a great forum.

Would like to ask you which of the countries Panama or Costa Rica you can recomend for relocating to? We are a swedish couple, and based on the following requirements, which of them should we go for?

1. Simplyness for Visa /become a resident
2. Buying a property
3. Start a small business
4. General life, cost of living etc.

I´ve done research about the above mentioned countries, and i know their separate rules etc, but have a hard time choosing between them!

Thank you!

//Patrick

Jerry · 09-07-2007

Hi Patrick,

They say that Costa Rica is the better country for visiting and Panama the better country to live in. I agree with that and think that Panama is much more business-friendly, has less crime, and is overall less expensive. It's also very easy to become a legal resident.

panamapal · 09-07-2007

I think Costa Rica will allow you stay longer with a tourist visa than Panama.

swedph · 09-07-2007

thanks for your reply. Is it very easy to become a legal residence even if you are not a retired that get an income from a foreign country?(which we are not) If you are to start a small business of your own you would need to employ 3 panamenians? would that be difficult to deal with?

tallman33 · 09-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by swedph

thanks for your reply. Is it very easy to become a legal residence even if you are not a retired that get an income from a foreign country?(which we are not) If you are to start a small business of your own you would need to employ 3 panamenians? would that be difficult to deal with?

I think you need to start a corporation to do business in Panama, and the corporation needs some Panamanians as officers.