Quick answer: Our clients are private people who prefer not to have their names and stories published, so this is not a testimonial reel. Instead it is an honest, anonymised account of the outcomes families typically achieve in their first two years — the milestones, the realistic timelines, and the results that are and are not within reach.
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The patterns below are aggregated and generalised across the kinds of engagements we run. They describe typical outcomes, not guarantees, and no individual client is identified.
Why we do not publish testimonials
Because the people who use a service like this value discretion, and a wall of named quotes would betray exactly the privacy they came to us partly to protect. We would rather give you something more useful than praise: a straight account of what actually happens, so you can calibrate your own expectations.
The typical timeline milestones
Across engagements, the shape is consistent. Document-gathering occupies the first one to three months. Filing follows, then DGME processing of 6–18 months depending on category — rentista faster, investor slower because of investment verification. Approval, then a further two to three months to the DIMEX card, then Caja enrolment. Families who start with a Discovery Trip and move through a full advisory engagement generally reach a held card somewhere in the 18-month-to-two-year range, front to back.
What clients typically achieve
- A held residency — temporary status, on track to permanent at roughly three years and naturalisation eligibility at about seven.
- A qualifying asset — most often property, titled to satisfy DGME and serving as both home and investment.
- A functioning life — for family engagements, children in school, healthcare enrolled, banking open, a property managed.
- A lower cost base — driven by cost of living and the absence of a second national tax layer, though US citizens retain their US obligations.
What clients do not achieve, and we say so upfront
Equally important. Nobody escapes US taxation by relocating if they are a US citizen. Nobody gets a passport quickly — citizenship is years away and requires Spanish. Nobody who buys sight-unseen or rushes a purchase to beat a deadline reliably does well; the ones who struggle are almost always the ones who compressed the diligence. And geography does not fix a problem you brought with you. Setting these expectations honestly at the outset is itself part of the outcome.
The pattern behind the good outcomes
If there is a single common thread among the families who are glad they did it, it is sequencing: school before location, diligence before commitment, documents gathered early, and the tax picture modelled with a cross-border adviser before rather than after. The good outcomes are not luck. They are the result of doing unglamorous things in the right order, which is most of what we actually provide.
The shape of a typical two-year arc
Since we will not parade named testimonials, the most useful thing we can offer is the honest shape of how a first two years tends to unfold across our engagements. Months one to three go to document-gathering in the home country — apostilles, translations, police clearances — which sounds trivial and consistently takes longer than families expect. Filing follows, then DGME processing of 6–18 months depending on category. Approval, then two to three months to the DIMEX card, then Caja enrolment. Somewhere in the 18-month-to-two-year window, a held card and a functioning life.
Inside that window, the milestones that actually matter to families arrive in a recognisable order: banking opened, a property purchased and titled correctly, children placed in school, healthcare enrolled, and — for those who moved for it — a noticeably lower cost base driven by cost of living and the absence of a second national tax layer. None of it is dramatic. The good outcomes are quietly procedural, which is exactly why sequencing them well matters more than any single heroic step.
The uncomfortable outcomes we name upfront
An honest outcomes piece has to include the disappointments, because managing expectations is itself part of a good result. US citizens do not escape US taxation by relocating — the filing obligation follows them, and the savings come from cost of living and the absence of a second layer, not from leaving the IRS behind. Nobody gets a passport quickly; citizenship is years away and requires Spanish. Anyone who buys sight-unseen or rushes a purchase to beat a deadline is the profile that most often struggles, because they compressed the diligence that protects them. And geography does not repair a problem you brought with you.
We say all of this before an engagement, not after, because the families who are glad they did it are the ones who went in with accurate expectations. The single common thread among good outcomes is not luck or budget — it is sequencing: school before location, diligence before commitment, documents gathered early, tax modelled with a cross-border adviser in advance. That discipline is most of what we actually provide, and it is why the outcomes cluster the way they do.
Frequently asked
Why no named testimonials?
Our clients value privacy, and publishing named stories would undercut it. We prefer to give you an honest account of typical outcomes instead.
How long until I hold my residency card?
Typically 18 months to two years front to back, most of it document-gathering and DGME processing rather than advisory work.
Are these outcomes guaranteed?
No — they are typical patterns, not promises. Timelines and approvals depend on your circumstances and DGME. We set expectations honestly rather than overselling.
What most determines a good outcome?
Sequencing and preparation — school before location, diligence before commitment, documents early, tax modelled in advance. The good outcomes come from order, not luck.
Why anonymised outcomes instead of named reviews?
Our clients value discretion, and a wall of named quotes would betray exactly the privacy they came to us to protect. An honest account of typical outcomes and timelines is more useful for calibrating your own expectations than testimonials anyway.
What single factor most predicts a good outcome?
Sequencing and preparation — school before location, diligence before commitment, documents early, tax modelled in advance. The families glad they did it are consistently the ones who did unglamorous things in the right order.
How quickly do clients typically see a lower cost of living?
Immediately on the recurring lines — healthcare shifts to Caja at 7–11% of declared income, and daily costs fall — though US citizens keep their US tax obligation, so the saving is from cost of living and the absence of a second national layer, not from leaving the IRS behind.
What is the most common regret you see?
Rushing — buying sight-unseen or compressing diligence to beat a deadline. The clients who are glad they did it almost always took the time to sequence school, diligence, documents and tax modelling in the right order.
Where to start
Decision-stage questions are best answered against your actual numbers, timeline and family situation rather than a general article. Book a strategy call and we will tell you plainly whether Costa Rica fits — and, if it does, which route and structure suit you. If a country other than Costa Rica is the better answer for you, we will say so.
This article is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Program terms and figures change and are applied to individual facts; those cited were accurate at the time of writing and should be confirmed. Engage qualified counsel and your own tax adviser before acting.