Since many of the folks making decisions to move to Costa Rica are what I would call "political refugees", the question many probably are pondering is, what's the political climate in Costa Rica?
As a newly minted expat, even one with a residency, temporary or permanent, you won't be able to vote in Costa Rica elections. To do that you must take the step of actually becoming a citizen. You can do that after the requisite number of years as a permanent resident, or by marrying a Costa Rican. I believe you must be a permanent resident for 7 years to be qualified to apply for citizenship. If you get married to a Costa Rican, that time period reduces to 2 years.
Keep in mind, I am not an immigration expert so best to verify any legal stuff I’m spouting. Since this post is about “political climate” and not “law”, I feel the license to give my opinion on all of the above. This post is also not meant to be a treatise explaining Costa Rica's form of government. For our purposes, it is a democratic republic with a constitution, just like back home.
I became a citizen a few years ago based on my marriage to a lady who’s Colombian borne, but Costa Rica naturalized. However, most expats who become permanent residents never become actual citizens.
And yes, I have dual citizenship with the U.S. and Costa Rica. The U. S. generally doesn't frown on dual citizenship when it's the result of a familial tie like marriage. I'm not sure what they think about dual citizenship via application with no familial ties.
What is the major difference between permanent residency and citizenship? Basically the right to vote. That’s really about it. I guess also (I’m giving my opinion again) that residency (permanent or temporary) can potentially be taken away, whereas nationality cannot?
As a mere resident, you're not even supposed to get involved in Costa Rica political affairs. I believe it's even illegal to do so and meddling in domestic politics could result in loss of residency and possibly deportation.
Do I vote in elections in both Costa Rica and the U.S.? Well yes, as a matter of fact, I do. However, I've never gotten heavily involved in Costa Rica politics.
It's been my experience that Costa Ricans, as a whole, really aren't very political. Most are very skeptical, or even down-right cynical, about politicians. And with the amount of political corruption that exists in Costa Rica, righty so.
Political corruption is pretty much a “feature” of politics in Latin America. And Costa Rica really is no different in that regard than others.
But it is refreshing to live in a non-politically obsessed society. Our neighbors to the North and south, specifically Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia, have much more politically driven societies. And I believe as a result, they’ve all experienced social upheaval on a level Costa Rica hasn't.
And I'm sure you're aware that Costa Rica doesn't even have a standing army. That certainly helps keep the society here less prone to outbursts of mass political outrage, other than the occasional strike, which normally only results in a brief and usually very annoying disruption in transversing the nation's highways.
So, if you're coming from the U.S. to get away from politics, you're probably going to be pleased. That is unless enough politically pissed-off expats end up influencing society here in that direction. But I doubt that will ever happen.
Costa Rica is a strange mix of liberal and conservative ideologies.
Like most Latin American countries, there’s a fair bit of what right leaning “Americans” would deem as socialism here. We have a single payer health care system. We have strenuous protections of employees versus their employers. Costa Rica is very protective of its cherished environment and is a world leader in combatting climate change. Gun ownership is tightly regulated in Costa Rica.
However, on many social issues, Costa Rica is very conservative. The Catholic Church wields great power politically in Costa Rica, so abortions are generally frowned upon. I wouldn't say that Costa Rica is any great leader when it comes to LBGTQ+ rights. Costa Rica has been pretty harsh when it comes to native rights and immigration, especially from its neighbor to the north, Nicaragua. But don’t worry, they’re of course much less strict about “expat” immigration from rich countries!
One way I would definitely describe Costa Rica is that politically, the attitude is live and let live. There are numerous political parties and major elections are more national fiestas than anxiety provoking events.
You'll rarely see a political argument between ticos. I've been here almost 25 years and I don't think I've ever seen one.
Therefore I'll proudly proclaim as a Costa Rica citizen myself that when compared to the constant and growing political divisiveness in the U.S., Costa Rica is definitely Pura Vida!
