On 8 March 2005 three brothers attacked the Banco Nacional in Monteverde. Twenty-eight hours later nine people were dead, including a police officer killed in the assault the President authorised.
Costa Rica has no working street addresses, an official postal code almost nobody uses, and published zones where post is not delivered at all. How the system actually works.
The Brothers took about US$405 million from more than 6,200 depositors before collapsing in 2002. What the courts found, which brother was convicted, and what depositors recovered.
Costa Rica homicides rose 60% in four years, then plateaued. But 74% are score-settling within criminal networks, and property crime has been flat. Here is where the risk actually sits.
Costa Rica records thousands of earthquakes a year and feels a few hundred. Why the country sits where it does, which quakes actually cause damage, and what fifty years of seismic building code has changed.
Costa Rica has a legal standard for drinking water and most of the country meets it — but coverage varies sharply by operator and by canton.
Costa Rica’s pensionado category requires a lifetime pension of at least US$1,000 a month. It does not require you to be retired, and it sets no minimum age — a disability pension can qualify.
Every temporary residency renewal needs proof of Caja affiliation. Over 30 days late costs US$3 a month — but past three months expired, the renewal route closes entirely.
Residency through marriage comes from Migración; citizenship comes from the TSE after two years married and two years in the country. The requirements are not the same.
The Spanish and Estudios Sociales exams are run by the Ministry of Education, not the TSE — and older adults are exempt from the requirement entirely. What the TSE actually asks for.
